Introduction to

Construction Scheduling
with

Construction Scheduling Training Series

This manual provides the basic concepts of CPM scheduling combined

with software techniques that provides the knowledge required to
begin using Asta PowerProject to plan a project, schedule a project,
update a schedule, document delays, customize the schedule, establish
resources & cost accounts and viewing tabular & graphic reports.

www.encgrp.com
[email protected]
 Technical Support

Phone 800-991-7029

Email [email protected]

Submit a ticket online http://www.projectnetworking.com/project/Asta

Self-Service Support Portal http://support.astaPowerProject.com/

While every effort has been made to ensure complete and accurate information of the contents
in this documentation, Encore Group of Professionals, LLC cannot be legally responsible for
errors and omissions, or damages or loss of equipment or information caused as a result of the
documentation.

No part of this documentation may be reproduced by any means or stored in any form without
express permission from Encore Group of Professionals, LLC.
 1

Chapter 1. Getting started with Asta PowerProject .............................................. 5

Asta Basics ............................................................................................................................................... 6

Viewing your Schedule in Asta PowerProject ............................................................................................ 7

The PowerProject Menus and Toolbars ..................................................................................................... 8

Chapter 2. Creating a Project in PowerProject.................................................... 11

Creating a New Project in PowerProject .................................................................................................. 12

Saving a file ........................................................................................................................................... 13

Closing a project ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Exiting Asta PowerProject ...................................................................................................................... 14

Exercise: Create a Project in PowerProject .............................................................................................. 14

Building Blocks of a Project Schedule..................................................................................................... 15

Chapter 3. Setting up Project Calendars .............................................................. 16

To display a list of available Calendars.................................................................................................... 16

To select the calendar you wish to use as the default ................................................................................ 17

Calendar screen overview ....................................................................................................................... 18

Adding exceptions .................................................................................................................................. 19

Deleting exceptions ................................................................................................................................ 20

Exercise: Create Project Calendars .......................................................................................................... 20

Chapter 4. Creating a Project Organization Structure........................................ 22

Creating summary tasks .......................................................................................................................... 24

Opening and closing summary tasks........................................................................................................ 25

 2

Adding & Removing tasks into Summary Groups.................................................................................... 25

Removing Summary Tasks ..................................................................................................................... 25

Using the project view to navigate your project ....................................................................................... 26

Summary bar level formatting ................................................................................................................. 26

Chapter 5. Adding Tasks ....................................................................................... 29

Creating Tasks in the Spreadsheet ........................................................................................................... 29

Milestones .............................................................................................................................................. 33

Inserting bars .......................................................................................................................................... 33

Creating Expanded Tasks........................................................................................................................ 34

Task-per-line mode ................................................................................................................................. 35

Moving and editing tasks ........................................................................................................................ 37

Moving bars vertically ............................................................................................................................ 38

Setting Activity Defaults ......................................................................................................................... 39

Chapter 6. Linking Tasks – Adding Logic............................................................ 40

Link types............................................................................................................................................... 40

Drawing links with lag time .................................................................................................................... 43

Moving/Editing Links ............................................................................................................................. 44

Block linking .......................................................................................................................................... 45

Link tasks mode...................................................................................................................................... 45

Cross Chart linking ................................................................................................................................. 47

Linking tasks without drawing on the Bar Chart ...................................................................................... 48

The Wild Card ........................................................................................................................................ 49

 3

Reviewing links ...................................................................................................................................... 50

Exercise: Link activities in 3 Phases ........................................................................................................ 52

Chapter 7. Managing Tasks and Groups .............................................................. 53

Copy Tasks and Bars .............................................................................................................................. 53

Task Pools .............................................................................................................................................. 54

Copy and Paste Summary Tasks.............................................................................................................. 55

Hammock Tasks ..................................................................................................................................... 56

Buffer Tasks ........................................................................................................................................... 58

Hiding Tasks .......................................................................................................................................... 60

Chapter 8. Rescheduling a Project Schedule ........................................................ 62

Changing the project start date ................................................................................................................ 63

Chapter 9. Assigning Constraints ......................................................................... 65

Adding a constraint ................................................................................................................................. 65

Types of Constraint................................................................................................................................. 66

Reschedule results (Float) ....................................................................................................................... 67

Run a Filter for the Critical Path .............................................................................................................. 68

 4

Course Objectives

During the day you will learn how to:

� Edit and apply working time using calendars

� Create a linked bar chart

� Understand and analyse the Critical Path and Float

� Manipulate the chart using constraints

� Summarize the bar chart

� Create a coded reporting system

� Edit the display

� Update progress on your project

� Print your project

Topics will be backed up by exercises

This booklet is yours to take away

Please feel free to add any notes you feel are relevant

Please ask any questions

� = Warning, something to make you aware of.

� = Note, something of interest

 5

Getting Started with Asta PowerProject

Chapter 1. Getting started with Asta

PowerProject

In this chapter you’ll be introduced to Asta PowerProject. We’ll then

look at PowerProject’s menus at the open screen and project screen to
aquaint you with the program’s capabilities.
 6

Getting Started with Asta PowerProject

Asta Basics
Start Asta PowerProject by double-clicking on the desktop program icon. Once you’ve started Asta
PowerProject, you can begin working with a project. The initial startup menu allows the user to open new,
recent or existing projects and perform various project utilities such as saving and deleting files.

