Task Information dialog box, Advanced tab

Use the Advanced tab on the Task Information dialog box to enter, review, or change supplemental task information. You can:

• Enter a deadline for the task if you want to be alerted about missed deadlines.

• Change the constraint on the task to affect schedule dates.

• Specify the task type for the task to affect how changes to task information affect scheduling.

• Specify the task calendar for the task.

• Mark the task as effort-driven, or as a milestone.

• Identify the work breakdown structure (WBS) code for the task.

• Specify the method to use when performing earned value analysis on this task.

Dialog box location

In any task view, click the task, and then click Task Information . Click the Advanced tab.

Details

General task information

Name     Shows the name of the selected task. You can enter another task name in the Name box to change it.

Duration     Specifies the amount of time needed to complete the selected task. You can enter duration in minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months. To enter an estimated duration, type a question mark after the duration unit, or select the Estimated check box.

Estimated     Specifies that the selected task has an estimated or tentative duration. Estimated durations are indicated by a question mark (?) after the time unit in a duration field.

Constrain task section

Deadline     Specifies a deadline for the finish date of a task. Enter a date that indicates when you want this task to be completed. Setting a deadline does not set a date constraint or affect the task scheduling. Instead, it displays an indicator if the deadline passes and the task is not completed. It also displays an arrow on the chart portion of the Gantt Chart view.

However, if a task is scheduled past its deadline, the task's slack calculation is affected. For example, if a task is currently scheduled on 11/14/08, and its deadline is 11/13/08, the task's Total Slack field will show -1d.

Constraint type     Restricts the allowable start or finish date for the task. You can assign one constraint per task. If you specify a constraint other than As Soon As Possible or As Late As Possible, enter the appropriate date in the Constraint date box.

Constraint types

As Late As Possible     With this flexible constraint, Microsoft Office Project schedules the latest possible start and finish dates for the task, given other scheduling parameters. This is the default constraint for new tasks for a project scheduled from the finish date.

As Soon As Possible     With this flexible constraint, Project schedules the earliest possible start and finish dates for the task, given other scheduling parameters. No additional date restrictions are put on the task. This is the default constraint for new tasks for a project scheduled from the start date.

Finish No Earlier Than     This moderate constraint indicates the earliest possible date that this task can be completed. It cannot finish any time before the specified date.

For projects scheduled from the start date, this constraint is applied when you type a finish date for a task.

Finish No Later Than     This moderate constraint indicates the latest possible date that this task can be completed. It can be finished on or before the specified date.

For projects scheduled from the finish date, this constraint is applied when you type a finish date for a task.

Must Finish On     This inflexible constraint indicates the exact date on which a task must finish. Other scheduling parameters such as task dependencies, lead or lag time, resource leveling, and delay become secondary to this requirement.

Must Start On     This inflexible constraint indicates the exact date on which a task must begin. Other scheduling parameters such as task dependencies, lead or lag time, resource leveling, and delay become secondary to this requirement.

Start No Earlier Than     This moderate constraint indicates the earliest possible date that this task can begin. It cannot start any time before the specified date.

For projects scheduled from the start date, this constraint is applied when you type a start date for a task or drag a Gantt bar.

Start No Later Than     This moderate constraint indicates the latest possible date that this task can begin. It can start on or before the specified date.

For projects scheduled from the finish date, this constraint is applied when you type a start date for a task.

Constraint date     Specifies the date associated with a moderate or inflexible constraint selected in the Constraint type box. All constraints except As Late As Possible and As Soon As Possible require a date.

Note: Because constraints affect scheduling, it's best to use the inflexible date constraints, such as Must Start On or Finish No Later Than, only when required by conditions external to the project. Otherwise, let Project calculate the project schedule based on task durations and dependencies.

Task type

Task type     Specifies the effect that a change to work, assignment units, or duration has on the calculation of the other two fields for this task. Unless you specify a different default task type on the Schedule tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu), the default task type is Fixed Units.

Task types

Fixed Duration     Indicates that the task duration must remain constant, regardless of any change in assignment units or work for the task. For fixed-duration tasks:

• If you revise units, Project recalculates work.

• If you revise duration in a fixed-duration task, Project recalculates work.

• If you revise the amount of work, Project recalculates the units.

