Use the Schedule tab to make changes to start and finish dates and set up relationships (dependencies), between tasks that have been entered for a project's Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) on the Labor tab of Project Planning.
Contents
The Schedule tab provides a grid on the left side and an interactive Gantt chart on the right side where you can see the project schedule and associated tasks, build relationships between the tasks, and analyze the critical path. This information allows you to keep close track of your project's schedule and identify potential schedule risks.
You can only create dependent relationships for items that are at the
lowest level of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). These are the lowest child-level, or lowest leaf nodes, of the WBS. They display under a parent level but have no WBS children of their own. For the purpose of task dependencies, these are referred to as "tasks" but they may be phases, tasks, labor codes, or lower indent levels, depending on the WBS structure.
Schedule Planning Grid
The Schedule grid displays on the left side of the tab and shows each level of the project's WBS (as entered on the Labor Tab of Project Planning). The descriptions and WBS in this grid are read-only. The only editable fields are the
Start and
Finish dates for each task. You can change task dates directly in these fields. These fields also update automatically when you move task dates on the Gantt chart or change dates on the Labor tab. All dates in the project adjust to support these changes. (The Schedule tab does not display resources that are assigned to each level of the WBS. Use the Labor tab to see details about assigned resources.)
| Field | Description |
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| Description
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This field displays an identifier for the WBS task. All WBS information is entered on the Labor tab of Project Planning. You cannot edit the description in this field but any edits made on the Labor tab are reflected here.
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| Start and Finish Dates
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These fields display the start and finish dates for the task, as entered on the Labor tab of Project Planning. You can change the start date of any level of the WBS except the top, parent level.
If you change the dates on the Labor tab, you must check that the
Start and
Finish dates of the parent WBS level are in alignment with the start and end dates for the child WBS level tasks. If they are not, use the
Collapse Parent Dates option to force the parent WBS level dates to adjust to match the start and end dates of the child WBS level.
To change the dates on the Schedule Planning grid, locate the task and click twice in the
Start or
Finish date cell to activate the date. The cell changes from gray to white to indicate that it is in an editable state. You can only change task dates on this grid. Complete one of the following actions to change the start date:
- Enter a date directly in the field, following the established date format.
- Click the drop-down arrow to open the Calendar dialog box of the Schedule tab. You can select a date from the current calendar, use the right and left arrows to scroll through the months and select a different date, or click the calendar heading to change the view and locate the date.
After you click off the date field, the associated green bar and black bracket update on the Gantt chart so that it starts or ends on the specified date.
The dates in the Schedule grid also automatically update if you move the start or finish of a task item directly on the Gantt chart or on the Labor tab.
You cannot enter a start date that is earlier than the first date in the plan's calendar.
If you are using task dependencies and there are resources assigned to the tasks, selecting the ASAP option on the interactive Gantt chart may shift the start and finish dates for the tasks and the resources. See the Change Task Start or Finish Dates online help topic for additional information.
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Gantt Chart
The interactive Gantt chart provides a graphical depiction of the project's schedule. The first row on the chart lists the parent project and includes the start (earliest) and finish (latest) dates for the entire project. Subsequent rows display a black bracket or green bars:
- Black brackets are parent or group levels, which is a grouping of lower levels (children).
- Green bars represent the lowest task level. This level doesn't have any children. This level drives the dates for the group level and project level.
You can only create dependencies at the lowest level of the WBS. As you change task dates, the black brackets and green bars update accordingly, and the dates automatically adjust on the Labor, Expense, Consultant, and Unit Planning tabs. For example, if there are multiple tasks under a phase, the phase displays as a black bracket on the Gantt chart to indicate a grouping of lower-level tasks. Because you can only create dependencies at the lowest level of the project, you can create relationships between the tasks under that phase or under other phases, but you cannot created dependencies with the phase itself.
In addition, as you use the Edit Dependencies dialog box to create dependencies between tasks, arrows are added to the interactive Gantt chart to show the task relationships. Use these arrows as a reference to see the tasks that are dependent on each other. You can also remove these dependencies if you need to.
After you click off the date field, the green bar shifts on the interactive Gantt chart so that it starts and/or finishes on the specified date. The parent/group level and associated black bracket update accordingly. You cannot enter or select a date that is earlier than the first date in the plan's calendar.