Creating a Task-Based Schedule

• Create a Project Schedule

• User-Controlled Scheduling
• Create and Modify a Project Task Structure
• Manage Multiple Projects

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 Manually Scheduled vs. Auto Scheduled Tasks

For new tasks, you can select the New Tasks button in the status bar at the bottom of
the project file window.

For existing tasks, you can select the appropriate command from the Tasks group on
the Task tab of the ribbon.

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 The Task Entry Table (1 of 2)

The default Gantt Chart view contains the Task Entry table at the left, which is the
main area where you can view, enter, and modify your project’s tasks.

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 The Task Entry Table (2 of 2)

Task Entry Table Column Description

Displays the row number of the task in the Gantt Chart, which also corresponds to
Row Number
the Task ID number for that task.
Displays icons that show the status of the task and pertinent information about the
Indicators task. For instance, if a task has a note associated with it, a note indicator will
appear in this column.
Task Mode Shows whether the task is a manually scheduled or auto scheduled task.

Task Name Displays a brief description of the task and the work to be done.
Displays how long a task will take to complete. By default, Project displays the
Duration duration in days, but you can specify minutes, hours, weeks, or even months as the
unit of time.
Start Displays the date when the task is supposed to begin.

Finish Displays the date when the task is supposed to be completed.

Displays the Task ID(s) of any other tasks on which the task is dependent upon for
Predecessors
completion.

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 The Task Information Dialog Box (1 of 2)

You can view and modify all of the information for the task from the six tabs within
the Task Information dialog box.

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 The Task Information Dialog Box (2 of 2)

Tab Description
Where you can view and modify the task’s name, duration, schedule mode, start
General date and finish date. This information corresponds to the fields in the Task Entry
table.
Where you can view all of the task’s predecessors, including their task ID, name,
Predecessors
and type.
Where you can view, enter, or modify the resources assigned to the task, including
Resources the resource’s name, the assignment owner, the number of assignment units
allocated to the task, and the costs associated with the resource.
Where you can view, enter or modify supplemental information about the task,
including its deadline, any constraints that might affect the task, the task type, the
Advanced
calendars or work breakdown structure that the task is associated with, whether to
mark the task as a milestone, and more.
Where you can view, enter or modify any further information for the task that may
Notes
be useful, in the form of a text note.
Where you can view, enter or modify any custom data fields that have been
Custom Fields
created and associated with the task.

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 Task Durations

In the Task Information dialog box, the Duration field shows the amount of time it
will take to complete the specific task.

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 Dependencies (1 of 3)

A dependency—the relationships between a task and its predecessor—are displayed

on the Predecessors tab of the Task Information dialog box.

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 Dependencies (2 of 3)

Dependency Description and Example

Finish-to-Start (FS) The predecessor task must end before the successor task can begin.
This is the default task relationship in Microsoft Project and the most
commonly used.

You have to finish priming your walls (Task A) before you can start
painting them (Task B).

Start-to-Start (SS) The predecessor task must begin before the successor task can begin.

You have to start printing a book (Task A) before you can start binding it
(Task B).

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 Dependencies (3 of 3)

Dependency Description and Example

Finish-to-Finish (FF) The predecessor task must end before the successor task can end.

You can’t finish rerouting traffic (Task A) until you finish working on the
road (Task B).

Start-to-Finish (SF) The predecessor task must begin before the successor task can end. In
this case, the predecessor task is later in time than the successor task.

The start of a movie (Task A) concludes the sale of tickets for it (Task B).

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 Task Constraints

The task constraint parameters, used to control the start and finish dates for a task,
are selected from the Advanced tab of the Task Information dialog box.

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 Deadlines (1 of 2)

Setting a deadline gives you a visual indicator in the Gantt chart —in the form of a
small green arrow—that you can use to easily monitor your progress.

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 Deadlines (1 of 2)

You can set a deadline for a task on the Advanced tab of the Task Information dialog
box, by selecting the appropriate date from the Deadline field.

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 User-Controlled Scheduling

User-controlled scheduling allows you to enter tasks in manually scheduled mode,

with or without specific task information for durations, start dates, or end dates.

Instead, you can enter this information as text in order to create a schedule that is
more a documentation of estimations and assumptions, instead of a date-based plan.

