Schedule Projects › Autoschedule Projects › Define Autoschedule Parameters

Define Autoschedule Parameters

Use the Autoschedule dialog to specify the scheduling criteria and to begin scheduling tasks using autoschedule. You can autoschedule an entire project or only tasks that occur between ranges of dates.

The following procedure explains how to define autoschedule parameters and to schedule your project.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Project ribbon.
2. Click Autoschedule in the Schedule group.
3. Complete the fields. The following fields require explanation:

   Start Date

   Defines the date from which to begin scheduling tasks. To schedule from the finish date, enter the date on or before which you want to begin scheduling tasks.

   Ignore Tasks Starting Before

   Defines the date before which you want tasks to be excluded. For example, if you enter 4/3/2008 as the Ignore Tasks Starting Before date, and you have a task starting on 3/31/2008, this task is excluded from the schedule.

   Ignore Tasks Starting After

   Defines the date after which you want tasks to be excluded. For example, if you enter 4/3/2008 as the Ignore Tasks Starting After date, and you have a task starting on 4/10/2008, this task is excluded from the schedule.

4. Select the following options.

   Resource Constraints

   Specifies whether you want autoschedule to consider resource availability when scheduling the project.

   Default: Selected

   Note: If you clear this check box, autoschedule treats resources as having 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 may also cause resources to be overcommitted.

   Schedule from Finish Date

   Specifies whether you want autoschedule to perform a backwards schedule from a defined deadline date.

   Default: Cleared

   Note: If you select this check box, the Start Date field toggles to the Finish Date field.

   Honor Constraints on Started Tasks

   Specifies whether you want autoschedule to honor any constraints or dependencies you have on tasks with a status of Started.

   Default: Cleared

   Note: If you select this check box, you run the risk of overallocating resources or violating task dependencies.

   Schedule Assignments on Locked Tasks

   Specifies whether you want autoschedule to move the assignment ETC within the scheduling Start Date and the task's Finish Date.

   Default: Cleared

   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

   Note: This applies to variable-duration tasks only.

5. Click OK.

More information:

Autoschedule Projects

Establishing Task and Resource Constraints

Override Task Lock during Autoschedule