Plan Builder Overview

What is Plan Builder?

• waterfall planning: Traditional project planning with sequential task dependencies
• automatic scheduling: Dates calculate automatically based on business days, durations, and dependencies
• critical path: Identify tasks that drive project completion
• views: Plan grid, Gantt chart, and calendar views for different perspectives

Core Concepts

• tasks: Individual work items with duration, dates, status, and progress
• dependencies: Link tasks with predecessor relationships (Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, Start-to-Finish)
• business days: Scheduling respects working days and hours (default 08:00-17:00, excludes weekends)
• critical path: Tasks with zero slack that determine project finish date
• milestones: Zero-duration markers for key events
• subtasks: Hierarchical task organization with up to 6 levels

Task Properties

• name: Task description
• duration: Number of working days (milestones have 0 duration)
• start/finish dates: Task schedule (auto-calculated from duration and dependencies)
• predecessors: Other tasks that must complete before this task starts
• percent complete: Progress tracking (0-100%)
• status: On Track, At Risk, or Blocked
• owner: Assigned team member
• priority: None, Low, Medium, High, Urgent
• effort: Story points or effort estimate (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13)

How Scheduling Works

• business day rules: Tasks scheduled on business days only (Mon-Fri by default)
• time normalization: All start times normalized to 08:00, finishes to 17:00
• dependency constraints: Predecessor relationships enforce scheduling constraints
• editing with predecessors: You can edit duration, start, and finish even when tasks have predecessors; constraints are automatically enforced
• automatic calculation: Changing duration or dependencies automatically recalculates dates
• cascading updates: Changes to predecessor dates cascade through dependent tasks

Views

• plan grid: Table view with tasks, columns, and inline editing
• gantt chart: Visual timeline with task bars and dependency arrows
• calendar view: Day-by-day schedule view
• critical path: Toggle to highlight zero-slack tasks

Key Features

• task chaining: Quickly link multiple tasks sequentially
• multi-select: Select multiple tasks for bulk operations
• column visibility: Show/hide columns to customize view
• snapshots: Save plan versions for comparison and rollback
• CSV import/export: Bulk import/export tasks and dependencies
• real-time sync: Changes sync across all views and team members instantly

Use Cases

• waterfall projects: Traditional sequential projects with dependencies
• construction: Projects with clear phases and dependencies
• software releases: Release planning with dependencies and milestones
• event planning: Sequential tasks with deadlines

Tips

• start with durations: Set task durations first; dates calculate automatically
• link tasks: Use dependencies to create realistic schedules
• check critical path: Focus on critical tasks to meet deadlines
• use milestones: Mark key events and phase gates
• snapshot regularly: Save snapshots before major changes

FAQ

How does automatic scheduling work?

Tasks start at 08:00 and finish at 17:00 on working days. Weekends are skipped. Predecessor relationships enforce that successors start after predecessors finish.

What's the difference between duration and effort?

Duration is calendar time (working days). Effort is work estimate (story points). A task might have 5 days duration but 8 effort points if it requires more work per day.

Can I have tasks without dependencies?

Yes. Tasks without predecessors can start immediately. Use dependencies to create sequential workflows.

How do I see the critical path?

Toggle the Critical Path button in the toolbar. Tasks with zero slack (no room for delay) are highlighted in red.

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Last updated: 2025-01-31