Creating and Connecting Tasks—Exercises

Basic Data Setup

Person Identity

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to create a person identity that can be used as task responsible.

Windows:
Persons

1. Create a new record.
2. Enter a person identity and a name.
3. Save your changes.

Progress Templates

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to create progress templates.

Windows:
Project Basic/Progress Template

1. Create progress templates that can be connected to your tasks.
2. Save your changes.

General exercise for Entering Progress Templates

Project Cost Element

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to create project cost elements.

Windows:
Project Cost/Revenue Elements

1. Create a project cost element on which the planned cost for the task can be reported.
2. Save your changes.

General exercise for Setting Up Project Cost/Revenue Elements

Required Data

Registering Manual Activity Connected Objects per Project

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to familiarize you with the data that must be in place before you can perform the Connecting Tasks to an Activity exercise below. This data is only required to be able to manually connect a task to an activity.

1. Verify that the task object type is allowed to be manually connected to an activity for your project.

General exercise for Creating Projects

Creating Activities

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to familiarize you with the data that must be in place before you can perform the exercises below.

1. Create activities in your subproject structure.
2. Save your changes.

General exercise for Building Project Plan

Main Exercise

Purpose: The purpose of these exercises is to show you how to create tasks and connect tasks to activities.

Windows:
Project Navigator/Tasks
Project Navigator/Activity
Project Navigator/Connections
Activity/Tasks
Activity/General
Activity/Connections
Tasks

Creating Tasks Connected to an Activity

1. Open the Project Navigator window. (Alternatively, open the Activity window.)
2. Query for your project.
3. In the Navigator, select the activity to which you want to connect tasks. (Alternatively, in the Activity window, select the desired activity in the Project list.)
4. Click the Tasks tab.
5. Create a new record.
6. Enter a task name beginning with XX1, substituting XX with your initials.
7. Enter a person ID responsible for the task or select it from the List of Values. By default, the person ID who is responsible for the activity will appear.
8. Enter planned hours and planned cost for a selected cost element.
9. Save your changes.
10. Note that a task ID is automatically generated and that the task start date is automatically set to the activity start date. This date is the activity early start date, as shown on the Activity tab.
11. Optionally, if you want to indicate that the task will start at a later date, enter a value in the Offset field. This value is in days relative to the activity's early start date. Save your changes. Note that the task start date is automatically updated.
12. Repeat steps 5–9, but name the task XX2, substituting XX with your initials. 
13. Connect a progress template to this second task to facilitate progress reporting to the task later. Enter the desired progress template, or select it from the List of Values.
14. Save your changes.
15. Click the Connections tab.
16. Note that your tasks are shown in the upper table on the Connections tab. Select a row in the upper table to view its planned values in the lower table.
17. Note that the System Connection check box is selected as the tasks were not manually connected.
18. Click the Activity tab. (Alternatively, in the Activity window, click the General tab.)
19. Verify that Connected Objects is selected in the Planned Cost Driver list.
20. Note that the activity planned values on the Cost and Hours tabs are updated with the planned values that you entered for your tasks.

Note: For an example of an activity with connected tasks, see Project P101 and Activity 10010.

Creating Tasks Not Connected to an Activity

1. Open the Tasks window.
2. Create a new record.
3. Enter a task name starting with XX3, substituting XX with your initials.
4. Enter a person responsible for the task, or select it from the List of Values.
5. Enter planned values as desired. Note that it is not possible to select a value in the Cost Element field as the task is not yet connected to an activity and is therefore not associated with a company.
6. Save your changes.
7. Repeat steps 1–6, entering a task name starting with XX4, substituting XX with your initials.

Note: Because this task is not connected to an activity, the Task Start Date, Activity Start, and Activity Finish fields are not updated. You cannot enter a value in the Offset field.

Manually Connecting Tasks to an Activity

Note: A task not connected to an activity can be manually connected in multiple windows. Perform the following steps in the first window, the Tasks window.

1. Open the Tasks window.
2. Query for your unconnected task XX3, where XX is your initials.
3. Select your task. 
4. Right-click, point to Project Connection and then click Connect to Activity.
5. In the window that opens, select the activity to which your task should be connected by using the List of Values in the different fields (The Program ID, Project ID, Subproject ID, Activity ID, or Activity Sequence fields.)
6. Click OK to save your changes.
7. If there is a planned cost for this task, you will get an information message that no cost element has been selected. Click OK to clear the message. Select a value in Cost Element field so that the task's planned cost will contribute to the activity's planned costs.
8. Note that the Task Start Date, Activity Start and Activity Finish fields now have the values that have been updated from the connected activity.
9. Optionally, enter a value in the Offset field.
10. To quickly access the activity information for the task's connected activity, select your task, right-click and click Activity Info to open the Activity window.
11. Click the Connections tab.
12. Note that your task is shown in the upper table on the Connections tab. Select this row in the upper table to view its planned values in the lower table.
13. Note that the System Connection check box is not selected as the task was manually connected.

