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    Home Madrid IT Business Management IT Business Management Project Portfolio Management Project Management Planning console Planning console tasks

    Planning console tasks

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    Planning console tasks

    You can perform several tasks on the planning console that you can perform on lists and forms, such as creating project tasks and copying projects. You can also perform several tasks unique to the console.

    Table 1. Planning console tasks
    Task How to perform the task
    General console settings
    Display a project in the planning console Select the project from the choice list in project workspace banner.
    screenshot for project choice list
    WBS hierarchy
    Create a project task Click an existing task to determine the insertion point for the new task, and then click the add task above icon (screenshot for add task above icon) or the add task below icon (screenshot for add task below icon).
    Move a task up or down in the hierarchy Click an existing task, and then click the move up (screenshot for move up icon) or move down (screenshot for move down icon) icons.
    Indent or unindent a task in the hierarchy Click an existing task, and then click the indent (screenshot for indent icon) or unindent (screenshot for unindent icon) icons.
    Edit a task record Right-click a task and select Edit. The Project Task form appears in the overlay. You can also edit a field directly in one of the columns in planning console. You can also edit project tasks that represent phases in the project workbench.
    Edit the State field Double-click the value in the State column to select a new state.
    Add an agile phase or a test phase Right-click a project and select Add Agile Phase or Add Test Phase. The agile phase icon or test phase icons appear next to the task in the Name column. See phase icons.
    Note:
    • You can add multiple agile phases and multiple test phases to a project.
    • You can add only one test phase for a test plan in a project.
    • An agile phase cannot overlap another agile phase for an assignment group in a project.
    • While creating a story, if a project has only one phase, then the story is tagged to the phase.
    Open a test plan or story Right-click a task (a task that represents a phase in the workbench) and then select Manage Test Plan or View Stories.
    Cancel a resource plan for a Closed project Right-click the project and select Cancel Resource Plans. All past and future allocations for the selected resource plan are canceled.

    The option is available only for a project in any of the Closed state.

    Complete a resource plan for a Closed project Right-click the project and select Complete Resource Plans. All the requested and resource allocations for the resource plan post the completion date are deleted.

    The option to complete resource plans is available only for a project in any of the Closed state.

    Add an external dependency between tasks of different projects Right-click a task and select Add External Dependency. Select the project and task to which the dependency is added.
    View the project name of external dependency Point to the link icon (Link icon) beside the external dependency task to display a hint which shows the name of the project to which the external dependency is added.
    Change time constraint for a task Right-click a task and select Start on specific date or Start ASAP.
    • When you change the time constraint for a task from Start on specific date to Start ASAP or vice versa, the planned start date and planned end date of the task are recalculated accordingly.
    • The option is not available for a parent task. If a task has child tasks, the option is available only for the child tasks.
    Allow task dates outside schedule Right-click a project task and select Allow outside schedule. The selected task is allowed to start and end on a non-schedule day (outside regular project schedule) such as on a weekend. The Off schedule task icon (screenshot for off-schedule task icon) appears next to the task in the Short description column.

    For example, if you use the project schedule Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm and a project task of duration 2 days should start on Saturday, then an off-schedule task is allowed to be scheduled on Saturday and end on Sunday. Similarly, if a task of duration 3 days starts on Friday, then an off-schedule will end on Sunday as opposed to ending on Tuesday.

    • The option is not available for a parent task. When a task is made off-schedule, its parent also becomes off-schedule. The project also behaves as out of schedule if any of the children is set to out of schedule.
    • Once a task is allowed outside schedule, the right-click option Follow schedule is available for the task. Click Follow schedule to follow the schedule for the task.
    Note:
    • There is no difference between an off-schedule and on-schedule task if there is no schedule defined at the project.
    • 1 day is 8 hours for a task in regular schedule and 24 hours for a task outside schedule.
    Convert a task to milestone Right-click a task and select Convert to milestone.
    • You can convert a task to a milestone only until it is not in Work in Progress state. Once work in progress, the option appears as greyed out for the task.
    • The option is not available for a parent task. If a task has child tasks, the option is available only for the child tasks.
    Show or hide external dependencies Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click the Hide External Dependencies switch.

