From the course: Microsoft Project 2019 Essential Training

Link tasks to build a schedule

From the course: Microsoft Project 2019 Essential Training

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Link tasks to build a schedule

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- [Instructor] Project tasks need to be performed in the right sequence for the schedule to work well. In project management terms, task dependencies or task links define the sequence in which tasks should occur. Before we start looking at the links, I'm gonna go to the view tab. And in the split view section, turn on the details check box so that I can see the task form in the details pane. That way, we'll be able to look at task links in a couple of different places. Let's start with looking at the first two tasks in the sample project. Design office space and prepare drawings. Design office space has to finish before you can start prepared drawings. So we wanna create a finished to start task link between these two tasks. Now keep in mind, task links identify which task triggers the others, not which task comes first. In this case, design office space is the predecessor. It triggers when the successor prepared drawings is going to start. Finish to start links are the most common so you can create that from the ribbon. But first, we have to select the two tasks that we want to link. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna drag over the two tasks ID cells to select the two tasks. Then I can go to the task tab. In the schedule section, look for the icon that looks like two links of chain. That's the link to select the tasks command. When I click that, I can see over in the time scale I now have a link line from the finish of the first task to the start of the successor. In addition, if I select the successor up in the table, notice that I can see the predecessor in the task form and the type is FS which stands for finish to start. Now let's select the task load moving truck. In this case, I wanna create the link and I'm gonna do that in the task form. I've selected the successor. Down the task form, I can click the predecessor name cell. Click the down arrow and on the list, click the predecessor which is pact office. Then in the type cell, I'm gonna click the down arrow and choose finish to start and click okay. And I have a link between those two tasks. If you have non-adjacent tasks, you can link those two. I wanna link load moving truck to unload moving truck. I have load moving truck selected. To select the non-adjacent task, I'm gonna hold the Control key down while I click the task ID cell for my successor task. Now that I have the two tasks selected, and by the way, you can actually select more than these two. Then you go up to the task tab and click link to select a task. I have a finish to start between those two tasks. There are three other types of links. For example, finish to finish means that one task finishes and that determines when the other task finishes. So I have recorded submitted registrations and send registration confirmations. Send registration confirmations will not finish until you've recorded all of the registrations. So I selected my successor task. Now I'm gonna go down to the task form. Click predecessor name. Click the down arrow and choose the predecessor. Record submitted registrations. In the type cell, I'm gonna click the down arrow. And this time I'm gonna choose FF for finish to finish and click okay. And there's a link line from the finish of the first one to the finish of the second. Start to start and start to finish aren't used very often. In fact, start to start can cause problems particularly if the predecessor is delayed. But let's take a look at start to finish. That means the start of one task triggers the finish of the other. So for example, the first shift for watching the truck can't finish until the second shift starts, otherwise there's gonna be time when no one's watching the truck. So I select the successor. In the task form, I click the predecessor name cell. Click the down arrow and choose my predecessor. In the type cell, I'm gonna click the down arrow and choose start to finish and click okay. One last thing, let's go to the File tab. And on the left side, click Options. In the Project Options dialogue box, select the Schedule category and take a look at scheduling options for this project. There's a check box. Auto link inserted or moved tasks. I have it turned off and I recommend keeping it turned off. If it's turned on, project will automatically create links as you insert tasks or move them. And the thing is, it might not insert the links that you want and it's really hard to see what it's done. It's better to keep it turned off and create all the links on your own. Those are the different types of task links and several ways to create them.

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