PowerProject follows many of the rules for Windows:

� Left click will usually select an item

 7

Getting Started with Asta PowerProject

� Double click will activate it

� Right click gives you a menu to make changes
� Click and drag will move an item from one part of the screen to another or will select multiple
items
� Shift button will allow you to select adjacent items
� Control button will select non-adjacent items
Viewing your Schedule in Asta PowerProject
There are three major areas of the PowerProject window that you should become very familiar with. They
are the Organizer, Spreadsheet, and Bar Chart. In addition, there are functional areas that make Asta
PowerProject very easy to use. The screen layout may vary for existing projects where the layout has
been changed to suit the needs of the user:

Ribbon

Date zone

Bar chart
Organizer Spreadsheet

Properties View

Object Edit Toolbar

Ribbon – Contains the commands for your project

Project View – Shows the structure of your project and shows the list of library items available
 8

Getting Started with Asta PowerProject

Bar Chart – Information on your project in graphic form, your Gantt Chart

Date zone – Timescale for showing dates for years, months, weeks etc.

Spreadsheet – Information on your project in tabular form

Properties View – Allows you to edit the properties of a selected object

Object Edit Toolbar – Used to edit tasks and/or links in the bar chart

The PowerProject Menus and Toolbars

Templates

Printing
 9

Getting Started with Asta PowerProject

Option Settings

Home Ribbon

View Ribbon

Project Ribbon

Allocation Ribbon
 10

Getting Started with Asta PowerProject

Format Ribbon
 11

Creating a Project in PowerProject

Chapter 2. Creating a Project in

PowerProject

In this chapter you will create a project in PowerProject and begin

building a construction schedule.
 12

Creating a Project in PowerProject

Creating a New Project in PowerProject

Templates are used to make creating a new project as quick as possible, as the template can contain
information that you may wish to use like tables, code libraries, filters and many more items.

� Select the File tab

� Select New:

� Select a template on which to base your project e.g. Construction Template

Enter the details on the new project:

� Filename – The name of the

document

� Name – The print title

� For – Who the project is for

i.e. the client

� By – Who the project is by

i.e. your name or company

� Start – The start date for the

whole project

� Once these details have

been entered, click Create

� Opening an existing project

� Select the File tab

� Your recent projects are displayed to the right. Double click to select & Open a project

� If your project has not been opened recently, Select Open from the menu on the left
 13

Creating a Project in PowerProject

� Select your file & click Open

Saving a file
� Select the File Tab & Save or the Save button on the quick access tool bar

When saving a file under a new name, the existing version is kept and a new version is saved
under the new name.

� Select the File tab and Save As

Closing a project
� Close the project tabs using the ‘X’ next to each tab:
 14

Creating a Project in PowerProject

Or:

� Return to the File tab and select

If the project has not been saved, you will be prompted to do so

Exiting Asta PowerProject

� Select the File Tab & select Exit from the left hand menu
Or

� Click on the X at the top right of the screen

� N.B. If you try to close an individual project, or the PowerProject software

altogether, without saving, PowerProject will ensure you do not accidentally lose changes
by prompting to ask if you want to save

Exercise: Create a Project in PowerProject

Create the following project using the Construction Template:

File Name: New School.pp
Project Title: High School Addition
For: (Your Local School District)
By: (Your name or company Name)
Start: today’s date
 15

Creating a Project in PowerProject

Building Blocks of a Project Schedule

 16

Setting up Project Calendars

Chapter 3. Setting up Project Calendars

Calendars define the working and non-working time within a project. The Calendar consists of a planned
pattern of work to which exceptions can be added. An exception is any day which does not conform to the
planned pattern of work, e.g. holidays or overtime

To display a list of available Calendars

The calendars are accessed from the Project View

Click on the ‘+’ symbol

to display the contents
of a folder
 17

Setting up Project Calendars

To view a Calendar or add

exceptions to a Calendar, right
The Default click on the Calendar name
Calendar icon and click on Properties

� Any new task you create will follow the default calendars’ work pattern

To select the calendar you wish to use as the default

� Right click on the calendar you wish to set as the default

� Select Task Default from the list

� The tick will move to the new default calendar

Once the default calendar has been selected, you can then edit the calendars properties to the specific
working patterns of this project

To edit the calendar:

� Right click on the calendar you wish to edit

 18

Setting up Project Calendars

� Select Properties

Calendar screen overview

Each day in the Calendar has a working pattern assigned to it. An exception is any day which does not
follow that working pattern.

Each day has a period of working and non-working time assigned. To view these times

� Double click on the day you wish to view. The day will open in a separate pop up, showing the
working and non-working time during that day.
 19

Setting up Project Calendars

� All Asta supplied calendars have the same 8 hour per day pattern

Adding exceptions

You can add additional exceptions to the calendar to show additional bank holidays, shut down days or
additional weekend working.

To add an exception:

� In the Calendar tab, Left click on the date you wish to select. If you wish to select more than
one date, you will need to hold the CTRL key and click on each date

� Click the Add Exception button

� Choose which Exception type you wish to add

� Choose the period of time you wish the exception to last for in the Exception period section

� Click Add
When adding an exception, it is important to set the correct time periods. Most schedules are measuring
days not hours. Best practices in this case are to select the 24 hour exception:
 20

Setting up Project Calendars

24 hour exception will add the selected exception for the whole 24 hours of the day
Specific start and end times allows you to set the start and finish of the time to the nearest
30 minutes
From work pattern periods matches the morning and afternoon to those already set for the
calendar. (This option will produce the best results)
Best practices are to print the calendar for review by the project team and/or include with a schedule
submittal to the owner. Simply select Print while in the Calendar tab.