Fixed Units     Indicates that the task's number of assignment units must remain constant, regardless of any change in duration or work for the task. This is the default. For fixed-unit tasks:

• If you revise units in a fixed-unit task, Project recalculates duration.

• If you revise duration, Project recalculates work.

• If you revise the amount of work, Project recalculates the duration.

Fixed Work     Indicates that the task's amount of work must remain constant, regardless of any change in duration or assignment units for the task. Because, by definition, fixed-work tasks are effort-driven, the Effort driven check box is automatically selected for fixed-work tasks. For fixed-work tasks:

• If you revise units, Project recalculates duration.

• If you revise duration, Project recalculates units.

• If you revise the amount of work in a fixed-work task, Project recalculates the duration.

Effort driven     Specifies that Project keep the total task work at its current value. The duration of a task shortens or lengthens as resources are added or removed from a task that is effort driven while the amount of effort necessary to complete a task remains unchanged. By default, this check box is selected when Fixed Duration or Fixed Units is the selected task type.

Note: You can set the default task type for all new tasks. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Schedule tab. In the Default task type box, click the task type you want.

Task calendar

Calendar     Specifies a calendar for the selected task. By default, tasks are scheduled based on the working time of the project calendar, as set in the Project Information dialog box. Tasks are also scheduled based on the working time of assigned resources. You can choose from the base calendars that come with Project, as well as any new base calendars you have created. You can create your own base calendar by clicking New in the Change Working Time dialog box (Tools menu).

If you have a task calendar applied as well as resources assigned, the task is scheduled during the working times that the task calendars and resource calendars have in common. The following are the default base calendars and their working times that come with Project. If you add your own base calendars or modify the existing ones, your changes are reflected in this list.

If the option is set to None, which is the default, then the task is scheduled based on the project calendar and on the calendars of any assigned resources. If you apply a base calendar to a task, as well as resource calendars to the resources assigned to the task, the task is scheduled during the working time that the task calendar and the resources have in common. If you select the Scheduling ignores resource calendars check box, only the task calendar is used to schedule the task.

Base calendars

Standard     The base calendar that has a standard work day and work week of Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., with 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M. designated as nonworking time for break.

24 Hours     The base calendar that has no nonworking time. All time, from Sunday through Saturday, 12:00 A.M. to 12:00 A.M., is set as working time.

Night Shift     The base calendar that is set up for a graveyard shift. Working times are Monday night through Saturday morning, 11:00 P.M. to 8:00 A.M., with 3:00 A.M. to 4:00 A.M. designated as nonworking time for break.

None     No base calendar is applied to the task.

Scheduling ignores resource calendars    Specifies that Project use only the task calendar to schedule the selected tasks and not resource calendars. This option is available only if a task calendar is specified in the Calendar box.

Other advanced task information

WBS code     Specifies the WBS code you want to apply to this task. The WBS field contains an alphanumeric code you can use to represent the task's position within the hierarchical structure of the project. This field is similar to the outline number, except that you can edit it or apply a specific WBS format, or mask. WBS codes are generally unique; that is, each task has a separate WBS code. The default WBS code is the task's outline number. You can type or define a format for your own custom WBS code.

Earned Value method     Specifies whether you want earned value for the current task calculated by using % Complete or Physical % Complete.

Earned value methods

% Complete     Calculates basic cost of work performed (BCWP) by using the percentage of the task duration that has been completed. For example, if 2 days of duration have been completed on a 4-day task, the task is said to be 50% complete. This is the default earned value method.

Physical % Complete     Calculates BCWP by using the percentage of the task that is physically complete independent of the actual duration/total duration of the task. Physical % Complete is based on real accomplished work. For example, the completion of certain tasks might be measured by certain established metrics, or associated with the consumption of materials, either of which can indicate how much progress has been made on the task.

You specify the default earned value method for Project on the Calculation tab of the Options dialog box. Use the Earned Value button on this tab to apply a different method to the selected fields when you calculate earned value.

The BCWP for the summary task reflects the BCWP of its subtasks.

Mark task as milestone     Specifies whether the task is a milestone. The shape of milestones is specified in the Bar Styles dialog box. Milestones appear on the chart portion of the Gantt Chart view. You can also mark a task as a milestone by entering a duration of 0.