Project Management Context

Planning a project prior to completing the build out of tasks will pay dividends throughout the full duration of the project. Planning is a team sport, and gaining input and understanding from the larger project team will be invaluable and avoid the pitfalls present when a project manager tries to complete this crucial process piece on their own.

The final set of tasks should be a combination of high-level summary tasks (typically of the Stage task type) that are broken down into smaller child work items with their own start and finish dates, with team members assigned to the work. As the project execution progresses, you'll be able to track any gaps between the originally planned task dates and their actual dates and make adjustments along the way as necessary. 

BrightWork 365 makes it easy to plan and execute your project tasks by splitting the management of tasks into two separate, but integrated and synchronized sections: Gantt and Grid. This article focuses on the Grid, which provides a quick and easy method for users to enter project tasks and manage their Work Breakdown Structure independently while synchronizing it with the Gantt.

Columns

Name

The given name of the task.

Dependency

The Grid provides a simple, intuitive and quick interface for managing dependencies between tasks. They can be interacted with via inline keyboard inputs or menu-based changes. Dependency updates synchronize with the Gantt. 

Double-click the Dependency field and click the dependency icon to expose a drop-down list of tasks. Click the desired dependency task and set the dependency Type and any necessary Offset days.

Note that dependency functionality is not applicable to summary tasks.

Dependency Type

• Finish-Start (FS): The predecessor task must be completed before the successor task can start.
• Start-Start (SS): The successor task cannot begin until the predecessor task begins. 
• Finish-Finish (FF): The successor task cannot be completed until the predecessor task is completed.
• Start-Finish (SF): The successor task cannot be completed until the predecessor task begins.

If not specified, the dependency type will default to Finish-Start (FS).

Text Based Inputs

Adding a dependency to the grid can be quickly and easily managed via keyboard inputs. Simply type the task row reference and determine your Start-Finish combination to ensure the dependency begins at exactly the right time. Should you wish to include a lead or lag using this method, it can be added at the end of the task, for example:

1FS + 1 will begin 1 day after the last task finish time.

1FS - 2 will begin 2 days before the last task finish time.

Dependency Menu Interface

Alternatively, you can use the Dependency menu interface to select the task based on row or task name.  You will then be able to review the task with a visual preview and determine the start –finish selection and lead or lag via the offset sub menu.

This method will then input the dependency in the Grid in the same manner at Text Based inputs for consistency.

Offsets – Lead and Lag

Lead allows the next task to start x days before the last task finishes

Lag ensures the next task must wait for the last task to finish.

 Scheduling Type

Scheduling Type Scenarios

Assigned To

After double-clicking into the Assigned To column, select and assign one or more users to a task with specified individual Resource Unit work allocations, so you can efficiently and accurately distribute work and ensure clear ownership. Set precise commitment percentages across multiple resources. The ‘Assigned To’ percentage allocation ensures every user’s commitment is properly documented, preventing schedule conflicts and avoiding single points of failure.

Duration

The number of days between the Current Start and Current Finish dates. When dates are updated in the Task record, the Duration will be automatically calculated upon saving the task. When Duration is updated in the Task record, the Finish Date will be automatically calculated upon saving the task. There is support for up to 2 decimal places. The Duration value cannot be less than 0.13 of a Day as the Gantt does not support durations of less than 1 hour.

Current Start and Current Finish

The Start and Finish dates entered at the time of task edit, or that were automatically set through a dependency (and therefore cannot be manually edited). Task dates can be changed by dragging the left, center, or right part of the date bar and dragging. Current Start dates will automatically pick the next valid date. Weekend dates are disabled.

• When a task has a Finish-Start (FS) or Start-Start (SS) dependency, the Current Start date cannot be manually modified.
• When a task has Finish-Finish (FF) or Start-Finish (SF) dependency, the Current Finish date cannot be manually modified.
• Three-digit numbers default to 1970.

Work

If applicable, enter the number of hours required to complete the task.

Resources

Choose one or more resources to be assigned to the task.

% Complete

Add an estimated Percent Complete. The Percent Complete value can also be set in the left-side grid portion of the Gantt, as well as in the Gantt Chart section by dragging the Percent Complete bar (it cannot be set from within work reports).

Toolbar Actions

Add Task

See Add Task below.

Expand All

Displays the full hierarchy of parent tasks and their respective subtasks.

Collapse All

Hides all subtasks, displaying only the top-level (root) tasks in the structure.

Refresh

Refreshes the Grid contents.

Delete

Delete individual tasks.

Indent

The Indent option will only appear if a task exists above the selected task and the task above is at the same indent level.

Outdent

The Outdent option will only appear if the selected task is already indented.

Expand View

Standard View Mode

Set within a tab that is displayed among the rest of the solution elements.

Expanded View Mode

A larger pop-out view.

• To enter Expanded view mode, click the Expand View icon
• To exit Expanded view mode, click the Close icon

Full Screen View Mode

An even larger view that covers the boundaries of the solution.

• To enter Full Screen view mode, from the Expanded View noted above, click the full screen mode icon
• To enter back into Expanded view mode, click the Exit full screen mode icon 
• To enter back into Standard view mode, click the Close icon 

Context Menu Actions

Delete

Delete the selected task.

Add Task

See Add Task below.

Indent

The Indent option will only appear if a task exists above the selected task and the task above is at the same indent level.

Outdent

The Outdent option will only appear if the selected task is already indented.

Multi-Select

To delete multiple rows simultaneously:

1. Select the rows to be deleted by clicking the selection box.
   
2. Click the Delete action.
   
3. Click Confirm to complete the action.

Filter By

Filter By searching allows users to search the Grid Task Names and return items that meet the search criteria.

When the user has a 'Filter By' term entered:

• Toolbar items will be disabled: Add Task, Delete, Indent, Outdent
• Quick task add row will be removed
• Drag and drop will be disabled
• Context menu will be disabled

Add Task

1. Click the Tasks tab in a project.
2. Click the Grid sub-tab.
3. You can add a new task in several ways:
   1. In the Grid toolbar click Add Task.
      Or,
   2. Click the context menu, click Add Task and choose one of the available options.
      Or,
   3. Press the keyboard Enter key while editing the last task row to create a new task row.
      Or,
   4. Use the Quick Add feature at the bottom of the Grid.

Drag and Drop

To drag and drop items, hover the mouse over the drag icon in the left-most column, click and drag the item vertically, and drop it in the desired location. If when moving an item to a new location, the item row's horizontal line is a single line, the item will be dropped as a task in the same hierarchy level as the task directly above it. Two lines on either side of the row means the item will be dropped as a child-task of the selected item. Multi-select is currently not supported.

Keyboard Navigation

Troubleshooting

Multiple Dependencies & Unexpected Offsets

Scenario

• Multiple tasks are linked with dependency relationships and 0 days offset.
• Add another dependency with 0 offset to a task that finishes later than the first dependency task.
• One or more of these tasks is edited in the Gantt.
• The first dependency task automatically gets an offset added to match the new Start date.
• If you adjust the duration of either dependency task, that new offset remains.

Workaround

• As soon as a second dependency (or more) are added, the first dependency Offset should be changed back to 0. Changing task duration on any predecessor task should not introduce a new Offset.

Spacebar Used on Cell (in read-mode) Causes Grid to Scroll Down

This is associated with default browser behavior.