Deleting exceptions

Removing an exception from a date will return those dates back to the standard work pattern:

� Select the dates with the exceptions you wish to remove

� Click Delete Exceptions

� A pop up will appear asking if you are sure you wish to delete the exceptions. If you are, select
Yes, if not select No.

Exercise: Create Project Calendars

Create a 5 Day Workweek Calendar with holidays:
 21

Setting up Project Calendars

Create a 7 Day (Calendar Day) Calendar with holidays:

 22

Creating a Project Organization Structure

Chapter 4. Creating a Project

Organization Structure

Project management is not only about defining tasks and setting up their dependencies, it is also about
organising the different parts of a project into a coordinated whole

Asta PowerProject lets you organize your project using Summary Tasks to group related tasks together
and this section explains how you can use summary bars to structure your project in a logical format

A Project Organization Structure is a system where all the tasks grouped together in a hierarchical
structure. A Project Organization Structure is useful when you want to break down the work involved in a
project, starting from the main phases of the project and expanding right down to the individual tasks that
must be carried out (see diagrams below).

Right Click on the Project in your Project View and select “Insert Child Summary”
 23

Creating a Project Organization Structure

 24

Creating a Project Organization Structure

Using this technique, create the following Project Organizational

Structure.

Creating summary tasks

Summary tasks are useful for grouping related activities together in sequential order. A summary task
takes its position and duration from the position and duration of the tasks within the summary group. It
provides ‘rolled up’ information relating to all tasks within the summary and gives the user control over
displaying each & every task in the project or displaying only the summarized information

To summarize tasks in the project:

� Highlight the bars you wish to group together by clicking and dragging on the line numbers
within the table

� On the Home tab click the Summarize command

 25

Creating a Project Organization Structure

� A summary bar appears on the Bar chart:

� Enter a name for the summary bar in the table e.g. Restroom Finishes

You can now choose to hide the tasks that are part of the summary group from the chart so that only the
summary bar & ‘rolled up’ details are displayed

Opening and closing summary tasks

� On the Bar Chart, place the cursor over the summary task so that the Candy Wrapper cursor
is displayed and double click

� The individual tasks are hidden from view

� Double click again to display the tasks

Adding & Removing tasks into Summary Groups

� Select the bar(s) by clicking on the line number

� On the Home tab click on the Indent button on the ribbon

� Bars are added to the summary that is above

� To remove tasks from a summary group, use the Outdent button

Removing Summary Tasks

� Select all of the contents of the summary group

 26

Creating a Project Organization Structure

� Click the Outdent button from the ribbon

If there are no contents in the summary group the summary task no longer exists

Using the project view to navigate your project

The structure of our project is clearly displayed in the Project View.

� Click on the ‘+’ sign to open the contents of headings. Program is usually the top level

� Select any of the summary groups to display only that section of work on the Bar Chart
In the example below only Superstructure has been selected therefore you are only shown the contents
of the Superstructure summary bar:

Summary bar level formatting

Once you have a structure in your project, the spreadsheet cell color and font, as well as the background
color for that row on the bar chart, can be set for a Summary task in the Project View. The coloring is set
for each level of the project, so more than one summary may have the same color.

To alter the appearance of the Summary bar task:

� In the Project view right click on any Summary bar and select Appearance
 27

Creating a Project Organization Structure

� Choose the text color, background color and font style and size of your choice:

Once the level coloring is set, it will need to be turned on in the Bar chart.

To turn the summary row color on:

� On the Format tab click the Format Bar Chart command

� On the General tab you can choose to show Summary row coloring on the Spreadsheet, Bar
chart and also show banding down the left hand side of the spreadsheet
 28

Creating a Project Organization Structure

 29

Adding Tasks

Chapter 5. Adding Tasks

A Project is a series of tasks which must be completed to achieve a set of objectives. The Spreadsheet
displays the task information and the Gantt chart (Bar Chart) shows the tasks in their date position and
duration:

A Task is a unit of work with a duration. Tasks can be created on the Spreadsheet or drawn onto the
Gantt chart and they can be linked to show relationships between them to create the critical path. You
can create more than one task on the same bar to show repetitive or intermittent working. Task names
can be used to describe the task, and do not need to be unique

Creating Tasks in the Spreadsheet

To create the task titles that will make up the project select an element in the Project Organizational
Structure:

� Move the mouse pointer over an empty cell in the Name column and left click

� In the Milestone section type the name ‘Notice to Proceed’ and press ENTER

A task can be created by either typing the duration into the column on the Spreadsheet, or by using the
cursor to draw onto the Bar Chart. Once created, any aspect of the task can be edited using either the
Spreadsheet or using the mouse on the task bar
 30

Adding Tasks

To create tasks in the Spreadsheet:

� Type the following task names and durations in the appropriate columns for the listed Project
Organization Structure (POS).
You can use any duration unit by adding the appropriate letter after the number, i.e. d for days and
w for weeks

