Add subtasks
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    Add subtasks


      Article Summary

      You can add sub-tasks to parents at any level in the hierarchy of the WBS-based schedule and set their timelines in alignment with the respective parents. The subtasks are numbered with the next outline level of the parent task.

      Note:
      If the schedule was created from the WBS tree with the custom numbering system, the subtask is added only to the grid view and is not reflected in the WBS tree. If you want to add a sub-item to the tree, use the 'Add Hierarchy' option. See Add subtasks to WBS tree to learn more.

      To add a sub-task

      • Navigate to the schedule interface. The 'Grid' view opens by default. 
      • Click 'Grid' on the left to return to the grid view if you are on some other screen in the schedule menu.

      The example shown below is the master schedule accessed by the GC. The subcontractors access the contractor schedule interface.

      • Right-click on the parent task and choose 'Add' > 'Add Sub Task'

      A new row gets added with the WBS code at one level lower than the parent task.

      • Enter the details for the subtask as shown below.
      • Repeat the process to add more subtasks.
      • Estimates - Contractors can add tasks, subtasks, and activity items for which the labor and cost (material cost, labor cost, equipment cost, external subcontractor cost, overheads, etc.) are to be tracked from their project estimate. The task code, task name, and man-hours are auto-filled when adding an item from the estimate. You can edit the task name and the manhours for the item. The allotted man-hours are deducted from the total man-hours specified for the item in the estimate. The remaining hours will be available for adding the same task/activity for different parent-level items. See Add tasks from estimates for more details.

      Enter the values for each item as shown below:

      Note:
      The auto-save feature of the scheduler saves the values you enter for each item. 
      • Task code- (Optional) The task code for the item. The task code also doubles as the cost code for tracking the budget and expenses with respect to the item. The codes are specified at your company-level task code roster. Enter the code per your company task code list.
        • The task code gets auto-filled on importing the task item from the estimate.
      • Task Name - A label to identify the item. Contractors can add custom names for the phases and deliverables they add. If you are adding an item from the estimate, the task name is auto-populated from the estimate. You can edit the name as required. Use the text formatting options at the top right to apply styles to your text.

      • Duration - The number of days required for completion of the item. You can enter the duration only for the items at the lowest level in each leg of the hierarchy. The durations for the parent items are auto-computed from those of the child items and auto-filled.
      • Hours - The estimated manhours required for completion of the item within the duration. You can enter the manhours only to the items at the lowest level in each leg of the hierarchy. The total manhours for the parent items are auto-computed from those of the child items and auto-filled. 
      • Dependencies - The tasks to which the current item is connected and their relationship. Some of the tasks can be started/completed only after the commencement/completion of their antecedent tasks. This is important to calculate the critical path of the schedule that identifies high-priority tasks. Execution of these critical tasks on time ensures the timely completion of the project. See Add dependencies for more details on this.
      • Start date - The commencement date of the task. You can specify only the start date for the items at the lowest level in each leg of the hierarchy. The start dates of the parent-level tasks are auto-populated from those of the children of each.
        • Start dates for dependent tasks are auto-filled once you specify the predecessors and the dependency relationships. You can also change the date as required.
      • End Date- Auto-computed from the start date and duration values. You can also set the due date manually by clicking inside the cell and choosing a date from the date picker.
        • You can also set the start and end dates for tasks in the Gantt view. Just drag and drop the bar representing an item near the required date range and drag the left and right edges of the bar to particular dates as required. The dates are automatically updated in the list view.
      Set dates using the Gantt chart:
      You can set start and due dates for last-level child tasks using the Gantt chart too. See 'Set task timelines using the Gantt chart' below for more details.
      • Planned Quantity - (Optional) The expected total amount of work done/deliverables from the task item with its unit of measurement. This is useful for tracking the realized yield at any time during the task's life cycle.  See Add planned quantities to tasks for more details.
      • Progress - Applies only to published tasks. See Update task progress for more details.
      • Assigned to - The GC can assign the lowest level items to subcontractors already associated with the project. See Assign Contractorfor more details.
        • Subcontractors - The subcontractors should assign the sub-tasks created by them to themselves for pushing to the field.

      Color code - A color code to the item for easy identification. The bar representing the task in the Gantt charts is shown with the set color.

      Note:
      • If a task code is specified for a task item, its color is inherited from the code. You can change the color if required.

      To change the color

      • Click the color dot at the left in the row of the line item to open the color picker.

      There are two ways in which you can specify color code:

      1. Color picker

        • Drag the slider in the color spectrum bar to select the hue
        • Drag the circle in the color field to select the shade
        • Drag the slider in the opacity bar to set the color transparency level
        • The color coordinates of the chosen color is auto-populated in the text box at the bottom

      2. Color coordinates

        • Click the arrows at the bottom right repeatedly to switch between  HEX, RGBA and HSLA input modes
        • Enter the HEX, RGBA or HSLA value of the color you want to assign to the item
      Tip:
      To assign the same color to a group of items, copy the color coordinate value of the color assigned to the first item and paste the value for the successive items.

      See Add or Edit WBS elements and task items for more details.


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