Create Tasks and Milestones

Once you have created the task, you can edit and assign staff to it.

Autoschedule uses the task's date constraints and dependencies to automatically generate a project schedule. Task constraints are rules that help determine the project's work sequence. For example, you may need a task to start or end on a certain date or by a certain date. Task dependencies indicate successor or predecessor relationships between two tasks.

You set the date constraints when you create tasks. You can also edit them on the Task Properties page. The date constraint fields are those that set a date rule such as Must Start on, Start No Later Than, or Finish No Later Than.

Important! Do not designate milestone tasks as summary tasks.

To create a task or milestone

  1. Open the project.

    The Project: Properties: Main - General page appears.

  2. Select the Tasks tab.

    The Project: Tasks: Task List page appears.

  3. Click New.

    The Create Task page appears.

  4. Complete the following fields:
    Name

    Defines the task's name. On some list pages, the task (name) is the name of the task and is a link to the Task Properties page.

    Limit: 64 characters

    ID

    Defines the task's unique identifier (up to 16 characters).

    Start

    Defines the date on which you want work to start on this task.

    Default: Today's date

    Note: A task's work cannot start before the project's start date.

    Finish

    Enter the date by which you want the task to be complete.

    Default: Today's date

    Note: A task's work cannot finish after the project's finish date.

    Milestone

    Specifies whether you want to designate this task as a milestone task. Once saved, the Start date field is locked since milestone tasks can only have a due date, not a duration (a period between a start and finish date).

    Note: You cannot assign staff to milestones.

    Default: Cleared

    Key Task

    Select this field if you want to identify this task as a key task. You can define a key task as one that is significant in some way.

    Example: If this task is one whose completion is essential to the start date of other tasks, then mark this task as a key task.

    Default: Selected

    Status

    Indicates the status of the task.

    Values: Completed, Not Started, or Started

    Default: Not Started

    % Complete

    Defines the percent of work that has been completed if the task is partially completed.

    Default: 0

    Values: 0 through 100.

    • If the task is complete, choose "Completed" as the task's status and enter 100.
    • If the task is not started, enter zero. The task's status changes to "Started" (unless you choose "Not Started").
    • If the task has ETC or actuals posted and the task is not started, enter a value between 1 and 99.
    Guidelines

    Defines the file path and file name for the guidelines your organization follows for this task.

    Example: \\CA Clarity PPM\Guidelines\Project\Plan.doc.

    Charge Code

    Defines the charge code for the task. Task-level charge codes supersede project-level charge codes in cases where both have been entered.

    Must Start On

    Defines the date on which the task must start. Click the Calendar icon to select another date. This sets up a constraint that is considered when autoscheduling.

    Must Finish On

    Defines the date on which the task must finish. Click the Calendar icon to select another date. This sets up a constraint that is considered when autoscheduling.

    Start No Earlier Than

    Defines the task's earliest possible start date. Click the Calendar icon to select another date. This sets up a constraint that is considered when autoscheduling.

    Start No Later Than

    Defines the task's latest possible start date. Click the Calendar icon to select another date. This sets up a constraint that is considered when autoscheduling.

    Finish No Earlier Than

    Defines the task's earliest possible start date. Click the Calendar icon to select another date. This sets up a constraint that is considered when autoscheduling.

    Finish No Later Than

    Defines the task's latest possible finish date. Click the Calendar icon to select another date. This sets up a constraint that is considered when autoscheduling.

    Exclude from Autoscheduling

    Specifies whether you want Autoschedule to exclude this task. When selected, the dates set for this task are not changed during autoscheduling, even if the dates of tasks ahead or behind it change.

    Note: If you exclude this task from autoscheduling but you schedule assignments on excluded tasks, Autoschedule changes the task's resource assignment dates while staying within the task's existing start and finish dates.

    Default: Cleared

  5. Click Submit.

More information:

Create Tasks from Project Templates

Create New Tasks in the Work Breakdown Structure

Task Work Breakdown Structure

Define Autoschedule Parameters and Autoschedule

Task Properties

Edit Tasks and Milestones

How to Assign Staff to Projects