Create epics, tasks and subtasks

By Darko Bačić, founder of App Tube · 9 October 2026 · Facts checked 9 October 2026

When you finish, a project has an epic with tasks under it, and one task split into subtasks. It takes about five minutes. An epic is a big piece of work split into smaller tasks. A subtask is one small step inside a task.

Luka, Mira and Ivan are a three-person studio shipping a mobile app. They make an epic called "Onboarding". Under it go three tasks: "Welcome screen", "Sign in with Apple" and "Push prompt". Mira splits "Welcome screen" into three subtasks: text, picture and animation. When the first task is done, the epic shows 1/3.

What you need

• A project. A new project starts with three columns: To do, In progress and Done.
• Your role is member, admin or owner.
• A keyboard for the N shortcut. Without one, use the Add a card button on the board.

Steps

1. Make the epic

Open the project and go to Epics. Press New epic, type a title and press Create. The epic shows as a card that says "No tasks yet".

2. Add the first task under it

On the epic's card, press Add the first task. The New item window opens with Task picked and the epic already set. Type a title and press Enter.

3. Add more tasks from the board

Open Board and press N. The New item window opens for the first column. Type a title, pick the epic on the Epic button and press Enter. Turn on Create more to add several in a row.

4. Fill in the fields

Click the new card to open the task. Set the fields you know and leave the rest empty.

5. Add subtasks

Open a task and find Subtasks. Press Add a subtask, type a title and press Create. The step shows in the list, and the task's card shows how many steps are done.

6. Finish a task and check the epic

Drag a task to Done. Go back to Epics. The card now reads 1/3 tasks done, with a bar under it.

Check that it works

Open the epic. Its Tasks list shows each task under it. Open a task, and its Subtasks list shows each step. On the board, turn on Show subtasks to see the steps under each card.

The rules are simple. An epic has no parent. A task can sit under an epic, or under nothing at all. A subtask always sits under a task. That is three levels, and there is no fourth.

What to try next

• Group the tasks into a version and plan a release.
• Learn the keyboard shortcuts. 1 to 9 move the open task to a column.
• Start the timer on a task. Epics have no timer, so time tracking adds up on tasks and subtasks.
• Assign the tasks to people you invite to the workspace.
• Read the other guides.

If it does not work