FAQs Scheduling

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What does % Complete field show in Project Plan 365?  
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The % Complete fields contain the current status of a task, expressed as the percentage of the task's duration that has been completed. You can enter percent complete, or you can have Project Plan 365 calculate it for you based on actual duration.
What method does Project Plan 365 use for scheduling projects?
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Project Plan 365 uses an enhanced scheduling engine starting from Precedence Diagram Method. Precedence Diagram Method (PDM) is a method for scheduling projects based on project start date and tasks duration and predecessors. The PDM algorithm allows only auto-scheduled tasks and all tasks need to be on the same indent level. Summary tasks, manual tasks, or other constraints like calendars and tasks constraints are not allowed. This algorithm is used to calculate early start date, early finish date, late start date, late finish date, and slack.We enhanced this method in order to be used on general projects, where we can have any type of tasks (auto tasks, manual tasks, placeholder tasks, split tasks, null tasks and summary tasks). Also, this new method allows having constraints and considers calendars and resources. Also, all the constraints for a task and all types of predecessors are taken into consideration. For this, we create multiple graphs of tasks which allow us to find the optimal way to schedule a project.
How the Duration of a task is calculated?
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Duration for tasks can be calculated or entered. Application calculates the duration of a task by counting the amount of active working time between the scheduled start and end of the task. This is generally the time from task start to finish, not counting nonworking time.Tip: Enter the duration for tasks when you create the tasks. The Duration field is one of the major elements for scheduling calculations. It is the span of time shown by the Gantt bars on the Gantt Chart.
What does the Duration field show?
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The Duration field is the total span of active working time for a task. This is generally the amount of working time from the start to the finish of a task.
What does the Finish field show?
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The Finish field shows the date when a task is scheduled to be completed.
How a Start date for a task is calculated?
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A Start date can be calculated or entered. If you do not type a start date, application calculates a start date based on such things as relationships, calendars, and the scheduling method. If you type a start date, will be set automatically a Start No Earlier Than constraint and uses the date you type as the constraint date.
What does the Start field show?
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The Start field shows the date when an assigned resource is scheduled to begin working on a task.
When I should use Peak Units field (assignment-timephased field)?
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Add the Peak Units field to the timephased portion of the Task Usage or Resource Usage view when you want to display the maximum effort for which the resource is designated to work on an assignment, as distributed over time. This is particularly useful when you have applied a work contour other than the default flat work contour. The Peak Units field shows the points in time in which more effort is being applied to the assignment.
How Peak Units field (assignment-timephased field) is calculated?
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The value in the Peak Units field represents the maximum effort a resource is working on an assignment in the given time period.
When I should use Peak Units field (resource-timephased field)?
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Add the Peak Units field to the timephased portion of the Resource Usage view when you want to display the maximum effort for which the resource is designated to work on all assigned tasks over the selected time period.
How Peak Units field (resource-timephased field) is calculated?
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The value in the Peak Units field is the maximum effort a resource is working on all assigned tasks, as shown over a period of time.
How many categories of Peak Units fields are there?
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There are two categories of Peak Units fields (resource-timephased field and assignment-timephased field).
What do the Peak Units fields show?
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The Peak Units fields contain the percentage or number of units to which a resource is assigned at any one time for tasks as distributed over time.
If I want to move the project, will the deadlines also move?
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When moving the project, you will be able to select to also move or not the deadlines.
How do I set a deadline for a task?
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To set a deadline for a task, go to Task Information dialog – Advanced tab and select a date for the Deadline field.
What does the “Deadlines” functionality do?
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The Deadlines functionality allows you to set a date by which a certain task/deliverable/milestone must be finished, i.e. a deadline.
How to manage project delays?
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To register the delays on a specific task, after you finished your schedule, please set a baseline by going to menu Project – Set Baseline.After this, if you have a delay on a task, change the Start or Finish date. In this way, the Planned Start is the Baseline Start and the Actual Start is the Start date.
How to change % complete for a task?
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In order to change the % complete, type the new value in the % complete cell for the desired task. The value must be between 0 and 100.
How do I change baseline date?
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To change the Baseline dates, using the Gantt Chart view, go to menu Project - Table and select Variance table. Then, you can change the Baseline Start and Finish dates.
How can I change the name of a sub project in a master project?
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In order to change the name of one of your subprojects you have to close the Master Project and open only the Subproject file from where it is saved (clouds or on local device).

After that, go to the File menu - Options - Project Info tab and from "Project Name" field, change the name of the Project and click "OK". Save the file and then open the Master Project and expand the subproject whose name you just changed and it will appear with the new name.
I changed the start date of my project from Project Information dialog but the dates are the same.
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If you are trying to change the start date of your project but it doesn't work it is because in your project you have some tasks that have constraints applied. If you don't want to remove the constraints in the project, you can use the "Move Project" functionality in the Project menu in order to change the Start Date of your project.
The Constraint Type and Constraint Date fields are editable in grid on all platforms?
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The fields Constraint Type and Constraint Date are editable in the grid only on Project Plan 365 for Windows, Project Plan 365 for Mac and Project Plan 365 for iOS. 

What information does a baseline store?
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A baseline saves nearly 20 pieces of information, including totals and time phased information for tasks, resources, and assignments. You can save 1 baseline. Baseline will essentially store 5 things: cost, work, duration, start date and finish date. The baseline is a copy of the Start, Finish, Work, and Cost for all the Resources, plus Duration for all the Tasks in your project. When you do a baseline you save the following data about the project at that specific point in time.

How to remove constraints?
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If you want to remove a constraint for a task, select the task and go to Task menu - Task Information dialog. Go to Advanced tab and from Constraint Type select "As Soon As Possible" and click OK. This is the default Constraint type.
How to remove the question mark from duration?
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In order to remove the question mark from duration, please enter in edit mode in the cell and then edit the duration and press on the Enter button from your keyboard or press on the up and down arrow keys.
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