Amal Nagm

• Break down tasks to the level of detail that you want to track. You should break them down in more detail for riskier areas.
• Make sure that tasks have clear criteria for completion.
• Define the tasks that are short compared with the overall project duration. Shorter tasks allow you to more easily estimate time and resources.
• Avoid defining such things as vacation or training as tasks.

Create a new task

1. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2. In the Task Name field, type a task name at the end of the task list. You can insert a task between existing tasks by selecting the row below where you want a new task to appear. On the Insert menu, click New Task and then type the task name in the inserted row. The task IDs are automatically renumbered after you insert a task.
   
3. Press ENTER.

Create multiple new tasks

1. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2. On the Window menu, click Split. The window is split to display the Gantt Chart view on the top and Task Form view on the bottom.
   
3. In the Gantt Chart view, click the first empty row at the end of the task list.
4. In the Task Form view, type the name of the task you are creating in the Name box.
5. In the Duration box, type the task duration.
6. If you want the task duration to remain fixed regardless of resource assignments, select the Effort driven check box to make your task effort-driven.
7. In the form columns, enter detailed information about the task (such as the assigned resources and predecessor tasks).
8. Click Next to save the new task and move to the next row in the Gantt Chart view. Note You cannot use the Task Form view to enter subtasks into your project. Subtasks are created by indenting and outdenting tasks while outlining your project.
   

Create a task that repeats (recurring task)

1. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2. Select the row below where you want the recurring task to appear.
3. On the Insert menu, click Recurring Task.
4. In the Task Name box, type the task name.
5. In the Duration box, type the duration of a single occurrence of the task.
6. Under Recurrence pattern, click Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly.
7. Specify the task frequency and select the check box next to each day of the week that the task should occur.
8. Under Range of recurrence, enter a start date in the Start box. If you don't enter a date in the Start box, Project uses the project start date.
9. Click End after or End by.
   • If you clicked End after, type the number of occurrences for the task.
   • If you clicked End by, enter the date you want the recurring task to end.
10. Under Calendar for scheduling this task, select a resource calendar if you want to apply a calendar to the task. If you do not want to apply a calendar, be sure that None is selected from the Calendar list.
    Tip If you want to apply a calendar, but not tie that calendar to scheduling for the task, select the Scheduling ignores resource calendars check box.
    

• The task IDs are automatically renumbered after you insert the task, and the recurring task indicators (indicators: Small icons representing information for a task or resource that are displayed in the Indicators field. The Indicators field is located to the right of the ID field and appears in a number of tables.) appear in the Indicators column.
• If your recurring task will occur on any nonworking (nonworking time: Hours or days designated in a resource or project calendar when Project should not schedule tasks because work is not done. Nonworking time can include lunch breaks, weekends, and holidays, for example.) days, Project asks you if you want to reschedule those occurrences.
• If you assign resources directly to a recurring summary task by typing resource names in the Resource Names field, the resource will be assigned to the total work on the recurring task and not to the individual recurring tasks as they occur.