Overview
Auto-Scheduling helps teams maintain accurate project timelines by automatically adjusting activities when related activities change. This reduces manual updates and ensures schedules stay aligned as projects evolve.
Prerequisites
Before using Auto-Scheduling:
activities should be linked with dependencies
A project schedule must exist in the Schedule module
Auto-Scheduling must be enabled
In this article, the term “Activity” is used for simplicity and may refer to either an Activity or a Milestone. These are also commonly referred to as tasks.
How Auto-Scheduling Works
Auto-Scheduling automatically updates activity dates based on dependencies between activities. When activities are linked together, Schedule recalculates the timeline so that dependent activities move when predecessor activities change.
For example, if Activity B depends on Activity A, and Activity A is moved to a later date, Activity B will automatically move to maintain the correct sequence.
This allows users to maintain project schedules by defining relationships between tasks rather than manually adjusting every activity date.
In the current Schedule design:
Auto-Scheduling can be turned on or off by users
The constraint type is always As Soon As Possible (ASAP)
Scheduling runs in strict mode by default
1. Enable Auto Scheduling
You click to do this:
Open the Schedule module.
Locate the Auto-Scheduling toggle.
Turn Auto-Scheduling ON.
Once enabled, Schedule automatically recalculates activity dates when related tasks are moved or updated.
2. Verify Activity Dependencies
You can click to do this:
Select a activity in the schedule.
Link it to another activity to create a dependency.
Define which activity must occur before or after another activity.
When the predecessor activity moves, the dependent activity will automatically shift to maintain the correct sequence.
3. Adjust activity dates or move activities
You can click to do this:
Drag a activity to a new start date.
Modify the activity start or finish date.
Schedule recalculates the timeline and updates any dependent activities based on the defined relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question:
What planning strategy does Schedule currently use?
Answer:
Schedule currently runs Auto-Scheduling using forward planning, meaning tasks are scheduled as soon as possible based on the project start date and activity dependencies.
Question:
Can users change the constraint type?
Answer:
No. In the current Schedule design, the constraint type is always set to ASAP (As Soon As Possible) and runs in strict mode by default.
Question:
What happens when a activity is moved?
Answer:
When a activity is moved, Schedule automatically recalculates the dates of dependent tasks to maintain the defined relationships between tasks.
Question:
What are lag and lead times?
Answer:
Lag and lead values define timing offsets between linked activities.
Lag creates a delay between tasks (for example, Activity B starts one day after Task A finishes).
Lead creates an overlap (for example, Activity B starts one day before Activity A finishes).
Summary
Auto-Scheduling keeps project timelines aligned by automatically updating tasks based on dependencies and scheduling logic. When enabled, Schedule dynamically recalculates activity dates whenever changes occur, reducing manual updates and helping teams maintain accurate project schedules.