Planning a project

Planning a project usually begins with compiling a list of the tasks, or activities, you want to complete, with an estimated duration, the length of time you expect each task to take. eSuite scheduler uses the list of tasks and durations, as well as other information you provide about these tasks, such as their start date or required end date, to build the schedule itself. When complete, the schedule provides you with a realistic picture of the project you want to manage.

To begin planning a schedule, collect the following information:

As you begin adding tasks to the schedule, and entering task durations, you might want to group and view related tasks. For example, you might display all electrical work in one group, all framing work in another, and so on. You can display these groups of tasks by creating a task hierarchy that shows a heading and all subordinate tasks under that heading in the schedule. Once grouped as tasks and subtasks within the task hierarchy, you can hide and show tasks in the hierarchy to look at only summary tasks or at detailed subtasks as well.

As you list tasks and group them, you should also consider the relationships between tasks in your project. Sometimes one task cannot begin until another task is complete. For example, you can't begin work on the plumbing until the foundation work and rough framing are complete. With eSuite scheduler, you can link tasks
in your schedule to reflect these task relationships. Linking tasks lets you see how changes in the start, finish, and duration of a task can affect other tasks to which that task is linked.

Once the work represented by each task in the schedule actually begin, you will want to record progress against your plan. You can do this by displaying the percentage of each task that's completed. In addition, you can add additional columns to the schedule to hold information such as comments, internet addresses, and the name of the responsible person for each task.

See also
Adjusting schedule data