Open Workbench User Guide

Update Task Data

To delete a note

1. From the Project Properties, Task Properties, or the Resource Properties dialog box, click the Notes tab.

The Notes tab displays.

2. Select the note you want to delete from the History grid and click Delete.

The note is deleted from the History grid.

3. Click OK.

The dialog box closes.

Update Task Data

Use the Task Properties dialog box to define and edit task properties. To view this dialog box, double-click the header button to the left of the task you want to update.

This dialog box contains several tabs with fields that you can use to the create and edit data that you may not find available in a view. These tabs include the General,

Resources, Dependencies, Advanced, and Notes.

The availability and display of tabs in this dialog box depends on the type of task you have selected in the view:

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If you select a phase or activity that is part of a master project or a subproject, only the General, Advanced, and Notes tabs display.

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If you select a task or milestone that is part of a master project or a subproject, all tabs except the Subprojects tab display.

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If you select a single task that was inserted into a master project as a subproject, all of the tabs display, including the Subprojects tab.

You can also update a task by right-clicking it in a spreadsheet view to access the shortcut menu which displays a list of task-related commands.

You can edit subproject task properties if you have Read/Write access or are saving a master project as an Open Workbench project (.rmp) file. You can also select multiple tasks and use one dialog box to edit the properties that they have in common or to define common properties. Use the Task Properties - Multiple Selections dialog box to do this.

Define Task General Properties

Use the General tab on the Task Properties dialog box to define the basic attributes of a task, such as the task name, ID, and type, and to identify the task as a key task on the project. You can also use this tab to apply properties to more than one task.

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The following task schedules are displayed on this tab:

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Current. The values displayed are the current values when calculating the critical path.

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Baseline. The values displayed are automatically generated during project baselining and are read-only.

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Early. The values displayed are automatically generated when you autoschedule your project and are read-only. An early schedule indicates the earliest a task can be completed, based on all the dependencies and constraints.

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Late. The values displayed are automatically generated when you autoschedule your project and are read-only. A late schedule indicates the latest a task can be completed, based on all the dependencies and constraints.

To define task general properties

1. From a view that displays the task detail pane, right-click the task you want to define, and select Modify from the shortcut menu.

The General tab on the Task Properties dialog box opens.

2. Complete the following fields, and click OK:

Name

Defines the name of the task.

Category

Defines the name of the group or class to which this task belongs.

ID

Defines the unique identification code for this task.

Type

Defines the task type.

Values: Milestone, Task, Phase, or Activity

Default: Task

Key Task (Type)

Specifies whether the task is essential to the project and is a key task.

Duration

If this task is fixed, defines the length of time, in number of business days, that this task takes to complete.

Values: 1 through 20,863.

Fixed (Duration)

Specifies whether the task duration is fixed or variable.

Default: Cleared (Variable)

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Priority

Defines the task priority or priority inheritance if the task does not inherit the priority from parent or any higher WBS level.

Default: 10 if the parent task priority (or any higher WBS level) has not been set.

Values: 0 through 36. The lower the number, the higher the priority.

Example: If the task has a priority of 0 through 9, it is given the highest priority during scheduling. If the task has a priority of 11 through 36, it is given the lowest priority during scheduling.

Inherited (Priority)

Specifies whether you want this task to assume the priority of its parent task, or the next highest WBS level. When selected, the Priority field is not available.

Default: Selected

3. In the Schedule grid, define the following fields and click OK.

Start

Defines the task start date for the current schedule.

Default: Today's date or the next business date after today's date

Finish

Defines the task finish date for the current schedule.

Note: If you do not enter a finish date, Open Workbench calculates the date based on the tasks duration and start date.

Status

Defines the task completion status.

Values: Not Started, Started, or Completed

Default: Started

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% Complete

Defines the progress of the task as a percentage. Regardless of the setting for the percent complete calculation method (on the Description tab of the Project

Properties dialog box), you can always edit the percent complete value for milestone tasks. This value can also be used in earned value calculations.

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If the percent complete calculation method is set to Manual, you can edit this field for the project and for all summary and detail tasks. The status of a summary level task changes only if either the status or the % Complete value is manually modified.

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If the percent complete calculation method is set to Effort, the value in this field is automatically calculated for the project and all summary and detail tasks.

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If the percent complete calculation method is set to Duration, the value in this field is automatically calculated for the project and summary tasks based on the values manually entered for the detail tasks.

Values: 0 through 100.

Define Tasks as Key Tasks

Use the General tab on the Task Properties dialog box to mark tasks as key tasks. When you mark a task as a key task, the task is listed on the Key Tasks tab on the Project

Properties dialog box. You can always revert tasks to standard tasks.

To define a task as a key task

1. Right-click the task you want to define as a key task, and select Modify from the shortcut menu.

The General tab on the Task Properties dialog box opens.

2. Select the Key Task check box, and click OK.

The task is marked as a key task and the Task Properties dialog box closes.

Define Task Duration

Use the General tab on the Task Properties dialog box to enter or edit the task's duration. When you add tasks to a project, the task's default start date is today's date, or the next working date after today's date if today is a holiday or non-work day.

The maximum duration you can define can extend from present day to June 3, 2079.The duration for variable-duration tasks is automatically calculated. For fixed-duration tasks,

Open Workbench automatically calculates the task's finish date. If the task is fixed and you change the finish date, the duration is automatically calculated.

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During autoschedule, the duration is not changed for fixed-duration tasks, except when you enter an autoschedule start date that is greater then the task finish date. In this case, ETC is moved for resources and roles to start from the autoschedule start date and spread to the task finish date, depending on the loading pattern. If the autoschedule start date is greater than the task finish date, then the finish date is moved to the

Autoschedule start date, and all ETC is placed on that date.

To define a task's duration

1. Right-click the task you want to define duration, and select Modify from the shortcut menu.

The General tab on the Task Properties dialog box opens.

2. Complete the following field, and click OK:

Duration

Defines the number of business days for this task if this task's duration is fixed.

Values: 1 through 20,863.

Fixed (Duration)

Specifies whether the task's duration is fixed.

The Task Properties dialog box closes.

Edit Task Duration

Define Task Priority

Duration is the length of time, in business days, a task requires from conception to completion, including the start and finish dates. There are several ways you can change task duration. You can edit it directly on the desired position on the timescale in a spreadsheet view, such as the Gantt view, by using your mouse to click and drag the left or right side of the Gantt bar to the desired position on the timescale. You can also use the General tab on the Task Properties dialog box to edit task duration.

Note: For fixed-duration tasks, Open Workbench automatically calculates the task’s finish date. If the task is fixed and you change the finish date, the duration is automatically calculated.

The Task Priority controls the order in which tasks are scheduled during autoschedule, subject to dependencies and task and resources constraints. Autoschedule, therefore, schedules tasks with higher priority ahead of tasks with lower priority. Use the General tab on the Task Properties dialog box to define a task's priority. The priority value you enter in the Priority field is used when scheduling task.

If you do not define the task's priority but instead select the Inherited (Priority) check box on this tab, the priority is inherited from its parent task or the next highest WBS level. By default, this check box is selected.

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