The Task Gantt Chart is a visible representation of your tasks. The Gantt Chart displays the start and end time of tasks and displays progression, as well as task dependency information. The Gantt is dynamic where date ranges, progression and task dependencies can be modified directly within the chart. Access the Task Gantt Chart by selecting the Tasks>Gantt Chart item from the left menu.
What can a User Do in the Task Gantt Chart?
- Change estimated start and end dates visually and dynamically
- Set a task dependency between 2 tasks, or edit an existing one
- View task progression and dynamically modify it
- Filter the tasks being viewed
- Export/Print the chart
What a User Cannot Do in the Task Gantt Chart?
- Changing progression of the task does not change the Task Status. A user must open the task (Edit Task) and modify it there.
- Set dependencies between 2 tasks in different projects. This ability is not available within AceProject.
- No bulk actions available
How to Add Date Task that does not have any within the Gantt Chart?
When a task is added, and an estimated start and end date is not entered on the Edit Task page, the task is listed on the Gantt Chart but does not include a graphical element. The user must click on the Gantt chart on this line near the start date. An editable date box is created. Drag either end of this box to adjust dates.
How to Set and Edit a Dependency between Tasks through the Gantt Chart?
Hover over the end of the date box and select the round indicator. Drag to the start of 2nd task’s date box until the indicator displays and release. The dependency has been created. Notice that the end date of the predecessor and the start date of the successor are now aligned. The user has the option to introduce a lag. To edit the dependency, simply click on the dependency line. From here, the user can set a positive or negative lag time (in days) or has the option to delete the dependency altogether. An alternate method is available to set the dependency from the Edit Task page on the Dependency tab. More about Task Dependencies is available below.
Task Dependency Setting is “Excluding Weekends”
The date will automatically shift to before or after the weekend when you release the date box due to the “excluding weekends” if a dependency is set. This setting is available on the Edit Project page.
What are Task Dependencies?
Task dependencies enable one to decide when a task can be started. A task can be associated with one or several predecessors, which must all be completed before it (the successor task) can be started. Additionally, lag time can be set between predecessors and successors, in order to take into account required delays.
In most projects, certain tasks cannot begin unless another is completed. This can become difficult to manage when a project is complex and contains many tasks that depend on the completion of others. These complex projects demand structure. This is where task dependencies come in.
Task dependencies let you decide when a task can be started. For example, lighting can only be installed once wiring is done. AceProject enables you to set one or several predecessors for a task, to handle such situations efficiently.
Lag time, a time interval, can be set between dependent tasks to allow for required delays. For example, in a construction project, you need to let the foundations set before building the walls. In this case, lag time should be set for concrete to set. A successor task can only start once the defined lag time (specified in days) has elapsed.
The Finish-to-Start Dependency Type
To facilitate readability, we will use a convention for this section: Task A being the predecessor and Task B being the successor.
In project management, there are four kinds of dependencies: Finish-to-Start (FS), Start-to-Finish (SF), Finish-to-Finish (FF), and Start-to-Start (SS). At present, AceProject supports the Finish-to-Start type only, which is the most commonly used.
A F-S dependency means that one or several tasks (predecessors) must be completed before a task can be started. In AceProject, this means that task B will not be allowed to start unless task A is marked as “Completed”, except if the dependency is non-mandatory.
Circular dependencies cannot be created, which means that a task cannot have the same task as a predecessor AND a successor (Task A–>Task B–>Task A).
Lag Time
Lag time is the delay between the end of a task and the beginning of its successor. Lag time is expressed in days.
For example, 1 day in lag time will last push the task start day one day further out.
Additional information:
- Changing lag time does not affect task dates.
- A negative value can be set.
Mandatory Vs Non-Mandatory Dependencies
When linking two tasks together, the dependency can be made mandatory or non-mandatory. A mandatory dependency requires a predecessor to be completed before its successor can start. On the other hand, a non-mandatory dependency enables you to start a successor even if its predecessor is still incomplete. According to the PMI, a mandatory dependency has a hard-logic while a non-mandatory dependency has a soft-logic.
Setting Up Dependencies from the Edit Task page: Rules and Recommended Procedures
(WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND VISUALLY CREATING AND EDITING DEPENDENCIES ON THE TASK GANTT CHART. PROCEDURE ABOVE)
When creating a dependency between two tasks, one must open the successor task and select its predecessor. For a task to appear as a potential predecessor in the “Predecessor Task” drop-down, it must have both an Estimated Start Date and an Estimated End Date. If dates are missing on the current task (the successor) or if its current Estimated Start Date is prior to the Estimated Start Date of the selected predecessor , a popup window will propose dates for your current task based on the following rules:
- The proposed Estimated Start Date will be the working day which immediately follows the Estimated End Date of the predecessor. If applicable, the lag time specified on the dependency will push out the proposed Estimated Start Date further.
