Is the color of the vertical line for today’s date in your project too hard to see? Change the color of that line in Project to something more visible by using the following steps: In Gantt Chart view, click the Gantt Chart Tools tab, and then the Gridlines command drop-down menu, located in the Format group Click the Gridlines… option and a dialog box will open. Select Current Date in the Line to Change section Click the drop-down menu for the Color options, and select the color best fit for your needs Click OK, and you are done Make your projects run smoother by getting training in Microsoft’s  Project from AdvantEdge Training & Consulting.

Why do I see constraints on some of my tasks, even though I never set a constraint? Microsoft Project sees any task with a “hard coded” date as a constrained task. This means that if you type in the start or finish date for a task, you are effectively setting a constraint on that task. This can be a problem if you have a delay in project that SHOULD cause a task to be rescheduled – because the constraint will prevent this from happening. The solution is to avoid typing in dates! Use predecessors and successors instead. Get more out of MS Project with a training course from AETC!

Remember: constraints are to be used very sparingly, if at all! But sometimes you need to constrain a task because of a delayed shipment of supplies or for another good reason. For example, let’s assume that the paint color for the final coat of your project will not be available until Monday, January 19. Here’s how you set this constraint: Double click the task name to open the task information box Select the Advanced tab Use the drop-down chevron next to Constraint Type to choose a hard or soft constraint Select the appropriate date for your constraint Click OK Your results should look like this. Get more out of MS Project with a training course from AETC!

I keep hearing I shouldn’t use constraints in Project unless I have to. Why is that? A constraint (or a constrained task) in Microsoft Project is a task that has its start or finish date “hard coded” into the project plan. This means that the start or finish dates of the task won’t change no matter what – even if it should. This can be a problem if you are running behind on certain tasks in your project, and therefore are not able to start subsequent tasks that depend on the task running late. For example, let’s say you are painting the living room in your house, and you expect it to take 2 days to get done with the first coat – but it actually takes three days instead. This means that the new start date for the second coat needs to be delayed by a day – but using a constraint would prevent this from happening! In some cases, constraints are necessary and useful. Learn to add constraints in Project with our other post. Up your Project skills with a training course from AETC!

The solution is to minimize (or eliminate) the use of constraints – and use predecessors and successors instead. If we link the First coat and the Second coat by the use of a predecessor, the second task is then free to reschedule if the first task happens to take longer. Learn more about MS Project with a training class from AETC.