Deadline Restrictions for Tasks in Automatic Scheduling

Not every deadline is freely adjustable. Some tasks may only start from a certain date, while others have a fixed end date that cannot be changed. With deadline restrictions, you define how much flexibility the Automatic Scheduling has for each task.

What are the benefits?

The Automatic Scheduling shifts tasks based on their dependencies and duration. Deadline restrictions allow you to set fixed boundaries. smenso then plans around these boundaries instead of scheduling over fixed dates.

Available restrictions

• Optimal (default): The task is scheduled as flexibly as possible, meaning as early as possible and fully according to dependencies and duration. The right choice for most tasks.
• Start no earlier than: The task may not start before this date, but can start later if dependencies require it.
• Start no later than: The task must have started by this date.
• End no earlier than: The task may not finish before this date.
• End no later than: The task must be completed by this date.
• Must start on: Fixed start date. The task is scheduled exactly on this date.
• Must end on: Fixed end date. The task ends exactly on this date.

Note: Optimal gives the automatic scheduling the most flexibility, while Must start on and Must end on give the least. The stricter the restriction, the less smenso can compensate when shifting tasks.

Set deadline restrictions in task details

1. Open the desired task
2. Click on the deadline restriction field under dependencies (default value: Optimal).
3. Select the appropriate restriction from the list.
4. Additionally, set the reference date (start or due date) to which the restriction applies.
5. The automatic scheduling will now take the restriction into account.

Show deadline restriction as a column in list and Gantt views

If you want to see or quickly manage restrictions for many tasks at a glance, display them as a column:

1. Open the List or Gantt view.
2. Open the column management via the options menu of any column.
3. Select the Deadline Restriction column.
4. Set and change the restriction directly in the row of the respective task.

Tip: This way, you can immediately see which tasks have fixed deadlines and which are freely schedulable before triggering automatic scheduling.

Interaction with automatic scheduling

Deadline restrictions only work with automatic forward and backward scheduling. When you trigger scheduling, smenso shifts dependent tasks while respecting your set restrictions. A task with Must end on remains in place, while the other tasks arrange themselves around it.

Note: If you set many fixed restrictions (Must start on, Must end on), dependencies and fixed deadlines may conflict.