Define Autoschedule Parameters and Autoschedule

You can specify scheduling criteria and begin scheduling tasks using Autoschedule using the Autoschedule page. You can autoschedule an entire project or only tasks that occur between ranges of dates. Use this page to specify the deviations from the current schedule and automatically create a new tentative schedule.

To define autoschedule parameters and autoschedule a project

  1. Open the project.

    The Project: Properties: Main - General page appears.

  2. Select Schedule from the content menu.

    The Project: Properties: Main - Schedule page appears.

  3. Click Autoschedule from the Schedule toolbar.

    The Autoschedule page appears.

  4. Complete the following fields:
    Autoschedule Date

    Defines the date from which to begin scheduling tasks. Click the Select Date icon to select another date.

    Note: If you are scheduling from the finish date, enter the date on or before which you want to begin scheduling tasks. If the project has not yet started, enter the project's start date. If the project is already in progress, enter the first day after the last timesheet posting date.

    Ignore Tasks Starting Before

    Defines the date before which you want tasks to be excluded.

    Example: If you enter 7/3/08 as the Ignore Tasks Starting Before date, and you have a task that starts on 6/20/08, this task will be excluded from the schedule.

    Ignore Tasks Starting After

    Defines the date after which you want tasks to be excluded.

    Example: If you enter 7/3/08 as the Ignore Tasks Starting After date, and you have a task that starts on 8/14/08, this task will be excluded from the schedule.

    Enter or select a date in this field if you want CA Clarity PPM to exclude all tasks that start after this date.

  5. Choose from the following:
    Resource Constraints

    Specifies whether or not you want Autoschedule to consider resource availability when scheduling the project.

    Default: Selected

    Note: If you clear this check box, Autoschedule treats resources as if they have unlimited availability. Each task is scheduled against the resources total availability, not against the resources remaining availability which takes other task assignments into consideration. This results in the shortest possible schedule, but it can also cause resources to be overcommitted.

    Schedule from Finish Date

    Specify whether you want Autoschedule to perform a backwards schedule from a defined deadline date. Use this option if you need the last task to complete by the project's finish date.

    Default: Cleared

    Note: If you choose to schedule from the finish date, then enter the finish date into the Autoschedule Date field.

    Subnets

    Specifies whether you want Autoschedule to calculate the critical path for the entire project. When this field is checked, a separate critical path is calculated for each subnet.

    Default: Cleared

    Honor Constraints on Started Tasks

    Select this field to autoschedule the remaining work on this task according to its normal autoschedule logic, including any task constraints and dependencies. Leave this field clear to ignore the task during autoscheduling.

    Default: Cleared

    Schedule Assignments on Excluded Tasks

    Specifies whether you want to allow changes to excluded task resource assignment dates during autoscheduling, as long as the new dates stay within the task's start and finish dates.

    Default: Cleared

    Note: This field works in conjunction with the Exclude from Autoscheduling field on the Task Properties page.

    Start Successors on Next Day

    Specifies whether you want Autoschedule to start successor tasks with zero lag the day after the predecessor task finishes. When cleared, successor tasks start the same day as the predecessor task finishes as long as the resource has availability left.

    Default: Cleared

    Publish After Scheduling

    Specifies whether you want to automatically publish the changes made in the tentative schedule to the plan of record (or the current plan). When selected, the tentative plan is deleted and the project is unlocked.

    Default: Cleared

  6. Click Autoschedule.

    A temporary Project: Tasks: Task Resource Utilization page appears while the autoscheduling is in process.

More information:

Display Schedules

Return to the Plan of Record Without Publishing

Check Autoschedule Progress

View Autoschedule Results

Cancel Autoscheduling

Projects Locks and Tentative Schedule Mode

Schedule Subnets

Create Task Dependencies