Have BigTime approximate the task end date when you edit a task start date, task assignments, or budgets. This feature is available when Auto Adjust Fields is enabled, which is what this article is all about.
Here’s an example. You create a task to start on March 7 and end two weeks later on March 21. Then, you edit the task to start on March 9. With Auto Adjust Fields enabled, BigTime will update the task end date to span a similar number of days as the original task. In this case, it updated the end date to March 23.
Note: This article assumes you know how to access Gantt charts in BigTime.
First, get to a Gantt chart for a project. Then, follow the steps below to create a new task and edit it while using Auto Adjust Fields.
1. Click on the ADD TASK button to create a new task.
2. Add your task information in the window that populates.
3. Click SAVE to save your work.
Now you want to make some task changes.
4. Double click on the task you want to edit, and a new window will populate.
Make sure that the box next to AUTO ADJUST FIELDS is checked.
Now we’re ready to see how this feature works.
Any change to the start date, number of assignments, or hours budgets will change -- and approximate -- the end date. We’ll go through several examples so you can see how this approximation features works.
Change the Start Date
Moving the start date forward or backward in time affects the due date. Based on the original task, our start date is June 30 and the end date is November 30. Now let’s see how the end date changes as we edit this original task.
If we make the start date earlier, say June 1, then the due date moves to November 1, which again is about the same amount of time from our original task -- the task is just starting and ending on different days.
Likewise, if we extend the start date to June 9, BigTime automatically extends the due date by a few days, as you can see in the image below.
Here’s what’s happening: in the original task (June 30 - November 30), there were 153 days between the start and due dates. BigTime keeps the original date span (153 days) to generate a new due date.
Change Budgets and Assignments
Budget and assignment changes can also impact due dates. We decreased our “hours budget” and that caused the due date to decrease by several days.
Similarly, the due date will change if we add more staffers to the task. This is because BigTime takes capacity into account. Notice that your due date jumps when you add more staffers.
If you don’t want BigTime to automatically adjust your fields, then uncheck this selection the AUTO ADJUST FIELDS selection.
Click SAVE to save your work.