Troubleshooting

The Mouse and Task Links

When I try to link tasks with the mouse, the screen scrolls too fast for me to find the successor task. What can I do?

When tasks you want to link aren't close enough for both to be visible onscreen at once, you can try to make them both visible at the same time by using the Zoom Out tool to compress the timescale or by hiding subtasks under summary tasks that lie between the two tasks in the task list to place both taskbars onscreen.

If that doesn't work or is too much trouble, you can simply select the tasks and use the Link Tasks tool. You can select both tasks by clicking the predecessor task (or its taskbar) first to select that task, using the scrollbars to bring the dependent task into view, and then holding down the Ctrl key as you click the dependent task or taskbar. Then click the Link Tasks tool.

No matter where I double-click on the dependency linking line, the Task Dependency box doesn't display the task names of the two tasks whose link I want to modify. What am I doing wrong?

There must be more than one linking line where you are clicking. Project frequently draws linking lines to them on top of each other to simplify the display. Find a point where the two lines separate, usually near one of the linked tasks. Otherwise, use another method to change the link. For example, click on the dependent task's taskbar (or node in the Network Diagram view) and click the Task Information tool to display the Task Information dialog box and change the link on the Predecessors tab.

Task Linking Mistakes

What can I do if I make a mistake in linking tasks by using drag-and-drop?

The answer is almost always to undo the action immediately. Because Project supports only one level of Undo, you should verify the results of a drag-and-drop operation immediately, while you can still take advantage of Undo. The shape of the pointer always advertises the type of action you will perform when you release the mouse button. Learn the various shapes , so you can more easily avoid making mistakes. In the Gantt Chart and Calendar views, you can drag the pointer to the menu or toolbar area, and the action is voided when you release the mouse button. In the Network Diagram view, however, you must return to the point of origin before releasing the button if you want to void the action.

Reversing a Dependency Link

I linked two tasks and accidentally got the wrong task as the predecessor. How do I reassign the predecessor to be the successor and vice versa?

You can't reverse the direction of the dependency relationship after it's created. You must delete the link and create it again.

Linking Tasks from Different Projects

I want to link a task in one project to a task that is in another project. How do I do that?

To link tasks that are in different projects, you need to put both projects in a consolidated file. Open a blank project document and use Insert, Project for each of the projects that contain tasks you want to link. Expand the outlines for each project so that you can select the individual tasks to be linked. Click on a predecessor task and use the Ctrl key as you click on its successor. Then click the Link Tasks tool. Alternatively, you can drag from the predecessor taskbar to the successor taskbar to create the link. These are the only simple methods for creating external links; all the other methods involve special codes that can easily be typed incorrectly.

For more information about linking tasks between projects, see Chapter 16, "Working with Multiple Projects," p. 603 .

Using the Adjust Dates Macro

I have a project that has constraints, and now I need to change the start date for the project. I want all the constraints to change by the same number of days as the change in the project's start date. How do I accomplish this?

Use the Adjust Dates tool to reschedule the start or finish of the project. This also changes all constraint dates by the same number of days.

To use the Adjust Dates tool, follow these steps:

1. Open the project document whose dates you want to adjust. Don't adjust the project start or finish date yet; let the tool do that for you.

2. Display the Analysis toolbar by right-clicking over the toolbars and choosing Analysis from the shortcut menu.

3. Select the Adjust Dates tool to display the Adjust Dates dialog box.

4. Enter the new start date or finish date in the input box.

5. Click the OK button. Project enters the new date in the Start Date (or Finish Date) field of the Project Information dialog box and adjusts all task constraint dates by the same number of days.

Splitting Tasks with Precision

I want to specify the exact time of day when a split begins. How do I do that?

Project lets you choose the date when a split begins. If you want to control the hour when the split starts, you must adjust the timescale to show individual hours on the bottom tier. Double-click the timescale or choose Format, Timescale, and change the Bottom Tier Units to Hours with a Count of 1. If you have displayed hours in the timescale, start the split under the hour when you want the split to begin. If the bottom tier scale is less than a day, the split starts at the beginning of the unit over the point where you clicked. Note that the Split Task information box that appears while you are selecting the point of the split doesn't show the hour unless you have chosen a date format on the View tab of the Options dialog box that includes the time of day.