Scheduling (projects) › How to Create New Tasks › Copy Tasks from Project Templates

Copy Tasks from Project Templates

You can copy predefined tasks from a project template into your project. The process copies all the estimating, risk, and issue information associated with the tasks.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the project.

   The properties page appears.

2. Open the Tasks menu and click Gantt.

   The Gantt view appears.

3. Click the down arrow for the Create New Task icon on the Gantt view, and click Copy Task from Template.

   The selected project template page appears.

4. Select the project template containing the tasks and click Next.

   The selected tasks page appears.

5. Select the tasks to copy into your project. Selecting a summary task, copies the task and its descendants. If you select a detail task, the detail task is copied.
6. Click Copy.

More information:

Project Templates

Designate Projects as Project Template

Populate Projects from a Template

How to Edit Tasks

You can:

• Edit tasks directly in the work breakdown structure (WBS).
• Edit tasks in the Gantt chart, such as task start and finish dates.
• Open the task and edit all task properties.
• Delete tasks provided they are not associated with transactions not posted, or posted assignments actuals.

Edit Tasks in the Work Breakdown Structure

Use this procedure to edit tasks directly in the work breakdown structure (WBS) in the Gantt view. You can edit subproject tasks by expanding the subproject in the WBS and clicking the task, which opens the Gantt view for the subproject.

You can delete tasks and milestones from the WBS. When you delete a task or milestone:

• The resource assignment is removed.
• If it is a summary task, its detail tasks are not deleted, which can affect the schedule of the detail task.

If a task has a resource assignment with posted actuals, you cannot delete the task. Instead, the task is placed in a deleted tasks phase. The estimates for the task are set to zero and its status is set to "Complete."

Follow these steps:

1. Open the project.

   The properties page appears.

2. Open the Tasks menu and click Gantt.

   The Gantt view appears.

3. Edit the following fields in the WBS:

   Task

   Defines the name of the task. The value for the field is derived from the Name field on the task properties page. On list pages or in portlets, displays the name of the task. You can click the task name to open the task properties page.

   Limits: 64 characters

   Required: Yes

   Start

   Defines the date of starting the task assignment for a resource. The list pages or portlets display the start date.

   Default: Task start date

   Required: Yes

   Note: Define the assignment to start on or after the task start date. If an assignment has actuals, the field is view only.

   Finish

   Defines the date of completing the task assignment for a resource. The list pages or portlets display the completion date.

   Default: Task completion date

   Required: Yes

   Note: Define the assignment to finish on or before the task completion date.

   % Complete

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

   Values:

   • Zero. Enter this amount if the task is not started. The status of the task changes to "Started" (unless you specify "Not Started").
   • 1 through 99. Enter this amount if the task has ETC or actuals posted and the task is not started.
   • 100. Enter this amount if the task is complete, and then specify "Completed" as the status for the task.

   Default: 0

   Required: No

   Assigned Resources

   Defines the name of the resource assigned to the task.

   Required: No

Edit Tasks in the Gantt Chart

You can edit the start and finish dates for an existing task in the Gantt chart. To edit, use the Gantt view by dragging the beginning, middle, or end of a taskbar. Drag the middle of the taskbar left or right to change the start and finish dates. Or, drag the shaded beginning or end of the taskbar to the desired location.

If a task has actuals posted against it, you cannot change the start date by dragging.

As you drag a taskbar, the effective date appears above the mouse pointer. If you change a value, a red triangle displays in the upper left area of the field in the WBS and the Gantt chart. On saving the changes, the red triangle is cleared.