Settings Tab of the Schedule Dialog Box of the Activities Page

Overview

Use this tab to specify various scheduling settings such as how to schedule progressed activities, calculate start-to-start lag, and the method used to determine critical activities.

Screen Elements

Use scheduling options from list

The project whose scheduling options will be used when scheduling multiple projects.

Ignore relationships to and from other projects option

Determines whether to ignore activity relationships between projects.

Make open-ended activities critical option

Determines whether to label open-ended activities as critical during scheduling.

Use expected finish dates option

Determines whether the Scheduler uses the Expected Finish Date constraint.

Level resources during scheduling option

Determines whether to level resources automatically each time you schedule a project.

This option is automatically cleared and can not be selected if the user does not have leveling permission on any of the open projects. The selection you make for this option is saved at the user level and applies to any additional projects you open and schedule.

Recalculate assignment costs after scheduling option

Determines whether the application should enforce that costs remain accurate when rescheduled dates reflect a rate change.

Select to recalculate the costs of resource or role assignments that use multiple rates.

P6 stores your selection at the user-level and applies it to all projects you open and schedule.

When scheduling progressed activities use option

Determines the type of logic used to schedule dependent activities with out-of-sequence progress. For example, a Finish to Start relationship in which the predecessor has not finished but the successor has started.

Retained Logic: The remaining duration of a progressed activity is not scheduled until all of its predecessors are finished.

Progress Override: The schedule ignores network logic and allows the activity to progress without delay.

Actual Dates: Backward and forward passes are calculated using actual dates.

Calculate Start-to-Start lag from option

Determines when you want the successor to start. When a start to start relationship exists and the predecessor starts out of sequence, the scheduler delays the successor activity until the lag expires and all predecessor relationships have been satisfied. Use this option to specify whether to subtract the lag from the predecessor's early start date or its actual start date.

Early Start: Calculates the expired lag as the number of work periods between the actual start and the data date and determines the successor's start date as the predecessor's remaining early start plus any remaining lag. Select this option when the successor's start depends on the amount of work that the predecessor activity accomplishes.

Actual Start: Calculates the successor's start date as the data date plus any remaining lag. Select this option when you want the successor's start to depend on the time elapsed from the predecessor's actual start (regardless of the amount of work that has been accomplished in the predecessor activity).

Define critical activities as option

Determines the method used to identify critical activities:

Total float less than or equal to: Select this option to identify critical activities based on the lack of flexibility in their scheduled dates. Enter a number and time unit to specify a minimum float duration. When the project is scheduled, activities with total float values less than or equal to this value are marked critical. The value you specify is automatically converted to hours, regardless of your Display Durations in display setting in My Preferences.

The subsequent calculation for total float is based on the Hours per Time Period application settings located on the Time Periods page. If the Use assigned calendar to specify the number of work hours for each time period option is clear (not checked), then the calculation uses the Hours/Day value. If that option is selected (checked), then the conversion uses the standard work week values in the calendar assigned to the project. This explains why a float definition of 1 day can be converted to 5 hours or 20 hours, depending on other settings.

Longest Path: Select this option to define critical activities based on the sequence of driving activities that determine the project end date.

Calculate float based on finish date of option

Determines whether to calculate float based on the finish date of each project or projects.

Each Project: Schedules external relationships on the backward pass using each project's finish date for open-ended activities, including activities that have an external relationship.

Opened Projects: Schedules external relationships on the backward pass using the latest finish date of all opened projects and external relationship dates to calculate late dates of activities. Float for open-ended activities is calculated using the latest finish date of all opened projects, allowing for more float than the Each Project option. Each project's Scheduled Finish date field is calculated as the latest finish date of all opened projects.

Compute Total Float As option

Determines the method to calculate total float for all activities based on the following methods:

Start Float: The difference between the early and late start dates (Start Float equals Late Start minus Early Start).

Finish Float = Late Finish - Early Finish: The difference between the early and late finish dates (Finish Float equals Late Finish minus Early Finish).

Smallest value: Select to use the most critical value, which is the smaller of the start float and finish float values.

Calendar for scheduling Relationship Lag is list

The calendar used to calculate relationship lag.

Predecessor Activity Calendar: Calculates lag based on the predecessor activity's calendar

Successor Activity Calendar: Calculates lag based on the successor activity's calendar

24 hour Calendar: Specifies work time 7 days/week and 24 hours/day

Project Default Calendar: Uses the calendar that is designated as the default for new activities

Note: Lag entered in a unit other than hours is converted to hours based on the predecessor activity's calendar.

Getting Here

Click Projects.
On the Projects navigation bar, click Activities.
Click Schedule....
In the Schedule dialog box, click Settings.

Related Topics