� Press ENTER. A task is displayed on the Bar Chart

POS Task Description Duration
Milestones Notice to Proceed 0
Milestones Substantial Completion 0
Design Prepare Final Design 5
Procurement Submittals 10
General Cond Mobilization 2
General Cond Trailer Setup and Fencing 3
General Cond Final Clean 5
Site Work Survey and Staking 2
Site Work Excavate and Grade 7
Substructure Layout and Grade Pad 5
Substructure Underground Utilities 5
Substructure Form/Pour Footings 3
Substructure Form/Rebar/ Pour Slab 4
Substructure Cure Slab 3

To create tasks on the Bar Chart:

� Place the mouse cursor in the Bar Chart on the line for the task, the cursor will now be a
cross

� Left click and drag the mouse to the right

A pop up box displays the duration of the task

� Release the mouse button when the task is 5d:

 31

Adding Tasks

� Enter the following activities by creating a task bar in the appropriate POS:
POS Task Description Duration
Structure Structural Steel 5
Structure Roof Joists & Decking 5
Exterior Exterior Framing 8
Exterior Door/Window Frame 5
Exterior Lath & Plaster Ext Walls 10
Exterior Roof Membrane 5

� The task will remain selected (highlighted in black)

� Click away from the task to deselect it & it is displayed green again

Copy and paste from Excel:

Enter the following activities into an Excel Sheet. The will be copied and
pasted into PowerProject:

POS Task Description Duration

Int Rough-in Interior Frame 5
Int Rough-in Rough Plumbing 5
Int Rough-in Rough Mechanical 5
Int Rough-in Rough Electrical 5
Int Rough-in Insulation 3
Int Finishes Drywall 5
Int Finishes Tape/Texture 3
Int Finishes Ceiling Grid 3
Int Finishes Acoustical Ceiling Tile 2
Int Finishes Paint 5
Int Finishes Millwork 5
Int Finishes Interior Doors 3
Int Finishes Finish Plumbing 3
 32

Adding Tasks

Int Finishes Finish Mechanical 5

Int Finishes Finish Electrical 7
Int Finishes Flooring 5
Int Finishes RR Partitions & Accessories 3
Int Finishes Test & Balance 5
Site Finishes Site Finish Grade 10
Site Finishes Base & Pave Parking Lot 5

� Format Excel and Asta columns to match.

o For example, if your Asta view includes a Unique Task ID, your Excel view should as well
o Asta can accept start and finish dates as well. Logic can be applied afterward as needed.

� Format Excel to include duration units days / weeks / months (d, w, m) in Excel.
o If you have a duration column with a number only (eg. 5) and do not have the duration
unit (eg. d) then do the following:
o Add a column with appropriate duration (eg.d)
o Add additional column to combine the duration with the duration unit (eg 5d) using the
Concatenate formula which is =CONCATENATE(B19,C19)
o Copy column with formula, right click into a new column and paste values (see below
screen shot)
o Remove unnecessary columns

� In Excel, copy desired rows

� In Asta, select one cell in greyed out Line column, right click, and paste.

Create Summaries to breakout Interior Rough-ins and Interior Finishes.

 33

Adding Tasks

Milestones
Milestones are used to display key dates or events in our project and have zero duration

To create a Milestone:
� Name the task in the normal way

� Enter 0 (zero) in the duration column. The 0 will not display as the default is to not show
zeros, but a diamond symbol will now appear in the bar chart:

Milestones can either be a Start or Finish milestone. Start Milestones will show at the start of a working
day, whereas Finish milestones will show at the end of the working day, e.g. if a task is completed on
Friday afternoon, a Start Milestone will appear on Monday morning. A Finish Milestone will appear at
the end of Friday afternoon. By default, you will create a start milestone.

To change a Milestone into a Start or Finish Milestone depending on your requirements

� Right click on the Milestone in the Bar Chart

� Select Make Into > Start/Finish Milestone (keep in mind that the default milestone is Start)

Inserting bars

You can insert new lines into your project to put new tasks on or just to space exiting tasks for
formatting purposes:

� On the line number below where you want to insert your new line Right click and select Insert
Bar or press insert on your keyboard

� A blank bar will be inserted above the currently selected bar

 34

Adding Tasks

Creating Expanded Tasks

Expanded tasks allow you to organize your plan as a hierarchical tree of charts, gradually breaking the
project down further and further into more and more detail. These new Charts are clearly displayed in
the Project View. Tasks within the charts can be summarized to structure the work within each chart.

Any existing task can be converted into an expanded task or a new task can be created and made into an
expanded task.

To add more detail into our project without overly complicating our chart we will create a new task called
Landscaping within which further detail will be contained.

� Create a task by entering a task name and duration into

the table e.g. Classroom Finishes

� In the bar chart, place the mouse over the task and right
click on it:

� Select Make into > Expanded

 35

Adding Tasks

The task becomes a new chart in the project hierarchy. To access the
new chart either:

� Left click on the new chart in the Project View

Or

� Double click on the expanded task on the bar chart

Create tasks and plan your work in this new chart as normal.

To return to the main ‘Program’ chart of the project:

� Select Program from the project view or select

Up one level from the Quick Access Toolbar
at the top your screen

At program level, the expanded task is displayed with a critical appearance. It takes its duration from the
tasks held within it and its position at the start date of the project.

The expanded task can now be linked into the project just like a normal task.

