Creating a Project Schedule With Dependencies Using SharePoint Task Master with an Existing SharePoint Task List

Whether you manage a small project or multiple complex projects or a PMO, a project manager needs to be able to identify the impact of delays to the overall project schedule and communicate the information in a collaborative world.

In my last announcement blog of the release of SharePoint Task Master, I mentioned the following features:

• Drag and drop Gantt bar interface to move tasks from one parent task to another.
• Assign Finish-to-Start dependencies between tasks.
• Show Work Break Down structure of project tasks.
• Zoom in or out on the Gantt timeline to see more or less tasks in the Gantt chart.

So - what if you already have a SharePoint Tasks List and want to use SharePoint Task Master but don’t want to have to create a new SharePoint List to work with SharePoint Task Master?

Well, you can use your existing SharePoint Task List. And here’s how to create a project schedule with dependencies using SharePoint Task Master with an existing SharePoint Task List:

First – create the following columns within your existing List:

• Duration
• Parent Task
• Predecessor Task
• WBS
• Milestone

Next – configure the Duration with the following formula:
Using this formula: =IF(OR(ISBLANK([Due Date]),ISBLANK([Start Date])),0,FIXED([Due Date]-[Start Date],0))

Ensure the following Columns are configured like this:

Predecessor Task –

WBS –

Milestone –

Now that you have your new columns created, you can start using your SharePoint List as follows:

From the tool pane of SharePoint Task Master, you select this List:

Select the Start Date and Due Date for the Start Date and Due Date Column. Select Parent Task for Parent Task Column. And select Predecessor Task for Predecessor Task column.

Next, you can create dependencies as shown here:

Dependency between parent and child tasks:
If you have Project X and Task A and you want to make Task A a subtask of Project X, you can by select Project X for the Parent Task column as follows:

Dependency between predecessor and successor:
If you have Task A and Task B and you want to make Task A a successor of Task B where Task B cannot start until Task A is done, you can by select Task A for the Predecessor column as follows:

You can also make Task B a Child Task of Project X:

So – there you go. You just created a project schedule with dependencies using SharePoint Task Master with an existing SharePoint Tasks List where Project X has the end date approximately around 1/30/2009 with the total duration of 56 days. And you know if any issues occur in relation to Task A or Task B, they would impact the time line of Project X.

Our Creating Task with SharePoint Task Master featurecast from our gallery has more detailed step-by-step on how to.

You can download a free trial of SharePoint Task Master here.