    When this option is enabled, the external dependencies are not displayed when you add an external dependency between two projects. However, the Dependency column in WBS section of the successor project still shows the value of external dependency.

    Show external dependency notifications Click the notification bell icon Notification bell icon to display the notifications raised in the successor project. The notifications are triggered as a result of changes made in the predecessor project.
    external dependency notification example screenshot
    • For a soft dependency, click Accept or Reject to accept or reject the changes in the notification.
    • For a hard dependency, view the displayed notification to review the changes in the notification.
    Save changes to the server Click the save icon screenshot for save icon to commit changes made in planning console. The option is available only when Client Side Planning Console is enabled.
    Expand or contract column width Click the side of the column and drag it right or left.
    Show or hide columns in the planning console Click the filter icon (screenshot for filter icon), and then select or clear the check boxes for the columns available. Admin can customize which columns appear in this list. The selection is saved in the user preference. The next time you open the planning console, the same columns you selected will appear.
    Select WBS levels to show Click the filter icon (screenshot for filter icon), and then select the level from the WBS Depth choice list.
    Expand or collapse sublevels for any level Click the arrow to expand or collapse any task that has one or more subtasks.
    Gantt chart
    View a summary of a task Hover over a task.
    screenshot for hover options
    Change the planned start or end dates of a task Click the task, and then drag the left or right edge of the task bar.
    Move a task to a new date Click the task, and then drag the whole task bar to a new location.
    Create a dependency between tasks Find the successor task in the relationship and double-click the value in the Predecessor column and enter a value that specifies the relationship. See Predecessor dependencies in the planning console for examples.

    Alternatively, you can create a relationship between two tasks by connecting the ends of the corresponding task bars in the timeline view.

    Select a baseline Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then select a baseline from the baselines choice list.
    Create a baseline Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click Create new baseline. See Create baseline of a project for more information.
    Display the critical path Click the critical path icon (screenshot for critical path icon). See Gantt chart for more information on the critical path.
    Show date change Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click the Show Date Change switch. When this option is enabled, the start and end dates of the task are displayed when you drag the task bar.
    screenshot for start and end dates on the bar
    Show duration change Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click the Show Duration Change switch. When this option is enabled, the duration of the task is displayed when you drag either end of the task bar.
    screenshot for duration on the bar
    Show weekends on the calendar Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click the Show Weekends switch. The weekends appear as light-blue vertical bars in the Gantt chart.
    screenshot for weekend on the bar
    Zoom the calendar in or out On the top of the calendar, click one of the time periods, such as the month, or day, and so on. Then select a Zoom Level from the calendar.
    screenshot for calender zoom
    When the zoom level in calender is selected as Auto Fit, the Gantt view fits in one page to view entire timeline for the project in one go without using the scrollbar.
    Open the tutorial Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click Walkthrough.
    Open list of keyboard shortcuts Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click Keyboard Shortcuts.
    Other features or applications
    Open the project workbench Click the Planning Console selection arrow on the banner and select Project Workbench.
    Open live feed Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click Show live feed.
    Print the gantt timeline Click the (screenshot for more options icon) icon, and then click Print.
    Note:
    • Printing on a smaller paper size may result in the gantt chart image being cut off. You may either zoom out using the gantt chart calender, or increase paper size to print the gantt timeline for projects and tasks.
    • If the colored bars in gantt chart area are not visible in Print preview, then select the option for background graphics in the Print dialog.
    Related tasks
    • Open the project planning console
    • Create a parent-child relationship on the planning console
    Related concepts
    • Client side planning console
    • Gantt chart
    • Custom columns in the planning console
    Related reference
    • Predecessor dependencies in the planning console

    Tags:

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      Planning console tasks

      • Save as PDF Selected topic Topic & subtopics All topics in contents
      • Unsubscribe Log in to subscribe to topics and get notified when content changes.
      • Share this page

      Planning console tasks

      You can perform several tasks on the planning console that you can perform on lists and forms, such as creating project tasks and copying projects. You can also perform several tasks unique to the console.