Task-per-line mode
In Asta PowerProject, it is possible to display more than one task on a bar. This is useful if you have
several tasks of the same type or you have a process made up of a number of single tasks. Asta
PowerProject can separate tasks that exist on the same line by dropping them down onto separate lines.
This is achievable by using Task-per-line mode

Option 1: Create multiple tasks on the same line:

 36

Adding Tasks

� Using the cross hair cursor draw more than one task onto the same line in the Bar chart:

� Enter name for group of tasks (eg First Floor)

� You can now drop these tasks down onto separate lines by clicking the + symbol to the left of
the line number you have drawn them on

� Enter names of each task and adjust durations accordingly

� Click on the + symbol to roll the tasks back up onto one line

Option 2: Roll up existing tasks:

There are also buttons which allow you to select a number of already pre-drawn tasks which were first
created on separate lines and now you wish to roll them up onto one line:

� Select the line numbers of the tasks you wish to place on one line

� On the Home tab, click the Roll up tasks command

� The process can be reversed using the Unroll task command

 37

Adding Tasks

� Enter name for group of tasks (eg First Floor)

Moving and editing tasks

Tasks can be moved and edited using either the mouse or the Object Edit Toolbar

To edit your tasks on the Bar Chart:

� Place your cursor on the task in the Bar Chart you wish to edit

� Your cursor will change to one of these shapes:

Description
Knickname Symbol

Select /move task:

Candy Wrapper Place mouse cursor in the
centre of a task. Left click &
drag.
While this cursor shape is
showing an item can be
selected or moved.
Left Bow & Arrow Adjust start date of task:
Place mouse cursor at start of a
task. Left click & drag.
While this cursor shape is
showing the start date of a task
can be moved without affecting
the end date.
Right Bow & Arrow Adjust end date of task:
Place mouse cursor at the end
of a task. Left click & drag.
While this cursor shape is
showing the end date of a task
can be moved without affecting
the start date.
 38

Adding Tasks

To edit tasks on the Object Edit Toolbar:

� Select a task on the Bar Chart using the cursor as shown above

� The Object Edit Toolbar is now displayed at the foot of the screen:

To change
To move date To change
end date of
position of start date of

Moving bars vertically

Once you have listed out your tasks, you are still able to change the order of those tasks at anytime

To move start on site to the top of your project:

� Left click on the line number for the task you want to move. Place your cursor on the task in
the bar chart, you should see the cursor:

� Click and drag the bar to the new line above

 39

Adding Tasks

Setting Activity Defaults

Once you have listed out your tasks, you are still able to change the order of those tasks at anytime

Select the Project Ribbon and the Bar Chart Defaults:

 40

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

Chapter 6. Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

Once you have entered in your tasks you will need to consider the order that you wish to approach those
tasks. It is possible at this point to move the tasks into order by selecting the start and finish dates that
you wish to use

However, in order for the software to understand the order that you wish to work through your project, you
will need to link your tasks to indicate how they relate to each other

Link types
Links can be drawn starting and ending anywhere along the length of a task and you can link tasks in
many different ways. The type of link used depends on the nature of the relationship between tasks

There are 4 types of link:

A A A A

B B B B
Start-to-Start Finish-to-Start Start-to-Finish Finish-to-Finish
 41

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

In all cases, the direction of the arrow controls where the next task appears (A controls where B appears).
We do not recommend the use of Start-to-Finish relationships. Additionally, we caution using Start-to-
Start relationships since these result in open ends (or tasks where the finish may extend but would not
then impact any other activities). A best practices approach is to use Finish-to-Start relationships 80% of
the time so that the schedule is simple to understand and is more likely to be beaten.

Links are drawn between tasks using following cursor shapes:

End link Cursor:

This cursor shape indicates

that you are linking from / to
the end of a task

Start link Cursor:

This cursor shape indicates

that you are linking from / to
the start of a task

Mid-link Cursor:

This cursor shape enables you

to link from/to any midpoint
along the length of a task. A
pop up box will indicate your
exact position during the task,
e.g. 3 days into a 10 day task
 42

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

To draw a finish to Start link between 2 tasks:

� Place the mouse at the end and at the top or bottom corner of the first (predecessor) task to
display the end link cursor

� Left click and drag to draw the link to the start of the corresponding (successor) task.

� Release the mouse when the Start Link cursor is displayed

A link is made between the 2 tasks. The link arrow is green. This means that the link is selected:

� Click elsewhere on the bar chart to deselect the link:

This now tells Asta PowerProject that task B cannot start before task A is finished

Sometimes it is necessary to show that tasks will happen simultaneously

To show this a link is drawn starting or ending somewhere along the length of a task known as a mid-
link.
 43

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

To draw a mid-link:

� Place the cursor at the start of the predecessor task. Without pressing move the cursor to the
right so that the mid-link cursor is displayed

� A pop up box will indicate where during the task you are linking from

� Left click at the desired position and drag to move the pointer to the desired position on the
successor task

� Release the mouse when the corresponding link cursor is displayed

Drawing links with lag time

There may be times when you need to insert a period of waiting or delay into your project, e.g. waiting for
paint or concrete to cure. We recommend inserting an actual activity that represents the lag (such as
Cure). This way there are not gaps or hidden delays in the schedule. That said, instructions follow to draw
links with lags.

