Project Task Scheduling – Gantt

Posted06/16/2022

Updated06/10/2025

This article provides instructions for creating and managing detailed project schedules in ResourceFirst.

Overview

This article highlights the basic functions for scheduling task level project detail in the ResourceFirst Project Scheduler. An approved project can be scheduled, with tasks added as required.

Note: All changes to the Gantt Scheduler will be saved automatically.

How To

Access the Project Gantt Scheduler

Click on the Gantt icon on the Project Detail Page of the desired project. [Note: See Project Detail Overview for how to drill down from a project or assignment page to the Project Detail Page.]

Understand the Project Scheduler Controls

The Project Schedule’s page toolbar is robust and easy to use.

The Detail page left toolbar (pictured above) includes the following features:

Moving from left to right:

The Add icon (+ sign) is to add tasks
The Trash Can icon is to remove tasks.
The Indent/Outdent icons are used to indent or outdent a task or phase.
The Add External Dependency icon allows for adding dependencies from external projects
The Undo and Redo icons are extremely useful if you’ve made changes or ran the auto scheduler or compression and want to undo its effects.
The Previous Timespan/Next Timespan icons (right and left arrows) can be used to move through time phases of the project
The Collapse All/Expand All icons (up and down arrows) can be used to expand or contract the task detail (i.e., to show all tasks or just show phases)
The Zoom In/Out icons (+/- magnifying glasses) are to zoom in or out on the Gantt schedule.
The Zoom to Fit icon (crossed arrows) will show the whole Gantt chart on one screen.
The Critical Path icon (flame button) is to show the Critical Path of the project on the Gantt view. This can be toggled off or on. The Critical Path represents all the tasks that have zero float (or slack). A delay on any critical path task will delay the project.
The Baseline and Status icon allows for showing a line representing the baseline on each task on the Gantt view, or for setting a baseline (you will be asked if you want to set the schedule baseline, financial baseline, or both) or Posting to Status. This updates the phase and milestone status information to the respective phases and milestones on project forms (it links to the correct phases by way of the phase or milestone code in the Task Abbreviation column), and to the Project Status dashboard as well.

The Detail page right toolbar offers additional features.

The Compress icon condenses the schedule to remove all slack or float. you can use the UNDO button to undo the results.
The Auto Schedule (wand) icon will automatically adjust the schedule to respect the current dates and dependencies, recalculating the critical path accordingly. This may change the project’s end date, if appropriate. If you’re not satisfied with the results, you can use the UNDO button to undo it.
The Request Changes icon will submit resource requests for all resource assignments to tasks that vary from the existing effort forecast. It will request additional assignments or request removal of assignments accordingly, for the entire project. Thus, BEFORE clicking this button, be sure you’ve finished assigning resources to all tasks.
The Export icon allows for exporting to Microsoft Project, an image, or to a PDF file.
The Import MPP icon allows for the import of Microsoft Project schedules.

Create Project Tasks

Step 1: To add a new task, select/click on the Add icon (+ sign on the left).

Step 2: The task will appear at the bottom of any existing tasks, with the title “New Task”. Right-Click on the task to open the Task Options dialog:

From this dialog, you can:

View and enter Task Information
Delete a task
Convert the task to a milestone
Add new child or parent tasks or related items
Or more, depending on your configuration

Maintain Task Information

To update tasks, right-click on any task and select Task Information on the dialog menu. Alternatively, you can double-click on any Gantt bar (or right-click to view the Task Option dialog).

General

The General tab on the Task Information page allows you to update the task name, percent complete, duration, start and finish dates, effort hours, and baseline information:

Predecessors

In the Predecessors tab, you can add or remove predecessor tasks (within the project) and specify the type of relationship and/or lag time between tasks.

Relationship types are:

Finish-to-Start (the current task will start when the predecessor task finishes)
Start-to-Start (the current task will start when the predecessor task starts)
Finish-to-Finish (the current task cannot finish until the predecessor task finishes)
Start-to-Finish (the current task cannot finish until the predecessor task has started)

To open the Predecessor dialog directly, right-click on a dependency line linking two tasks:

In the examples below, which illustrates the various relationships, Task A is a predecessor to Task B.

Finish-to-Start Relationship:

Start-to-Start Relationship

Finish-to-Finish Relationship

Start-to-Finish Relationship

Resources

In the Resources tab, you can add or remove task resources.

After clicking Add New to add a new resource, a blank line is added with a dropdown to select resources. Both skills and resources from the current project assignments will appear in the dropdown for selection:

If you need to add a resource that does not exist in the project assignments, type the name. A confirmation message will prompt you to confirm.

Advanced

The Advanced tab offers addition task option, including:

Setting the task to be manually scheduled
Setting the Scheduling Mode (see below)
Assigning a WBS code
Setting the task to read-only
Setting start/finish constraints on the task, independent of any predecessor relationships defined (see Constraints below for more)

Constraints:

If you enter a constraint date and attempt to violate the constraint by moving or stretching a task, a pop-up dialog will offer 3 options:

Notes

The Notes tab contains a full editor and allows entry of task-related notes.

Reminder: All changes will be saved automatically.

Drag Tasks

To move a task up or down, click on the task and drag it up or down. As you drag, a green horizontal line will indicate where the task will be dropped.

To drag a task to a different date, drag the Gantt bar right or left.

To make a task longer or shorter, either update the dates on Task Information, or drag the end of the Gantt bar.

Link Phase/Milestone Dates to Project Status

Project Phase and milestones on the project schedule can be linked to the phases and milestones on the Status Report via the Task Abbreviation column on the project schedule.

Step 1: To view or add the Task Abbreviation column, drag the vertical divider (between the project tasks and the Gantt chart) to the right until you see “Add New Column” as a column heading (pictured below to the right, in light shading).

Step 2: Click on the column header and view the list of available fields to add as a column. Select the Task Abbreviation field. See the second image below, showing the newly added Task Abbreviation column.

Note that the Task Abbreviation column lists P01, P02, etc. next to the appropriate Phases. This is what links those phases to the Project Status phases. Likewise, use M01, M02, etc. for each milestone that you want to track on the Project Status reports.

Also, note the Post to Status option in the Baseline & Status icon in the upper right of the page toolbar. This will post the current task dates and information to the status report, according to whichever phases and milestones correspond to the Task Abbreviation links.

The phases and milestone status can be viewed on any Project form that shows the project status phases and milestones (see example below), where additional status information can also be updated, including the R, G, Y (Red, Green, Yellow) project health indicator.

Pictured below is a project where the milestone, Charter to Review, has a Task Abbreviation of M01.

Notice on the Status Report (accessible via the Forms icon, the first icon listed, on the Project Detail page toolbar), under Phases and Milestones, the milestone Charter to Review is linked to M01 in the Abbr column.

In other words. the items in the Phases and Milestones section in the Status form (or Project Info form, depending on configuration) map to the P01, M01, etc. on the Gantt Scheduler’s Task Abbreviation column.

Note: If you are not using project task scheduling, you can choose to strictly do phase/milestone tracking and updating via the Project Status form, in which case the Task Abbreviation linkage is not necessary.