25.2 Gantt/Scheduling Enhancements

Enhanced Shared views Functionality

Description of Change 

New views functionality has been added:

Project/Programme Dashboard

Views functionality has been added to this dashboard.   Views work in a similar way to the Portfolio (Executive) Dashboard including the ability to share views

Filter View Names in Manage Views

In the manage views modal of dashboard views, the view name and created by columns can now be filtered/sorted.  This allows you to find a view more easily in the list

Selected View Displayed in the Gantt

Previously when you selected a view in the Gantt, the name of the selected view did not persist in the View field.  This has now been corrected, and the view name is displayed once selected.

Gantt Filter Saved with View

When you save a view in the Gantt, if there is a filter set on the Gantt that filter is now saved as part of the view

Critical Path

Description of Change

Several updates have been implemented to allow for more flexible filtering of critical tasks and tasks on the critical path.

A new tab is available under Admin | System | Task called Critical Path. Task Types and EV techniques selected will be used to highlight or exclude tasks when filtering on the Gantt.

Gantt Filter Updates

Active Slack - this filter is an addition to the Active Slack filter list and does not use the exclusion list above. This will show tasks of Slack less than or equal to the value set in the ‘Slack Threshold 1:’ field on the project Properties. The Colour by Slack legend will update to reflect the selected values.

Critical Path

A new filter section has been added with the following

• Critical Tasks: this filter will display Tasks with 0 or less slack and will exclude Tasks tagged with any values selected in the Excluded lists above.
• Longest Path: this filter will identify all paths in the project, calculating the total duration and slack (float) for each path. The path displayed will be the longest duration that contains only activities with zero or less slack. This filter does not include the exclusion criteria.

Out of Sequence Settings

Description of Change

System and project level settings have been added to control the out-of-sequence functionality, and the pop-up notifications users receive when creating out-of-sequence task relationships.

Admin Settings

Two new checkboxes are displayed under the Administration | System | Task

Enable Out of Sequence – when selected out of sequencing logic and pop out notifications are enforced for all users.

Enable Out of Sequence override at Project Level – when selected allows users to enable and disable out of sequencing at the project level.

If neither are selected, out of sequencing logic is not enforced

Notes: 

The project level setting cannot be selected if the 1^st checkbox is not selected.

The % complete can also be updated on the Gantt (right click on task) and in the task manager (Details section), each action initiates the out of sequence popup and icon.

Hard constraint exceptions

For any Task with a Must Start On constraint, they can be start/finish regardless of predecessor status

• There is no popup displayed
• When updated the out of sequence icon is not displayed in the Info column
• if start/finish date is changed the constraint will change to Start no earlier than

For any Task with a Must Finish On constraint, they can complete/start regardless of predecessor status

• There is no popup displayed
• When updated the out of sequence icon is not displayed in the Info column
• if start/finish date is changed the constraint will change to Finish no earlier than

Status Date Operation

Description of Change

Several enhancements have been introduced to the Status Date functionality on the Gantt, aimed at improving usability, increasing user control, and helping teams better manage project schedule integrity. By tightening date validation, simplifying the UI, and surfacing potential scheduling conflicts before they’re committed, this release helps teams maintain higher confidence in their project timelines.

UI and Usability:

The Status Date Modal has been updated as follows:

• A new, read-only "Current Status Date" field now appears above the editable date field, displaying the last recorded status date (if any).
• The existing "Status Date" field is relabelled to "New Status Date" to better reflect its purpose.
• The “OK” button has been renamed to “SAVE”, aligning with user expectations around action outcomes.
• Deprecated UI elements—such as the "Propagation" section and the blue warning message—have been removed to streamline the interface and reduce distractions.

Date Picker Functionality:

The Date Picker function on the New Status Date field has been updated to ensure only valid period end dates can be selected, which prevents users from inadvertently selecting inappropriate or non-actionable dates.

• Available dates are restricted to: 
  1. Those on or before the project end date
  2. Or those after the later of:
     1. The project start date, or
     2. The current status date, if one exists

Scheduling Behaviour and Admin Control:

The default behaviour for task movement during status updates has changed as follows:

A new configuration setting allows site-wide control over this behaviour:

• Admins can adjust the default at the system level via a new setting named “Disable auto-move of tasks when status date is changed” in Admin | System | Task | Configuration
• When enabled, this setting causes the scheduling option to be deselected by default in the modal, overriding the new default behaviour.

New Status Date Confirmation Modal:

A new confirmation modal now appears when users click Save on the Status Date modal. Before the Status Date change is applied:

• The system runs checks across all non-summary (leaf-level) tasks in the Gantt.
• The checks identify:
  1. Tasks with planned start dates in the period between the current and new status date but without an actual start.
  2. Tasks with planned finish dates in that same period but without an actual finish.

• The confirmation modal will then display:
  1. The count of tasks that meet each condition.
  2. A clear warning:

“Changing the status date may impact your schedule. Please ensure all necessary updates are made before proceeding.”

• Two actions are available:
  1. “CANCEL” returns the user to the Status Date modal with no changes applied.
  2. “CONFIRM” finalises the status date update and applies task scheduling changes, if selected.

Soft Constraints on Notifications

Description of Change

Gantt constraint functionality now includes "Start On" and "Finish On" constraints, along with user notifications for specific constraint changes: 

1. A Start On constraint pushes an activity to start on a specific date. If the project pushes past the constraint date, it will reflect in negative float. 
2. A Finish On constraint pushes an activity to finish on a specific date. If the predecessor pushes past this constraint date, it will reflect in negative float. 
3. Constraint Notifications have been added. Users will now see a notification when they manually change a task’s Start or Finish date on the Gantt or Statusing pages. The message lets them know that this change will add a "Start No Earlier Than" or "Finish No Earlier Than" constraint to the task and gives them the option to proceed or cancel.

Functional overview

A new Constraints tab is now available under Admin → System → Task. This tab includes two new configuration options:

Option 1: Start On and Finish On Constraints:  

When enabled, Start On and Finish On are available as new constraint types on the Gantt chart. 

Start On Constraint

The Constraint and Date can be set on the Tasks Manager. See below example Start On Constraint (using Tasks with a Finish-to-Start (FS) relationship)

Finish On Constraint

The Constraint and Date can set on the Tasks Manager. Se below example Finish On Constraint (using Tasks with a Finish-to-Start (FS) relationship)

Option 2: Constraint Notifications

This setting allows constraint notifications to be switched on or off. 

• User Choice - The setting is enabled and editable in the user profile. Users can choose whether to receive notifications
• On - The setting is enabled. Notifications are always shown
• Off - The setting is disabled. Notifications are not shown

Notification Behaviour

Notifications are shown for the following user actions: 

1. If a user makes an update to set a "Start No Earlier Than" constraint 
2. If a user makes an update to set a "Finish No Earlier Than" constraint 
3. Updating the Start date on the Statusing page can also change constraints
4. Updating the Finish date on the Statusing page can also change constraints

When the constraint notification is shown, users will have the option to check ‘Do not show this message again’.

• If the checkbox is selected: The notification will not appear in future updates
• If the checkbox is not selected: No change in behaviour