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 Estimated Durations

If you don’t know a task’s true duration, you can enter your best guess at how long it
will take and then select the Estimated check box. A duration that has been estimated
will be shown with a question mark.

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 Warnings and Suggestions

From the Inspect command drop-down, you can choose to:

• Show Warnings: displays a warning icon in the Indicators field or some other
visual notification (such as a red squiggle) for tasks that have problems that may
potentially affect the project’s finish date.
• Show Suggestions: displays a suggestion icon in the Indicators field or some other
visual notification (such as a green squiggle) for tasks that have potential minor
issues or where optimizations could be made to improve the schedule.
• Show Ignored Problems: displays a half-shaded warning icon in the Indicators field
for tasks that have warnings or suggestions that have been previously ignored.

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 Summary Tasks and Subtasks

Summary tasks are bold in Subtasks are indented in Summary tasks are bracketed
the task list. the task list. in the Gantt Chart.

Summary tasks can be Summary tasks can also be made into

expanded to show subtasks. subtasks of a higher-level summary task.

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 The Project Summary Task

The project summary task

appears as the first task in
the task list, or Task 0.

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 Outline Numbers

Summary tasks and

subtasks are assigned an
outline number, in a
decimal hierarchy
numbering scheme.

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 Milestone Tasks

A milestone task typically has a

duration of zero days and is indicated
by a diamond in the Gantt chart.

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 Task Notes

Notes can be added for a

task on the Notes tab, in
the Notes field. They can be
typed, copied/pasted, or
inserted from another
document.

Tasks that have notes are

indicated by a note icon in
the Indicators column.

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 Schedule Options

Before you insert any new tasks into an existing task list, you should modify the schedule
options for the project to ensure that new tasks are properly scheduled.

New tasks should be auto

scheduled when they are
inserted.

New or moved tasks should be

autolinked so Microsoft Project
will manage the dependencies
between tasks.

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 Insert Task Options

From the Insert Task command drop-down, you can:

• Select Recurring Task to insert a repeating task, such as a task that you want to
occur on a certain day each month.
• Select Blank Row to insert blank rows into your task list to separate tasks from one
another.
• Select Import Outlook Tasks to convert a task that was created in Microsoft
Outlook into a Microsoft Project task.

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 Inactive Tasks

An inactive task is a task that is no longer needed in the project plan, but does not affect
resource availability or the project schedule.

When you make a task inactive, the task stays in the task list but the text is greyed out
and crossed out in strikethrough format.

You can mark a task as inactive either in the Task Information dialog box or by selecting
the Inactivate command from the Schedule command group on the Task tab.

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 The Update Project Dialog Box

If a delay occurs in your project and you need to reschedule tasks accordingly in your
project plan, you can specify the date after which work can resume in the in the
Reschedule uncompleted work to start after field in the Update Project dialog box.

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 Split Tasks

When you split a task in Microsoft Project using the

Split Task command, the task bar in the Gantt chart
is split into two pieces with a dotted line
connecting the two halves of the split task.

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 The Move Command

To move a task forward or backward in the scheduled or reschedule a task when resources
are available, select the appropriate option from the Move command drop-down.

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 Master Projects and Subprojects

To link a subproject to a master project, select

the Insert Subproject command from the Insert
command group on the Project tab.

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 Insert Subproject Options (1 of 2)

In the Insert Project dialog box, you will select the file that you want to insert as a
subproject and then choose how to link the subproject file and master project file.

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 Insert Subproject Options (2 of 2)

Option Description
Establishes a two-way link between the subproject and the master project.
Link to project and Insert
Changes made in either file will be updated in the other file.
Establishes a one-way link between the subproject and the master project.
Link to project and Insert
Changes made in the subproject file will be updated in the master project file, but
Read-Only
changes made in the master project file will not be updated in the subproject file.
Does not establish a link between the subproject and master project. Instead, a
Insert copy of the subproject data is simply inserted into the master project file, and
changes made in either file will not be updated in the other file.

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 The Link Between Projects Dialog Box

The Link Between Projects

dialog box shows that there
is a Finish-to-Start (FS)
dependency between the
Deployment complete task
in another project and the
Review preliminary software
specifications task in the
open project.

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