      Table 1. Planning console tasks
      Task How to perform the task
      General console settings
      Display a project in the planning console Select the project from the choice list in project workspace banner.
      screenshot for project choice list
      WBS hierarchy
      Create a project task Click an existing task to determine the insertion point for the new task, and then click the add task above icon (screenshot for add task above icon) or the add task below icon (screenshot for add task below icon).
      Move a task up or down in the hierarchy Click an existing task, and then click the move up (screenshot for move up icon) or move down (screenshot for move down icon) icons.
      Indent or unindent a task in the hierarchy Click an existing task, and then click the indent (screenshot for indent icon) or unindent (screenshot for unindent icon) icons.
      Edit a task record Right-click a task and select Edit. The Project Task form appears in the overlay. You can also edit a field directly in one of the columns in planning console. You can also edit project tasks that represent phases in the project workbench.
      Edit the State field Double-click the value in the State column to select a new state.
      Add an agile phase or a test phase Right-click a project and select Add Agile Phase or Add Test Phase. The agile phase icon or test phase icons appear next to the task in the Name column. See phase icons.
      Note:
      • You can add multiple agile phases and multiple test phases to a project.
      • You can add only one test phase for a test plan in a project.
      • An agile phase cannot overlap another agile phase for an assignment group in a project.
      • While creating a story, if a project has only one phase, then the story is tagged to the phase.
      Open a test plan or story Right-click a task (a task that represents a phase in the workbench) and then select Manage Test Plan or View Stories.
      Cancel a resource plan for a Closed project Right-click the project and select Cancel Resource Plans. All past and future allocations for the selected resource plan are canceled.

      The option is available only for a project in any of the Closed state.

      Complete a resource plan for a Closed project Right-click the project and select Complete Resource Plans. All the requested and resource allocations for the resource plan post the completion date are deleted.

      The option to complete resource plans is available only for a project in any of the Closed state.

      Add an external dependency between tasks of different projects Right-click a task and select Add External Dependency. Select the project and task to which the dependency is added.
      View the project name of external dependency Point to the link icon (Link icon) beside the external dependency task to display a hint which shows the name of the project to which the external dependency is added.
      Change time constraint for a task Right-click a task and select Start on specific date or Start ASAP.
      • When you change the time constraint for a task from Start on specific date to Start ASAP or vice versa, the planned start date and planned end date of the task are recalculated accordingly.
      • The option is not available for a parent task. If a task has child tasks, the option is available only for the child tasks.
      Allow task dates outside schedule Right-click a project task and select Allow outside schedule. The selected task is allowed to start and end on a non-schedule day (outside regular project schedule) such as on a weekend. The Off schedule task icon (screenshot for off-schedule task icon) appears next to the task in the Short description column.

      For example, if you use the project schedule Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm and a project task of duration 2 days should start on Saturday, then an off-schedule task is allowed to be scheduled on Saturday and end on Sunday. Similarly, if a task of duration 3 days starts on Friday, then an off-schedule will end on Sunday as opposed to ending on Tuesday.

      • The option is not available for a parent task. When a task is made off-schedule, its parent also becomes off-schedule. The project also behaves as out of schedule if any of the children is set to out of schedule.
      • Once a task is allowed outside schedule, the right-click option Follow schedule is available for the task. Click Follow schedule to follow the schedule for the task.
      Note:
      • There is no difference between an off-schedule and on-schedule task if there is no schedule defined at the project.
      • 1 day is 8 hours for a task in regular schedule and 24 hours for a task outside schedule.
      Convert a task to milestone Right-click a task and select Convert to milestone.
      • You can convert a task to a milestone only until it is not in Work in Progress state. Once work in progress, the option appears as greyed out for the task.
      • The option is not available for a parent task. If a task has child tasks, the option is available only for the child tasks.
      Show or hide external dependencies Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click the Hide External Dependencies switch.