LAG

Option 1:

� Draw a Finish to Start link

� Right click on the link and select Properties

� Click on the Link Start tab

� Enter the lead/lag time in days, e.g. 2d

 44

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

Option 2:

� Move the cursor to the bottom right hand corner of the predecessor task so that the end link
icon appears, left click and keep the mouse button held down

� Press and hold the Shift button on the keyboard and with the mouse button still held down
drag the cursor horizontally. A pop up box will appear displaying the lead/lag duration:

Hold SHIFT
while drawing the

� Once you have reached the desired duration release Shift but keep hold of your mouse
button and drag it over to where you want to end the link and let go:

Moving/Editing Links
If you have drawn a link incorrectly, you can simply ‘drag’ the link to the correct position, rather than
deleting & re drawing the link.

� Select the link (it will show as green)

� Hover the cursor over the end of the link you wish the move until a ‘cross’ cursor becomes
visible:

� The link can now be dragged to the correct position

When the link is selected Pull the link to the

The link should have been
the Drag/Move Cursor can correct position on the
to the start of task 3
be displayed task
 45

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

Multiple links in a sequence can be highlighted by selecting the first link in the sequence, holding the
SHIFT key and selecting the last link in the sequence

Block linking

If you have more than 2 tasks to link together e.g. a whole section of work, the Add/Delete Links button
can be used:

� Select the tasks that you want to link

To link tasks that are next to each other on your chart click on the line number of the first bar. Left click &
drag downwards to select adjacent bars

To link tasks that are not next to each other on the chart hold the ctrl button on keyboard while clicking on
line number the task you want to link:

� Click the Add/Delete Links button on the Home tab and then ‘Link tasks’

Finish to Start links are placed between each of the tasks

� Note the short cut key Ctrl+F2

Link tasks mode

You can use Link Tasks mode to link tasks automatically as they are created, or as you select them one-
by-one in the bar chart. This saves you from having to create links separately by drawing them in the bar
chart.
 46

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

To link tasks automatically as they are drawn in the bar chart:

� On the Home tab, in the Schedule group, click the Add/Delete Links dropdown and select Link
Tasks Mode.

� The cursor changes shape to indicate that you are now in Link Tasks mode.
� Draw a task in the bar chart. Note that if a task was selected when you entered Link Tasks mode,
a link is drawn automatically from the selected task to the task that you have just drawn.

� Draw another task in the bar chart. As soon as you have finished drawing the task, a Finish-to-
Start link is drawn automatically from the first task to the second task

� As you draw further tasks, each new task is linked to the previous task automatically as long as
you remain in Link Tasks mode.

� To exit Link Tasks mode, on the Home tab, in the Schedule group, click the Add/Delete Links
dropdown and select Link Tasks Mode again, or press ESC.

To link tasks automatically as they are selected in the bar chart:

� On the Home tab, in the Schedule group, click the Add/Delete Links dropdown and select
Link Tasks Mode.

The cursor changes shape to to indicate that you are now in Link Tasks mode.

� Click a task in the bar chart to select it. Note that if a task was selected when you entered Link
Tasks mode, a link is drawn automatically from the selected task to the task that you have just
selected.

� Click another task in the bar chart to select it. A Finish-to-Start link is drawn automatically from
the first task to the second task:
 47

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

� As you select further tasks, each selected task is linked to the previously-selected task
automatically as long as you remain in Link Tasks mode.

� To exit Link Tasks mode, on the Home tab, in the Schedule group, click the Add/Delete
Links dropdown and select Link Tasks Mode again, or press ESC.

Cross Chart linking

Sometimes it is necessary to show logic links between tasks held in different charts in your project or
between the root chart of your project and tasks held in sub-charts. These links can be made by bringing
the tasks onto one screen to enable links to be drawn between them or by using the Link From/To
dialogue.

To display the tasks from different charts on one screen:

� Click on Program in the Project View

� Hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and also click on the
expanded chart in the Project View

Tasks from both charts are now displayed on the same screen, and links have been drawn between tasks
as required.
 48

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

Alternatively, the Link From/To dialogue can be used. This is useful if the tasks are not near to each
other and links cannot easily be drawn between them.

� Right click on the required task in whichever chart of your project

� Select Linking > Add Link. The Link from/to dialogue appears.
� Enter the name of the task you are linking to in the ‘Task Name’ field and click Link

Linking tasks without drawing on the Bar Chart

 49

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

As well as drawing links directly onto the Bar Chart using the mouse, you can also link tasks by selecting
one or more tasks in the Bar Chart and specifying the task you want to link to by name. Creating links in
this way is an easy way to link tasks which are not close to each other in the Bar Chart

� Right click on a task or tasks on the Bar

Chart

� Select Linking > Add Link:

The Link From/To dialogue box is displayed:

� Indicate whether you are linking from or

to the selected task(s)

� Identify the task you are linking to

� Select the type of link

� Press Link and Close

The Wild Card

 50

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

� . By placing an asterix (SHIFT + ‘8’ on your keyboard) after the first few letters or words of the
task to which you are linking. This acts as a wild card and it will search for all tasks that begin
with those letters or words

� If it finds more than one task beginning with these letters or words it will give you the choice of
which task you want to link to

Reviewing links
Once tasks are linked, you may wish to add, remove, or change links/logic. You may also wish to trace
logic by jumping from one task to another using the links or view a task’s complete chain of predecessors
or successors.

Bar and Task Properties

� Right click on the grey line # or the bar itself

� Select Properties > Links tab

� Adjust as needed.

