# From JSON Forms to One-Click Approve: How AI Changed Everything About Task Management

*February 2026 — A reflection on how AskRobots evolved from a form-heavy task system to an AI-native operations platform, and what comes next.*

## Where We Started

The original task system was built for humans managing humans. The workflow looked like this:

1. Boss creates a JSON schema template defining exactly what fields a worker needs to fill in
2. Boss creates a task, attaches the template
3. Worker accepts the task, fills out the structured JSON form
4. Worker submits the work
5. Boss reviews the structured data and approves

Three models deep. Schema design before any work could happen. It worked for structured data collection — but it was a pain for "just get this done."

## What Actually Happened

Usage data told a different story. Most tasks didn't need structured forms. They needed a title, some instructions, and a way to say "done." So we built simpler task types:

- **BASIC** — title and done, auto-approved on completion
- **STANDARD** — title, instructions, urgency, needs approval
- **CONTRACT** — the full template-attached workflow for when you genuinely need it

Each simplification increased actual usage. Then MCP and the API came along, and something shifted: tasks started getting created and completed through the API more than the web UI. AI agents could create a task with one call and complete it with another. No forms, no schemas, no clicking.

The web UI became the *worst* way to use the system. The API was faster. The command line was faster. The web had "Fixed Bid Task (Advanced)" as a heading, a dead Reject button that did nothing, and 9 colored filter tabs across two rows.

## What We Just Fixed (February 19, 2026)

One focused session, driven by a UX audit that looked at screenshots, models, and actual data:

**Task Detail Page — Before:**
- Title buried under a full-width status banner
- 40px tall urgency/priority progress bar permanently at 100%
- Actions (approve, reject) buried below metadata, requiring scrolling
- "Template: None" and "MetaData: None" shown when empty
- Dead Reject button — looked clickable, did nothing
- Breadcrumb said "Task Detail" instead of the task title

**Task Detail Page — After:**
- Title prominent with status, urgency, and priority as small inline badges
- Actions immediately after instructions — zero scrolling to approve or reject
- Empty fields hidden
- Reject button wired up to actually dispute the task
- Breadcrumb shows the task title

**Task List — Before:**
- 9 filter buttons across 2 rows (All, Open, Assigned, Waiting on Client, Approved, Disputed, My Assigned, Needs Review)
- No search
- No project filter
- No way to approve without clicking into each task

**Task List — After:**
- 4 view buttons: All, Needs Review, Assigned to Me, Open
- Inline search box, status dropdown, project dropdown
- Approve and Dispute buttons directly in the table for tasks waiting on review
- Filters are combinable — "Needs Review" + project "AskRobots" in two clicks

**Other Fixes:**
- Worker content template cleaned up — removed dead buttons, jargon, waffle-flagged code that was never enabled
- Urgency field added to StandardTaskForm (was on the model but never exposed)
- POST-only enforcement on approve/dispute views
- 28 new tests covering all the action flows

## The Principle

The difference between a free app and a paid app isn't features — it's the feeling that someone thought about what you'd do next and made it easy. Every click removed, every empty field hidden, every action surfaced where you already are — it compounds into something that feels right.

The bar is higher than "digitize paper." The system has to be smarter than paper. Paper can't show you just the tasks waiting for approval. Paper can't let you approve from a list. Paper can't search across everything. Paper can't tell you 155 things are stuck in a queue nobody's looking at.

## What Comes Next

The same pattern applies to every section. The task list got: primary view buttons + inline filters + actions in the table. That playbook works for:

**Contacts** — filter by project inline, search by name, quick actions from the list instead of clicking into each contact.

**Files** — filter by category and project, search by filename, bulk operations from the list.

**Time Tracker** — the URL is `/payments/time/` which is confusing. Duplicate Start Timer buttons. No running timer indicator when you navigate away. No project/date filters. Same treatment: primary views + inline filters + surface the actions.

**Notes & Articles** — search and project filtering inline on the list, not behind separate pages.

**Kanban Board** — priority numbers (10, 9, 8) mean nothing to users. Rightmost column clips off. No drag-and-drop. Color coding by urgency.

**Templates** — the JSON form approach was solid but the world changed. Templates should evolve from rigid input schemas to output guidance — "here's what done looks like" rather than "fill in these 12 fields." The AI worker doesn't need a dropdown to know what to put in a field.

## The Bigger Picture

We can manage more work than a two-pizza team ever could. The claim/heartbeat/release cycle prevents agents from stepping on each other. The task queue eliminates assignment bottlenecks. One person can review work from dozens of agents by approving straight from the list.

The constraint isn't coordination anymore. It's how fast you can create good tasks and approve good work. And both of those just got faster.

The system improves itself through its own workflow — the UX audit was tracked as a task, findings posted as comments, follow-ups created as new tasks, all inside AskRobots. The tool that needed fixing was also the tool that tracked the fixing. That's not a bug, that's the point.

*Every section that gets this treatment — buttons where you need them, filters that combine, hiding noise until it matters — makes the whole platform feel less like a side project and more like infrastructure you'd pay for.*