Enter Activity Details

Use the General tab to see global information on activities. This tab is displayed for activities and for activity templates. Some fields differ if the tab is used in context to an activity template.

Ways to access

Options

Information Settings of Activities and Activity Templates

 Normally a calendar is not present within an activity template, so the Default Calendar settings from Tools > Options > Activity are used.

Select from the drop-down menu a required calendar sequence to set a different calendar to an activity template.

Information Settings of Activities

Information Settings of Activity Templates

Activity Types

Hammock activities are similar to summary activities, but they can summarize activities from different sub-projects that might not be related. Here is a synopsis:

In a time-distance cell, a summary activity can be displayed either expanded (subordinates are shown) or collapsed (subordinates are hidden). The display changes depending on the status of the summary activity. 

A hammock activity can also be displayed expanded or collapsed. 

In a time-distance cell, a summary activity can be displayed expanded (subordinates are shown) or collapsed (subordinates are hidden). The display changes depending on the status of the summary activity.

 There are two types of Buffer Activities: The Determined Buffer Activity that is assigned with a constraint and a conditional Buffer Activity that is not.

Example of a determined Buffer Activity ...

The determined Buffer Activity has no successor, but a constraint as a finish date:

As the end of the normal Activity ("normaler Vorgang") approaches the finish date, the length of the buffer Activity (Puffervorgang) decreases.

If the normal Activity ("normaler Vorgang") ends after the finish date of the buffer Activity (Puffervorgang) there will be a warning after the calculation of the Activities ( via F9). The constraint indicator (e.g. blue flag) will stay at its primary position.

Example of a conditional Buffer Activity ...

In the picture below, you see a conditional buffer Activity (Puffervorgang) (without constraint) that is linked with its predecessor ("normaler" Vorgang A) and its successor ("normaler" Vorgang B). The successor is linked with another Activity to fix its position.

As the duration of the predecessor decreases, the buffer Activity (Puffervorgang) increases - and the other way around.

The increase of the predecessor ("normaler" Vorgang A) can also have the effect of a translation of the successor ("normaler" Vorgang B), as you see in the picture above. Then the buffer Activity (Puffervorgang) no longer has duration.

 An accompanying Activity cannot be calculated using the field Calculate the entry Duration, as the duration should be calculated using the links.

Example of an accompanying Activity ...

An intermediate Activity (Begleitvorgang) is linked to a predecessor ("normaler" Vorgang A) at its beginning and its end:

The duration of the intermediate Activity (Begleitvorgang) depends on the duration of its predecessor ("normaler" Vorgang A) (and the lags of the links)