Scheduler

You can use the Scheduler feature to create your project plan directly in PPO without the need for external scheduling tools.

This article covers:

• Accessing the Scheduler;
• Action Icons;
• Adding Tasks;
• Creating Structure;
• Adding / Updating Duration
• Predecessors;
• Critical Path;
• Updating Actual Progress;
• Updating Multiple Items;
• Sort Order;
• Action Icons on Line Items;
• PDF the Gantt Chart

Watch this video to learn everything you need to know about the scheduler:

Accessing the Scheduler

To get to the Scheduler for your project, navigate to the Project View page, then scroll to the Task section. Under the Actions button, select View Scheduler. 

When navigating to the Scheduler and you don't have an existing schedule you will notice that PPO adds a Project Task (Line 0) by default.

Action icons

Below are descriptions for all the action icons on the top bar of the scheduler:

• Submit:  Clicking on Submit saves your schedule.
• View:  This allows you to navigate to your Project, List or Gantt Chart.
• Project List: This dropdown displays your project name within a Project List.
• Refresh:  Clicking on refresh will delete everything you have done before clicking on the Submit button.
• Undo: This returns your schedule to the state it was in right before you took the most recent action.
• Redo:  This has the reverse effect of undoing what you've just undone.
• Outdent item:  After you add a list of tasks, you can use this to create structure to your project plan.
• Indent Item:  After you add a list of tasks, you can use this to create structure to your project plan.
• Show subitems:  This will show your full schedule (Project Task, Summary Tasks, Tasks & Milestones).
• Hide subitems:   This collapses all the tasks to the Project Task level.
• Show critical path:  This shows the longest sequence of activities that must be finished on time in order for the entire project to be complete. Any delays in critical tasks will delay the whole project. The critical path is shown in red.
• Update multiple items:  Allows you to update multiple tasks with the same value for Responsibility, Actual Progress and Duration.
• View in full screen:  Allows you to view, add, edit your Schedule in full screen mode.
• Zoom Slider:  Allows you to zoom your Gantt in Days, Weeks, Months, Quarters or Years.

Adding tasks

Start adding your Tasks under the Project Task by clicking on the "Create a new task" in the line items.

Creating structure

To create structure, select your tasks to indent them, thereby the Summary Task is automatically created. You can do this for multiple tasks by using your Ctrl function and selecting multiple tasks:

To create a milestone you simply add a duration of zero (0):

Summary milestones can be achieved by adding subtasks to a summary task and setting each subtask’s duration to zero. This effectively turns the summary task into a milestone, as all underlying tasks are treated as milestones. To ensure the summary milestone remains a summary milestone, link each subtask by setting its predecessor so that each one is dependent on the previous subtask.

Adding / Updating Duration

You can add duration in various ways: (1) Add duration to the underlying tasks using the duration column, (2) you can drag and drop the bars on the Gantt or (3) you can set the End Date of the Task and Duration will automatically be calculated.  See detailed bullets below.

• For a standard Task, you can edit both the duration and the end date.  Changing the end date automatically recalculates the duration and Ccanging the duration automatically recalculates the end date.
• For milestones, the end date is not editable. A milestone can be converted into a standard task by changing its duration.
• If a user selects an end date earlier than the start date, an error message is displayed.

If you have a multiple tasks with the same duration you can use the multiple edit icon to update them with the same value by selecting the tasks using the Ctrl function, then clicking the multiple edit icon.

Predecessors

Predecessors can either be captured in the column or you can simply link the tasks using the dots next to the bars on the Gantt:

Predecessors are applied in the below:

Please note the following predecessor types are supported:

• FS - Finish to Start - Default
• SS - Start to Start
• FF - Finish to Finish
• SF - Start to Finish

In addition, PPO supports Lag & Lead as follows:

• No Lag - 0 - The successor starts immediately after the predecessor ends. Example: (2FS).
• Lag - a whole positive value, for example +1 - The successor starts 1 day after the predecessor ends (lag time).
• Lead - a whole negative value of the lag, for example -1 - The successor starts 1 day before the predecessor ends (lead time).

Time:
Lag and lead can be specified in days, weeks, months and years, as follows:

• 2FS+2days (d | day | days) - "days" is a default lag and lead period. Example, 2FS+2 will be converted to 2FS+2days
• 2FS+1week (wk | week  | weeks) - Lag or lead entered in "weeks" will be converted to days or months or years, for example 2FS+2weeks to 2FS+10days and 2FS+6weeks to 2FS+1month.
• 2FS+1month (mon | month | months)
• 2FS+1year (y | year | years)
• 2FS-2days (2 days lead)
• 2FS-1weeks (1 week lead)

Scheduling conflict:

If you are attempting to move an item with an existing predecessor link then you will be given the option to remove or preserve the affected predecessor:

Critical Path

To show the critical path in red:

Updating actual progress

You can capture actual progress in the column or by dragging the progress in the bar on the Gantt.

Updating Multiple Items

You have the ability to update multiple records at a time if you want to set task details as the same value.  Select the tasks you want to update using your Ctrl key, click on the Edit Icon and complete the values:

The below screen will pop up to allow you to set the same value for all the selected task by populating the Responsibility, Actual Progress and Duration:

Sort Order

You can change sort order of tasks by dragging and dropping them:

Action icons on line items

You will notice additional Actions icons when you drag your Gantt to the right:

• View task:  Allows you to go to the view page of a specific task.
• Edit task:  Opens a modal window where you can update the Name, Responsibility, Actual Progress and Duration.
• Add subtask:  Adding subtask on a line will make the task a Summary Task and add a new task below it.
• Add task:  Adds a new task below the one you clicked.

PDF the Gantt Chart

To PDF your Gantt, hover over the View icon on the Scheduler and select Gantt Chart:

From Scheduler, click on View Gantt Chart. Then under the Export button, select Gantt (PDF).

If you select a single Project, the heading of the PDF will be the Project Name:

If you select more than 1 project, the heading of the PDF will be the default page name "Tasks Gantt Chart":

If the heading is too long or your browser window is very small, the heading will wrap onto a new line, which could cause page breaks to cut through a record.