Managing Tasks › Task Work Breakdown Structure › Indent and Outdent Tasks in Work Breakdown Structure

Indent and Outdent Tasks in Work Breakdown Structure

You can create hierarchical relationships between tasks. Indent a task to make it a child of the task above it.

Use the Indent or Outdent links to designate individual tasks as parent or children. Parent tasks are top-level tasks that have child tasks associated with them. Child tasks are nested beneath parent tasks. The task above it in the hierarchy can be a top-most task, or a second-, third-, or fourth level task relative to the task above it. You can create an unlimited number of hierarchy levels on the work breakdown structure.

Rules for Indenting and Outdenting

• You can indent tasks an unlimited number of times. However, a higher-level task must always be exactly one indent level above the task you indent.
• You can only outdent indented tasks.
• You can outdent tasks the same number of times you have indented them.
• If the task you want to outdent has subordinate tasks beneath it, the subordinate tasks automatically follow to their parent.
• When you are indenting to the same level, you can select multiple tasks at once.
• An error message appears if you cannot indent a task. If you select multiple tasks for indenting and one of them cannot be indented, an error message appears and none of the selected tasks are indented. The same rule applies for outdenting.

To indent or outdent a task

1. Open the project.

   The Project: Properties: Main - General page appears.

2. Select the Tasks tab.

   The Project: Tasks: Task List page appears.

3. Select the Work Breakdown Structure subtab.

   The Project: Tasks: Work Breakdown Structure page appears.

4. Select the task you want to indent or outdent, click WBS Layout>>, and do one of the following:
   • Select Indent.

     The page refreshes. The task you indented has folded one level under the nearest higher level task. A Plus icon appears in front of the higher level task.

   • Select Outdent.

     The page refreshes and the task appears as outdented relative to the task above it.

   The task is indented or outdented.