� To Go To / Jump to a predecessor/successor, double click on the task within the Properties >
Links window
 51

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

Path to/from Task

Use this option to see all the incoming or outgoing tasks from the one in question. For example, if a
project contains a task that relates to the delivery of an item, you could use the Path from Task mode to
show the supplier how many taks would be affected by a delivery delay.

� Select one task

� Select View in the ribbon and Path to Task (or Path from Task) to Right click on the grey line #
or the bar itself
 52

Linking Tasks – Adding Logic

Exercise: Link activities in 3 Phases

� Link each activity in each Organizational Structure element;
� Link the starting activity in each element to its predecessor in another
element;
� Link the finish activity in each element to its appropriate successor in
another element.
 53

Managing Tasks and Groups

Chapter 7. Managing Tasks and Groups

Once the project is underway, you should record its progress at regular intervals. Recording progress
ensures that your project is kept up to date and lets you see if work is progressing as planned or if there
are delays. It also ensures that you know how much work remains to be done to complete the project
and will also give you a projected program end date

Copy Tasks and Bars

To paste a bar or task into the active view, first cut or copy the bar or task to the Clipboard then do any of
the following:

� On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the Paste dropdown and select Paste.

� Press CTRL V or SHIFT INSERT.

� Right-click the bar chart and select Paste.

When pasting bars, if a bar or task is selected in the view when you paste, then the bars on the Clipboard
are inserted into the view above the selected bar or task.

When pasting tasks, if a bar or task is selected in the view when you paste, then the tasks are pasted
onto that bar.

If there are no bars or tasks selected in the view, the bar or task on the Clipboard is pasted at the bottom
of the view.

If you right-click a blank area of a bar and select Paste, the bars or tasks on the Clipboard are inserted
above the bar on which you right-clicked, or at the bottom of the view.

You can copy a task, or a group of tasks, by CTRL-dragging it along the same bar or onto a different bar.
 54

Managing Tasks and Groups

You can specify whether tasks that have been copied from external applications (rather than from within
the project itself) inherit code library assignments, calendar and the 'use parent calendar' setting, plus the
WBS code, from a neighbouring task or from the bar chart defaults. To do this:

1. Click the File tab, then click Options. The Options dialog appears.

2. Click the Edit tab.

3. Select the Inherit attributes from neighbouring task check box to specify that new tasks
should inherit these attributes from a neighbouring task where possible, or clear the check box to
specify that they should inherit these attributes (except WBS code) from the default settings that
have been defined on the Task tab of the Bar Chart Defaults Properties dialog.

4. Click OK.

When the selection you have copied includes one or more spreadsheet cells, selecting the Paste
command pastes the data values and any formatting that has been applied to the cells. If you want to
paste the data values without any formatting that has been applied to the cells, so that the pasted values
take the appearance of the default spreadsheet font, on the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the
Paste dropdown and select Paste Values.

Task Pools
Task pools will allow you to save ‘scopes of work’ such as those for a particular build type or
house plan or any tasks that are grouped together under summary bars (or in expanded tasks) to
form ‘phases’ of work in a project

These can then be copied through the program to show repeated work or used as a starting point
in new programs.
 55

Managing Tasks and Groups

To create a new task pool:

� Where you have a group of tasks grouped together right click on the relevant summary bar on
either the bar chart or the project view

� Select ‘Copy to task pool’

� The task pool will then display in the project view on the left hand side of the screen. It can be
used again in the same project or saved into a project template for use in future projects

When you want to add this network of tasks into a project:

� Move your cursor over the task pools in the project view

� Click and drag the task pool to the position that you would like them to start in the project
You will then see the network of tasks copied into the project.

Copy and Paste Summary Tasks

Copy and Paste a Summarized group of tasks by selecting the Summary Task and with a right-click
select copy. The right-clicking again select Paste. The pasted group of tasks will appear above the
selected task.
 56

Managing Tasks and Groups

Hammock Tasks

Use the notes below to create a Hammock Task for the Projects duration.

Hammocks are used to show an overview of related tasks that are not next to each other in the
project. Like summaries & expanded tasks, hammock tasks take their total duration from the tasks
within them. The hammock and its contents are displayed at the foot of your project.

� Select an empty bar of your project by clicking on the line number

� On the Home tab in the Insert section select
Hammock

� Name the Hammock task

To add tasks to a Hammock:

 57

Managing Tasks and Groups

� Right click on a task

� Select ‘Add to Hammock’ from the list
� Select the hammock if there is more than one and click OK
� Repeat to add additional tasks

A copy of each task is shown within the hammock:

To remove tasks from a Hammock:

� Right click on a task

� Select ‘Remove from Hammock’ from the list
Necking to show the location of subordinate tasks

You can change the appearance of your hammock and summary tasks by ‘necking’ or ‘pinching’ it to
show where the subordinate tasks are located.
 58

Managing Tasks and Groups

� Right click on the Bar chart

� Select Format Bar chart from the Format tab on the ribbon or right click anywhere on the
Bar chart & select Format Bar Chart from the list

� Select the Non-working tab, un-tick the On tasks check box under Draw non-working shading

� Then tick neck summary tasks to show where no tasks

This will now show necking in the summary bars and your hammocks. The necked areas show where
there are no tasks.

Buffer Tasks
Most projects will have a period of contingency planned into the program to allow for delays.

