Applying constraints

You can apply constraints to a project task to impose a fixed start or finish date for the task. Use the constraint types 'As soon as possible' and 'Finish no later than'.

Before you begin

Use the Overview viewlet to perform this task. In the navigation bar, click Work, and click the Overview tab.

About this task

You specify constraints when you plan the schedule (dates and duration) of the project tasks. 'As soon as possible' is the default constraint. If you want to specify this constraint for a task, you do not have to make any changes. This constraint implies that the task will start as close as possible to the specified start date so long as the dependencies on the tasks are resolved on schedule.

To apply the 'Finish no later than' constraint:

Procedure

  1. In the WBS tree, expand the project, and click the activity to specify a constraint for.
  2. In the WBS Overview viewlet, double-click the Constraint field, and select Finish no later than.
  3. Double-click the Constraint Date field, and enter the constraint date. This is the date by which the selected activity must finish. By default, the constraint date is the current date.
  4. In the WBS Overview viewlet, click Save. If you changed the constraint date to earlier than the planned task finish date, you are prompted with a notification and the option to keep or break the constraint.
    • To keep the constraint, click No on the notification. The constraint date is changed to the planned finish date. In the Schedule Gantt viewlet, click Save.
    • To break the constraint, click Yes on the notification. The constraint is changed to As soon as possible, and the constraint date is removed. In the Schedule Gantt viewlet, click Save.

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