Splitting Tasks
Once you have updated the plan, you would make changes to the plan to reschedule uncompleted work that is scheduled before the update date. One could achieve this by manually delaying uncompleted tasks using the ‘Resume On’ date field.
This is the Date on which the remaining duration of a task can be scheduled to resume. This date can be used to split part-completed activities.
Entering a ‘Resume On’ date to split tasks in the activity dialog
Note: The Resume Date can also be added automatically when re-scheduling a task using the toolbar icons.
Single Split Task
Using the method above is suitable for where the task only has one break in the working duration.
MULTIPLE Split Task
In some instances a task may have a number of start and stops between the overall Start and Finish Dates. During the progress updating process of these tasks, notes should be made of the events in the items Notepad. However, there is only one ‘Resume On’ date, so this must be updated regularly so as to show the Remaining Duration to completion, and provide a realistic completion date.
If a task needs to be presented with multiple splits displayed, then there are currently two options:
- Create a Task Specific Calendar with all of the downtime dates entered, and apply this calendar to the task. This is suitable for the occasional presentation of the intermittent nature of a specific task.
- A more detailed breakdown of a tasks working time can be demonstrated with the use of Sub-tasks, and by use of the Roll-up icon.
How to create intermittent tasks
This method adopts the same system as Multiple Bars per Line.
By creating multiple bars you are actually creating a Summary bar of the separate bars. This can be shown by pressingIcon to expand the summary into its separate components together with the familiar Summary Bar.
It can be closed to a Summary Bar again by pressingicon or closed (Rolled Up) to show the separate bars on the one line by pressing theicon. All summaries can be shown in this manner.
Indicating progress with intermittent tasks
This procedure is best carried out before progress is added to a task. The original task will become a Summary Task, and the intermittent progress will be shown on Sub-tasks.
Step 1 - Insert a new task beneath the task which is to be delayed.
Step 2 – Indent the new task, making the original task a Summary Task
Step 3 – Mark-up progress on the Sub-task, then Roll-up the Summary to display multi-bars per line
Step 4 – Add more Sub-tasks to reflect Progress