This could be hidden by being planned into the duration of each task. Alternatively, it could be marked by
using a finish constraint on the desired completion date, resulting in float throughout the program if tasks
finish earlier than the constrained date.
 59

Managing Tasks and Groups

Buffer tasks can be used to collect the entire contingency of a plan, making it explicit. Buffer tasks protect
important dates and reduce excess float.

A buffer contributes to the Critical Path calculation, but when its start date is affected, it will shrink or
expand in duration without moving beyond its finish date or the start date of successor tasks, filling time
that may otherwise show as float on a project and thereby protecting the Critical Path.

This technique is often referred to as Critical Chain.

Consider the example below:

Without buffer –Design is changed

to 1 week and causes the project

With Buffer – Design is changed

to 1 week, although this affects
the project, the buffer increases
B

There are two types of buffer tasks:

� Feeder buffers – which sit within the project protecting key dates of successor tasks. If a task
has an outgoing link, it is a feeder buffer.

� Project buffers – usually the last task in a project protecting a specified finish date. The task
has no outgoing link and will have a deadline flag applied to it when created.
 60

Managing Tasks and Groups

Buffer tasks will only move beyond their finish date, or delay the start of successor tasks, once they
are completely consumed, at which point they are turned automatically into finish milestones.

To create a Buffer:

� Create a new task of the required contingency duration or select an existing task within the
project

� Link the task into the project and reschedule so that the task takes up the correct position
within the project

� Right Click on the task and go to Make Into > Buffer Task
� If the task has no successors (project buffer) a deadline flag is applied to it
� If the task is within the project (feeder buffer)
then the successor task will need to be
constrained by a flag or by some other task within the project

� Reschedule
Hiding Tasks

Sometimes you may choose to hide certain tasks before printing. They can easily be put back onto
display at any time.

In order to hide specific bars or tasks, you must first mark them for
hiding.

� Right-click the bar or task and select Mark for Hiding from the menu that appears

� Once you have marked items you can hide them from view at any time by clicking the
Hide/Show command on the Format tab. Clicking it again will unhide the tasks
 61

Managing Tasks and Groups

To unmark the items so they are not hidden in future:

� Right click on the task/bar

� Select ‘Mark for Hiding’ again to unmark the items
 62

Rescheduling a Project Schedule

Chapter 8. Rescheduling a Project

Schedule

When you have linked your tasks, you can Reschedule the project. The reschedule performs a series of
actions:

� Places the start of the first task at the beginning of the project
� Calculates the optimum start and end dates of all tasks according to the logical links
applied
� Calculates whether a task has any float attached
� Shows whether a task is Critical (Critical Path Analysis)
� Identifies any constraints which have been exceeded
� Calculates the earliest project end date

To Reschedule the project

On the Home tab and click the Reschedule command or use the shortcut key F9.
 63

Rescheduling a Project Schedule

� The critical path of the project is shown outlined in red

Changing the project start date

The start date of the project can be changed at any time. This will control when the first task in your
project will reschedule to.

To change the Start date:

 64

Rescheduling a Project Schedule

� In the File tab, select Advanced Properties

� Change the Imposed Start to the new project start date

� Click Close

� Reschedule the project to see the new start date take effect
Glossary

Chapter 9. Assigning Constraints

Once the tasks have been linked and rescheduled, your project will be laid on the most logical order.
What we have yet to take into consideration are any fixed dates that will need to be adhered to, such as a
specific start on site date or a contract completion date

To show fixed dates in your project, and to show the impact they have on the rest of the tasks in your
project you will need to use Constraints on those tasks

Best practices have shown that use of Constraints should be limited. We recommend constraining
contractural milesones only with simple Start On / Finish On. By limiting the use of Constraints, the
network of linked tasks will change based on logic.

Adding a constraint

To add a constraint to a task:

� Select the task you wish to constrain and move it to the required date position

� On the Home tab click on the drop down arrow under the Constraint Flag command
Glossary

� Select the constraint you wish to impose on the task

� Once the constraint has been added to the task, an flag will
appear in on the task. Additionally the date in the table will be
followed by an asterisk.

Types of Constraint

Start on or after - RECOMMENDED

A soft constraint that will allow the task to move as it is

driven by logic. Total Float is then used to measure
progress against the desired target date. In addition, the
flag itself will remain fixed on the target date in bar chart
regardless of the position of the task.

Start on

A hard constraint which will fix the start of the task to a

constraint date

Finish on or before - RECOMMENDED

A soft constraint that will allow the task to move as it is

driven by logic. Total Float is then used to measure
progress against the desired target date. In addition, the
flag itself will remain fixed on the target date in bar chart
regardless of the position of the task.
Glossary

Deadline

A soft constraint which works as a warning but will allow the

project to move beyond the target deadline

Finish on

A hard constraint that will fix the end date of the task to the
constraint date

Work between

A soft constraint that will allow either the start or the end date to
be constrained between

Holding pin

A Constraint which will move with the task if the task is manually
moved

Reschedule results (Float)

Rescheduling a project with constraints will affect the appearance of tasks & may result in some items

Total float – the period a task can be delayed or extended

without delaying the end of the project - however this will affect
other tasks (successor tasks)

Free float – the period a task can be delayed or extended without

affecting the end of the project - or any other tasks.

Critical Task - displayed in red. If a critical task is delayed, it will

change the project end date.

showing Float
Glossary

Run a Filter for the Critical Path

From the View Ribbon select the Filter, Tasks, Longest Path.

Now you can make final adjustments to your Project Duration.