Note: A task not connected to an activity can also be connected by performing the following steps on the Project Navigator/Connections or Activity/Connections tab.

14. Open the Project Navigator window. (Alternatively, open the Activity window.)
15. Query for your project.
16. In the Navigator, select the activity to which you want to connect your task. (Alternatively, in the Activity window, select the desired activity in the Project list.)
17. Click the Connections tab.
18. Right-click and then click Connect/Disconnect Object.
19. In the window that appears, click the Tasks tab.
20. Populate to see all the tasks that are not currently connected to any activity. Those tasks which are manually connected to this activity are also listed. Connect your task XX4, where XX are your initials, by selecting the Connection check box. Click OK to save your changes.
21. If there is a planned cost or planned hours for this task, you will get an information message that no cost element has been selected. Click OK to clear the message. In the Tasks tab, select a value in Cost Element field so that the task's planned values will contribute to the activity's planned costs and hours.
22. Note that your task is shown in the upper table on the Connections tab. Select this row in the upper table to view its planned values in the lower table.
23. Note that the System Connection check box is not selected as the task was manually connected.

Note: Perform the following steps to view the effect on the activity to which you have connected the tasks.

24. Continue in the Project Navigator window. In the Navigator, select the activity(s) to which your tasks, XX3 and XX4, are connected. (Alternatively, continue in the Activitywindow.)
25. Click the Tasks tab, and note that your newly connected tasks are listed.
26. Click the Activity tab. (Alternatively, in the Activity window, click the General tab.)
27. Verify that Connected Objects is selected in the Planned Cost Driver list.
28. Note that the activity planned values on the Cost and Hours tabs are updated with the planned values that you entered for your tasks.

Disconnecting Tasks from an Activity

Note: There are several ways of disconnecting a task from an activity, depending on whether the task has a system connection or a manual connection.

The only way to disconnect a system connected task is by performing the following steps 1-7. The task will also be deleted at the same time. (You can also disconnect and delete a manually connected task by performing these steps.)

1. Open the Project Navigator window. (Alternatively, open the Activity window.)
2. Query for your project.
3. In the Navigator, select the activity from which you want to disconnect your task. (Alternatively in the Activity window, select the desired activity in the Project list.)
4. Click the Tasks tab.
5. Select one of the records and click Remove. It can either be a system connected or a manually connected task. Save your changes to remove the task.
6. Open the Tasks window.
7. Query for the removed task and note that it no longer exists.

A manually connected task can be disconnected from the activity in several windows. Perform the following steps in the Tasks window.

8. Open the Tasks window.
9. Query for one of your manually connected tasks.
10. Select your task. 
11. Right-click, point to Project Connection, and then click Disconnect From Activity.
12. Click Yes  if you want to remove the project connections.
13. Note that your disconnected task no longer has any values in the Task Start Date, Activity Start, Activity Finish and Cost Element fields.

A manually connected task can also be disconnected from the activity by performing the following steps on the Project Navigator/Connections or Activity/Connections tab.

14. Open the Project Navigator window. (Alternatively, open the Activity window.)
15. Query for your project.
16. In the Navigator, select the activity from which you wish to disconnect your task. (Alternatively in the Activity window, select the desired activity in the Project list.)
17. Click the Connections tab.
18. Right-click and then click Connect/Disconnect Object.
19. In the window that opens, click the Tasks tab.
20. Populate to see all the tasks that are not currently connected to any activity. Those tasks which are manually connected to this activity are also listed. Disconnect one of your manually connected tasks by clearing the Connection checkbox. Click OK to save your changes.
21. Note that the task is removed from the Connections tab.
22. Click the Tasks tab, and note that your disconnected task is no longer listed.
23. Click the Activity tab. 
24. On the Cost and Hours tabs, note that the planned values from the disconnected task are no longer reflected in the activity planned values.
25. Open the Tasks window.
26. Query for your disconnected task.
27. Note that your disconnected task still exists but that the Task Start Date, Activity Start, Activity Finish and Cost Element fields no longer have any values.