Managing your project using the Gantt chart

Enter your portal and click the Projects link.

In case you have already logged in to the portal and been using it for some time, to access the Projects module from any portal page, use the drop-down list in the top left corner of the page and select the corresponding option.

Click the Gantt Chart link at the left side panel and select the project you need to activate the Gantt Chart for. To do that,

1. click the button in the upper left corner,
2. check the necessary projects from the drop-down list,
3. use the Save button to close the list and display the projects.

Alternatively, you can proceed as follows:

1. First of all select a project you need. Click the Projects link at the left-side panel to open the list of all the created projects. To find a necessary one make use of our filter at the top of the list or enter a project title, entirely or partially, in the filter field and press the Enter key to display the necessary one.
2. Click the project title to open the project overview page.
3. Switch to the Gantt Chart tab on the project page.

The Gantt Chart for the selected project will be activated.

The Gantt chart is a bar chart where the horizontal axis represents the total amount of time you expect to spend on completing the project and the vertical axis represents the tasks you need to perform for completing this project on time. The horizontal bars of different length and colors show the sequence of tasks with the specified start and end dates. The horizontal lines mark the most important dates in the project progress (milestones).

The Gantt Chart gives you the panoramic view of all the project activities and their status:
- open task/milestone, - closed task/milestone, - overdue task/milestone.

By default, the Gantt Chart is divided into one day time increments and shows all the milestones and tasks created within this project. But you can easily adjust its view: change the timeline increments and select the chart objects to be hidden or shown to set the most convenient way to work.

To change the timeline increment, open the Timeline scale drop-down list in the upper right corner and select one of the available options: Days, Week, Month. Or, change the slider size of the scale bar at the top of the chart dragging its margins or using the mouse wheel:

To select the chart objects to be shown, use the left-side panel:

• to add or remove some projects from the chart use the button in the upper left corner,
• to hide all the closed tasks and milestones from the chart, check the Open tasks and milestones only box right above the task list,
• to hide the tasks and milestones of a certain project, click the downward arrow next to the project title,
• to hide the tasks assigned to a certain milestone, click the downward arrow next to the milestone title.

To select the activity details to be displayed at the left side panel:

1. click the button in the upper right corner of the left side panel,
2. check the details you wish to be shown: Responsible, Start Date, End Date, Status, Priority,
3. click the Apply button to display the selected details.

To hide the the details you don't need at the moment just close the unnecessary tabs using the cross icons.

When some detail tabs are activated, you can adjust the left side panel width using the simple drag-and-drop.

To add a key point in a progress of your project, create a milestone. To do that,

1. Click the Create button in the upper left corner,
2. Select the Milestone option from the drop-down list,
3. Specify your milestone Title and enter a short Description, if necessary.
4. Select the Project you need to add a milestone to.
5. Select the Responsible person you wish to assign the newly created milestone to.
6. Set a desired Due Date.
7. Check the Key milestone option, if necessary.
8. To be notified 48 hours before the due date check the corresponding option.
9. Click the Save button.

To change a responsible person,

1. activate the Responsible tab using the button in the upper right corner of the left side panel and click the responsible user name to the right of the milestone title at the left-side panel,
   or
   hover the mouse over the milestone shape at the Gantt chart and click the button of the milestone floating menu which appears above it,
2. select a necessary user from the drop-down list checking the radiobutton next to it,
3. click the OK button to confirm your choice.

To shift a milestone,

1. hover the mouse over the milestone shape arrow,
2. drag and drop the shape to the necessary date.

   

To manage your milestones, you can use the milestone floating menu which appears when you hover the mouse over the milestone shape or the context menu activated by a single right-click of the mouse. You can perform one of the following operations:

• - edit your milestone title,
• - assign a responsible user for your milestone,
• - delete an unnecessary milestone,
• - add task to the selected milestone,
• - fit the milestone shape to your screen,
• - close the milestone as soon as all the tasks are completed. To reopen the closed milestone, use the button.

To add a new task, you can proceed in one of the following ways:

• click the Create New... button in the upper left corner, select the Task option and fill in the standard Create new task form,
• use the Gantt chart,
  • hover the mouse over the milestone you wish to assign the task to and click the button,
  • or, simply right-click within the Gantt chart area.

If you follow the first way, the task bar with all the specified parameters will be added and assigned to the necessary milestone. If you use the second one, the empty task bar will be added to the Gantt chart, enter a title for the task and press the Enter key. After that you will be able to edit and manage your task.

To assign/change responsible persons,

1. activate the Responsible tab using the button in the upper right corner of the left side panel and click the No Responsible link to the right of the task title at the left-side panel,
   or
   hover the mouse over the task bar at the Gantt chart and click the button of the task floating menu which appears above it,
2. select necessary users from the drop-down list cheсking the boxes next to them,
3. click the OK button to confirm your choice.

You can easily change the task start and end date and the amount of time you expect to spend on completing this task by simple drag-and-drop. Hover the mouse cursor over the task bar border (the left border to change the start date or the right border to change the due date) and without releasing the mouse button move it to set the appropriate date.

Using drag-and-drop functionality you can also move your task bar horizontally or vertically:

• move it horizontally to change the dates without changing the amount of time,

  

• move it vertically to shift the task to another milestone.

  

To edit the task title, change its status from Open to Closed and vice-versa, or delete it at all use the task floating menu which appears when you hover the mouse over the task bar or the context menu activated by a single right-click of the mouse.

To determine the order of the tasks to be completed, link them. To do that, proceed in one of the following ways.

1. Locate the task you need to link at the left-side panel and click it. The Gantt chart will be automatically scrolled to its start date, i.e. the beginning of the bar representing this task.
2. Hover the mouse over the task bar and click the button of the task floating menu.
3. In the opened Create new link window select the task you wish to link with from the corresponding drop-down list.
4. Click the Save button to create the link and close the window.

Alternatively, you can:

1. position the pointer at the end of the task bar you need to link,
2. left click the square mark which appears,
3. without releasing the mouse button drag to the beginning of the task bar you need to link with.

The End-Start link will be created. This type of link means that the task you link with cannot begin until the task you link is completed. It will be represented by a blue dashed line. The red dashed line means that the created link is invalid. To make it valid, you need to correct the task dates.

To delete an invalid/unnecessary link, just right-click it.