      When this option is enabled, the external dependencies are not displayed when you add an external dependency between two projects. However, the Dependency column in WBS section of the successor project still shows the value of external dependency.

      Show external dependency notifications Click the notification bell icon Notification bell icon to display the notifications raised in the successor project. The notifications are triggered as a result of changes made in the predecessor project.
      external dependency notification example screenshot
      • For a soft dependency, click Accept or Reject to accept or reject the changes in the notification.
      • For a hard dependency, view the displayed notification to review the changes in the notification.
      Save changes to the server Click the save icon screenshot for save icon to commit changes made in planning console. The option is available only when Client Side Planning Console is enabled.
      Expand or contract column width Click the side of the column and drag it right or left.
      Show or hide columns in the planning console Click the filter icon (screenshot for filter icon), and then select or clear the check boxes for the columns available. Admin can customize which columns appear in this list. The selection is saved in the user preference. The next time you open the planning console, the same columns you selected will appear.
      Select WBS levels to show Click the filter icon (screenshot for filter icon), and then select the level from the WBS Depth choice list.
      Expand or collapse sublevels for any level Click the arrow to expand or collapse any task that has one or more subtasks.
      Gantt chart
      View a summary of a task Hover over a task.
      screenshot for hover options
      Change the planned start or end dates of a task Click the task, and then drag the left or right edge of the task bar.
      Move a task to a new date Click the task, and then drag the whole task bar to a new location.
      Create a dependency between tasks Find the successor task in the relationship and double-click the value in the Predecessor column and enter a value that specifies the relationship. See Predecessor dependencies in the planning console for examples.

      Alternatively, you can create a relationship between two tasks by connecting the ends of the corresponding task bars in the timeline view.

      Select a baseline Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then select a baseline from the baselines choice list.
      Create a baseline Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click Create new baseline. See Create baseline of a project for more information.
      Display the critical path Click the critical path icon (screenshot for critical path icon). See Gantt chart for more information on the critical path.
      Show date change Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click the Show Date Change switch. When this option is enabled, the start and end dates of the task are displayed when you drag the task bar.
      screenshot for start and end dates on the bar
      Show duration change Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click the Show Duration Change switch. When this option is enabled, the duration of the task is displayed when you drag either end of the task bar.
      screenshot for duration on the bar
      Show weekends on the calendar Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click the Show Weekends switch. The weekends appear as light-blue vertical bars in the Gantt chart.
      screenshot for weekend on the bar
      Zoom the calendar in or out On the top of the calendar, click one of the time periods, such as the month, or day, and so on. Then select a Zoom Level from the calendar.
      screenshot for calender zoom
      When the zoom level in calender is selected as Auto Fit, the Gantt view fits in one page to view entire timeline for the project in one go without using the scrollbar.
      Open the tutorial Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click Walkthrough.
      Open list of keyboard shortcuts Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click Keyboard Shortcuts.
      Other features or applications
      Open the project workbench Click the Planning Console selection arrow on the banner and select Project Workbench.
      Open live feed Click the more options icon (screenshot for more options icon), and then click Show live feed.
      Print the gantt timeline Click the (screenshot for more options icon) icon, and then click Print.
      Note:
      • Printing on a smaller paper size may result in the gantt chart image being cut off. You may either zoom out using the gantt chart calender, or increase paper size to print the gantt timeline for projects and tasks.
      • If the colored bars in gantt chart area are not visible in Print preview, then select the option for background graphics in the Print dialog.
      Related tasks
      • Open the project planning console
      • Create a parent-child relationship on the planning console
      Related concepts
      • Client side planning console
      • Gantt chart
      • Custom columns in the planning console
      Related reference
      • Predecessor dependencies in the planning console

      Tags:

      Feedback

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