News from the Product Desk: New automatic scheduling mode

An upcoming version of OpenProject will introduce automatic scheduling for work packages. This highly-requested feature will make the process of setting up complex predecessor/successor relations a lot more practical for users who rely on OpenProject for complex project setups.

This blog post describes the upcoming changes and how they might affect you.

Remarque

The upcoming changes will not overwrite existing dates for any existing work packages but can change the scheduling mode. Please read on more more details. Don’t have much time? Skip directly to the summary.

Why we need this change

Especially in large projects with a large number of assignees and stakeholders, scheduling can be a complex task. In the current version of OpenProject (15.2), there are two ways to schedule: a manual mode in which you can freely enter fixed dates which are never affected by relations, and a default mode where the dates are sometimes automatically adjusted, derived or constrained by relations. Whilst the current approach is functional, it is not always consistent.

For example, in default (non-manual) mode, a predecessor is able to push a successor to the future but unable to pull a successor earlier in time. This means that if, for example, a predecessor ends later than initially planned, it will push the follower back by as many days. However, if the predecessor ends earlier than initially planned, the follower stays where it was. Users rightly reported that this behaviour was inconsistent.

This behaviour does not affect work packages that are manually scheduled: users are already able to make the successor’s dates unaffected by those of the predecessor by choosing manual scheduling for the successor.

The upcoming changes will address this inconsistency and make scheduling more dependable.

Two Scheduling Modes: Manual and Automatic

An upcoming version of OpenProject will introduce two distinct scheduling modes for work packages: manual and automatic.

• Manual Mode: In this mode, users have the freedom to select dates at their discretion. This flexibility allows project managers to set timelines based on specific needs, deadlines, or external factors that may influence project delivery. Manually scheduled work packages behave as they do today: they can still have predecessor, sucessor, parent or child relations but these relations will not affect the manually input dates.

• Automatic Mode: In automatic mode, it is not possible to manually enter a start date. This means that when a task is scheduled, the date picker will automatically calculate the appropriate start date based on the nearest predecessor. You can still enter a duration (and effectively change the finish date). This makes it possible to create a dependable chain of automatically scheduled work packages that automatically adjust to planning changes.

Remarque

Automatic scheduling mode will only be available to work package that have predecessors or have children.

Enhanced Context in Automatic Mode

The work package date picker in OpenProject already gave you helpful context. With the upcoming release, they will provide even more precise context in both automatic and manual modes:

The context includes information about the task’s scheduling, such as:

• Which related work package is determining the start date in automatic mode (predecessors or children)
• If there is a significant gap between the predecessor and successor when the successor is in manual mode
• If there is an overlap of dates with the predecessor and successor in manual mode

This improvement is designed to enhance user understanding and confidence in the scheduling process by making things more transparent.

Improved Navigation with Tabs

Another enhancement is the introduction of tabs within the date picker.

There will be three new tabs that display existing relations in addition to the default Date tab:

• Predecessors: Tasks that must be completed before the current one can begin. In automatic mode, the closest predecessor from which the current work package derives its dates is marked with a “closest” label.
• Successors: Tasks that will commence after the current one is finished. In automatic mode, the start dates of these are affected by the current work packages finish date.
• Children: Sub-tasks that fall under the current work package. If a work package has children, it will by default be in automatic scheduling mode. The start and finish dates of the parent will cover the dates of all containing children.

This structure allows users to quickly navigate through related tasks, making it simpler to understand project dependencies and manage timelines effectively.

Default Setting for New Work Packages

By default, new work packages will be set to manual scheduling. This change allows users to begin by setting their own dates, which can be particularly beneficial in the initial planning stages of a project. It ensures that project managers have the flexibility to establish timelines that best suit their workflow from the outset. Switching to automatic mode remains a one-click operation in the date picker.

Single date mode

Along with automatic scheduling, an upcoming version of OpenProject will bring another feature to the date picker: single date mode.

Currently, all work packages except milestones have two date fields: start date and finish date. In other words, the date field is always a range. Of course, you do not always have set both dates, and you can also set the two dates to be the same. But in many cases, you don’t need two fields; a simple finish date is enough to signal a deadline or a delivery date.

To enable this, the date field for work packages in an upcoming version will by default only ask for the finish date. This simplifies things for users who don’t need both but this is just the default; the user can in a single click go from single date mode to range mode (like today) by clicking on the + Start date button or adding a duration. The date picker will then behave as is does today. Of course, if the user wants single date mode with just a Start date instead of a Finish date, this is possible too.

Work packages in single date mode work exactly like work packages do today when only one date is entered and the other left empty. This will therefore not involve a change in behaviour and scheduling, simply a change in the default behaviour and UI of the date picker.

In Summary

Here is a summary of changes coming in an upcoming version:

• The date picker now offers two scheduling modes: manual and automatic scheduling.
  • Dates can be selected freely in manual mode and will not be affected by relations.
  • The start date is automatically derived in automatic mode based on predecessors or children; the duration can still be manually input.
• In automatic mode, the date picker banners will give more helpful context about what the start date is derived from.
• The date picker will include tabs that list predecessors, followers and children.
• Scheduling mode for new work packages will be manual by default.
• New work packages will default to a single date mode with finish date only; users can easily switch to range mode by adding a start date or duration.

Your feedback

As an open source software company, we value the ideas and feedback of our user community. This upcoming changes are directly a result of user feedback. If you have opinions about these changes or have feature requests, feel free to join our Community instance and share your thoughts on this feature. We hope you’re looking forward to this improvement as much as we are looking forward to releasing it.