---
search:
  tags:
    - tasks
    - POST
seo:
  description: >-
    What this does: Creates a new pipeline item, scheduling a task on the…
    Reference for the POST /tasks/pipeline/items endpoint in the Leadtime Public
    API API.
sidebar:
  badge: POST
  label: Plan a task (create pipeline item)
title: Plan a task (create pipeline item)
type: openapi-operation
---
**What this does:**
Creates a new pipeline item, scheduling a task on the timeline for a specific team member. This is equivalent to adding a task to the pipeline during weekly planning meetings. The task will appear as a colored card in the pipeline view and, once the week is activated, will automatically appear in the assigned team member's personal stack in the correct order.

**How it works:**
- The pipeline item links a task to a user with specific start/end dates and times
- The length of the pipeline card matches the planned working time
- Tasks are placed in 15-minute increments for precise scheduling
- The order of tasks in the pipeline determines their order in the team member's stack

**Required Permission**: User must have either Pipeline.canPlanAll OR Pipeline.canPlanOwnTeams permission

**Permission-based Assignment**:
- Users with **Pipeline.canPlanAll** can assign tasks to any user in the workspace
- Users with **Pipeline.canPlanOwnTeams** can only assign tasks to themselves or users in their teams

**Validation Rules**:
- **Date range**: Maximum 2 weeks between dateStart and dateEnd
- **Time validation**: Start time must not exceed the work day length for the assigned user
- **Task access**: Users can only plan tasks they have access to view
- **Time increments**: Times must be in 15-minute increments (0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, etc.)

**Date/Time Format**: 
- **dateStart/dateEnd**: ISO format (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ssZ). **CRITICAL**: Only the date part (YYYY-MM-DD) is used - the time component is IGNORED. Always use "T00:00:00Z" or similar. Example: "2025-11-04T00:00:00Z"
- **timeStart/timeEnd**: MINUTES from the beginning of the work day (NOT from midnight, NOT absolute clock time)
  - **Range**: 0 to workDayLength (typically 0-480 for an 8-hour day)
  - **Format**: Must be in 15-minute increments: 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, 120, etc.
  - **Calculation**: Actual time = workDayStartTime + (timeStart/timeEnd minutes)
- **Examples** (assuming 8-hour work day starting at 09:00):
  - `timeStart=0` = 09:00 (start of work day)
  - `timeStart=60` = 10:00 (1 hour after work day start)
  - `timeStart=240` = 13:00 (4 hours = midday)
  - `timeStart=480` = 17:00 (8 hours = end of work day)
- **Planning Multiple Tasks for One Day** (example with 8-hour work day starting at 09:00):
  To schedule multiple tasks sequentially throughout the day, chain them together:
  - Task 1: `timeStart: 0, timeEnd: 75` = 09:00 to 10:15 (1.25 hours)
  - Task 2: `timeStart: 75, timeEnd: 150` = 10:15 to 11:30 (1.25 hours)
  - Task 3: `timeStart: 150, timeEnd: 240` = 11:30 to 13:00 (1.5 hours)
  - Task 4: `timeStart: 240, timeEnd: 330` = 13:00 to 14:30 (1.5 hours)
  - Task 5: `timeStart: 330, timeEnd: 480` = 14:30 to 17:00 (2.5 hours)
- **Important**: timeStart/timeEnd are NOT hours since midnight. If work day starts at 09:00, timeStart=0 means 09:00, not 00:00.

**Use cases:**
- Programmatically add tasks to the pipeline during planning
- Integrate with external planning tools
- Automate task scheduling based on capacity calculations
- Bulk import planned tasks from other systems

<Operation source="api-reference" id="pipelinecontroller-createpipelineitem" />