- The proposed Estimated End Date will maintain the existing number of working days your task was scheduled to take up. If you had not already provided both an Estimated Start Date and an Estimated End Date for your current task, the proposed Estimated End Date for your current task will be the same as its Estimated Start Date.
- If your current task already had predecessors, the rules above will be applied for all dependencies. AceProject will help the user by suggesting the earliest possible Estimated Start Date for the current task.
A successor (task B)’s Estimated Start Date must be on the same day or later than its predecessor (task A)’s Estimated Start Date. If lag time is set between both tasks, task B’s Estimated Start Date must be set accordingly. For example, if the dependency includes a 1 day lag time, task B must start at least 1 day later than task A.
Here is the recommended process when setting up a dependency between 2 tasks in AceProject:
- Specify an Estimated Start Date and an Estimated End Date on the predecessor task (but not initially on the successor task).
- Open the successor task.
- Click on the “Dependencies” tab near the top of the main frame.
- Click on the “Add a New Predecessor” button.
- In the “Predecessor Task” drop-down, select the predecessor.
- Specify the lag time.
- Click on “Create Predecessor”.
- AceProject will then suggest Estimated Start and Estimated End dates for your current task (the successor) based on the Estimated End Date of the chosen predecessor. Of course, the user can make changes to those dates.
If you have a string of dependent tasks, the most efficient way to set up your dependencies and task dates is to initially provide estimated start and end dates only on the 1st task in the series. You can subsequently open the 2nd task in the series and set up a dependency with the 1st as explained above. You can then move on to the 3rd task in the series and do likewise, and so on.
What Happens when a User Changes a Successor’s Dates
Changes to a successor’s dates has no effect on its predecessor.
What Happens when a User Pulls Back the Estimated Start Date of a Predecessor
Pulling back the Estimated Start Date of a predecessor has no effect on the successor’s dates.
What Happens when a User Pulls Back the Estimated End Date of a Predecessor
- The number of working days of the successor (task B) is not affected by date changes on the predecessor (task A). Please refer to the “Other Things to Know About Dependencies” section below for more details with regards to including/excluding weekends as working days.
- If task A and B were originally overlapping, the number of working days between task B’s previous Estimated Start Date and task A’s previous Estimated End Date will be maintained.
- If task A and B were not originally overlapping, task B’s Estimated Start Date will be set on the first working day after task A’s Estimated End Date (or further if lag time has been specified).
What Happens when a User Pushes Forward the Estimated Start Date of a Predecessor
- The number of working days of the successor (task B) is not affected by date changes on the predecessor (task A). Please refer to the “Other Things to Know About Dependencies” section below for more details with regards to including/excluding weekends as working days.
- If task A’s new Estimated Start Date is not pushed beyond task B’s Estimated Start Date, task B’s dates will remain unchanged.
- If task A’s new Estimated Start Date is pushed beyond task B’s Estimated Start Date, task B’s Estimated Start Date will be set on the same day as task A’s new Estimated Start Date.
What Happens when a User Pushes Forward the Estimated End Date of a Predecessor
- The number of working days of the successor (task B) is not affected by date changes on the predecessor (task A). Please refer to the “Other Things to Know About Dependencies” section below for more details with regards to including/excluding weekends as working days.
- If task A and B were originally overlapping, the number of working days between task B’s previous Estimated Start Date and task A’s previous Estimated End Date will be maintained.
- If task A and B were not originally overlapping, task B’s Estimated Start Date will be set on the first working day after task A’s new Estimated End Date (or further if lag time has been specified) only if task A’s new Estimated End Date is beyond task B’s Estimated Start Date. Otherwise, task B’s dates will be maintained.
Dependencies and Task Statuses
- Task dependencies cannot be set unless at least one status of each type (Waiting, In Progress and Completed) exists in the project .
- A predecessor cannot be added to a completed task, as completed tasks cannot be edited unless they are reopened (i.e. marked as “Waiting” or “In Progress”).
- A completed task can be added as a predecessor to a task. If the successor is “In Progress”, it can only be linked to a “Completed” predecessor.
- A completed task that includes task dependencies can only be reopened when all its successors are marked as “Waiting”, except when the dependency is non-mandatory.
Other Things to Know About Dependencies
- A task’s number of working days depends on whether you choose to include or exclude weekends as working days. This option can be set on the “Edit Project” page or in the task itself through the “Weekends Allowed” checkbox. The task’s “Weekends Allowed” value overrides the project’s “Excluding Weekend” value. If the project is set to “Including Weekend”, all tasks within it will automatically be set to “Weekends Allowed”.
- Task dependencies are ignored when importing tasks. They must be re-created once the import process is finished.
- When a task is moved from one project to another, all its dependencies are broken.
- When a project template is copied and tasks are included in the copy, all task dependencies are retained.
- Date changes with a cascading effect (successors and their successors) will create an entry in the task history trail of each affected task.
- The task’s last update date is never adjusted when a task dependency is created or broken.