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42. Assigning Issues and Pull Requests

Assigning Issues and Pull Requests

Learn how to assign work to team members and manage responsibilities on GitHub.

Assigning Issues

Via GitHub Interface

  1. Open an issue
  2. Click Assignees in the right sidebar
  3. Select team member(s)
  4. They'll receive a notification

Multiple Assignees

You can assign multiple people to one issue:

  • Great for pair programming
  • Useful for complex issues
  • Shows shared responsibility

Self-Assigning

When you start working on something:

  1. Find an unassigned issue
  2. Click Assignees
  3. Click your name
  4. Start working!

Assigning Pull Requests

Same process as issues:

  1. Open a PR
  2. Click Assignees
  3. Select the person responsible for merging

Note: Assignee ≠ Reviewer

  • Assignee: Responsible for the PR
  • Reviewer: Reviews the code

Requesting Reviewers

Add Reviewers to PR

  1. Open your PR
  2. Click Reviewers in sidebar
  3. Select team members
  4. They'll be notified to review

Suggested Reviewers

GitHub suggests reviewers based on:

  • Who owns the code (CODEOWNERS)
  • Who recently modified the files
  • Team membership

CODEOWNERS File

Create .github/CODEOWNERS:

# Default owners * @default-owner # Frontend code /src/components/ @frontend-team *.css @design-team # Backend code /api/ @backend-team # Documentation /docs/ @docs-team *.md @docs-team

Now PRs automatically request reviews from relevant owners.

Managing Assignments

Finding Your Work

# In search bar is:open assignee:@me # Issues assigned to you is:open author:@me # Issues you created is:open mentions:@me # Issues that mention you review-requested:@me # PRs needing your review

Using GitHub Notifications

  1. Click bell icon (🔔)
  2. Filter by:
    • Assigned
    • Review requested
    • Mentioned

Setting Up Email Notifications

Settings → Notifications → Email preferences

Configure notifications for:

  • Assigned issues
  • Review requests
  • Mentions

Best Practices

1. Keep Issues Assigned

# Good Issue with clear assignee = clear ownership # Bad Issue with no assignee = nobody working on it

2. Don't Over-Assign

  • One assignee per issue is usually enough
  • Use multiple only when truly shared work

3. Reassign When Needed

If you can't complete something:

  1. Remove yourself as assignee
  2. Leave a comment explaining
  3. Let someone else pick it up

4. Use Teams

For organizations:

  1. Create teams (frontend, backend, etc.)
  2. Assign to teams instead of individuals
  3. Team members can self-assign

5. Review Response Time

Set expectations for review turnaround:

  • Acknowledge review request within 24 hours
  • Complete review within 48 hours
  • Communicate delays

Team Workflow Example

1. Issue created (unassigned) ↓ 2. Team member self-assigns ↓ 3. Creates branch and PR ↓ 4. Requests reviews from teammates ↓ 5. Reviews completed ↓ 6. PR merged, issue closed

Summary

Effective assignment helps teams:

  • ✅ Know who's working on what
  • ✅ Avoid duplicate work
  • ✅ Track responsibilities
  • ✅ Ensure issues don't get forgotten
  • ✅ Speed up the review process

Next: Learn how to merge pull requests!