Set Constraints
When you set constraints in a project plan, you establish time restrictions. Constraints place project phases within a specific time frame and can be applied to milestones, activities, and summary activities. Constraints on planning elements limit the flexibility of the project plan: the project planner or project manager cannot move planning elements along the timeline freely but must plan within the defined time constraints.
Before setting constraints, you should have established dependencies between your planning elements.
Set Constraints
After you have created planning elements like activities, summary activities and milestones and established dependencies, follow these steps:
-
Open the side panel of the planning element, e.g., by clicking next to the element name.
-
In the side panel under Constraints, select the type of constraint and then set the date and time.
The Constraint date field only appears for the date-bound constraint types. It is hidden for None, As soon as possible, and As late as possible.
New activities and milestones automatically have the constraint None — this is the default setting. Planning elements that already have a constraint keep it.
Overview: Types of Constraints
You can set different types of constraints on planning elements:
-
No constraint — Select None. The planning element has no constraint of its own and is placed purely by its dependencies and the scheduling direction of its parent element or the project. A successor of an As late as possible element therefore starts after its predecessor instead of moving forward on its own. This is the default for new activities and milestones.
-
Start as soon as possible — The planning element is set to start as soon as its predecessor finishes. This allows maximum flexibility in your project plan. Unlike None, the element is always scheduled forward from the plan start.
-
End as late as possible — Select As late as possible. The latest possible end date is calculated from the end date of the entire project.
-
Start on a specific date — Select Start – On and choose the date and time. The activity must start on this date; otherwise, a constraint violation symbol will appear in the Gantt chart.
-
Must not start before a certain date — Select Start – No earlier than and choose the start date and time. The planning element may only start on or after the specified date. It can be delayed but not moved earlier.
-
Must start no later than a certain date — Select Start – No later than and choose the date and time. The planning element must start by this date at the latest.
-
Must be completed on a specific date — Select Finish – On and choose the date and time. The planning element cannot be moved and must end exactly on the specified date.
-
Must not be completed before a certain date — Select Finish – Not earlier than and choose the earliest possible date and time. The element may finish on or after the set date, but not sooner.
-
Must be completed by a specific date — Select Finish – No later than and choose the latest possible date and time. The element must be completed by this date and cannot be delayed.
Constraints on individual planning elements affect the entire project plan. You may not be able to move planning elements freely due to constraints on other elements. InLoox alerts you to possible constraint violations with a dedicated symbol in the planning list.
For a better overview, show the Constraint Type and Constraint Date columns in the planning list.
Remove a Constraint
To remove or change a constraint:
- Open the side panel of the planning element.
- Under Constraint, select None — the default value for planning elements. The Constraint date field disappears.
To remove constraints from several planning elements at once, select them in the Gantt chart and click Remove constraints in the planning toolbar.