Change the Task Sequence

The sequence in which tasks occur can affect the project duration. For example, in preparation for a clockwork exhibit, the tasks "Painting the walls," "Hanging clocks," and "Arranging furniture" are scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, respectively. But, because the walls take 24 hours to dry, clock hanging can’t begin until Wednesday and furniture arranging is pushed to Thursday, causing the schedule to slip. However, by switching furniture arranging (which doesn’t depend on the walls being dry) to Tuesday and hanging clocks to Wednesday, the project stays on schedule, without wasting days or possibly increasing the project duration.

It’s a good idea to check your schedule for instances where it’s more efficient to put tasks in a different order. When you find those instances, you can change the task sequence by moving tasks.

To move a task

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .
2. Click the ID number (usually in the leftmost field of a task row) of the task you want to move.
   The entire row should appear highlighted.
3. Click Cut Task .
4. Click the ID number of the row where you want to insert the task.
5. Click Paste .
6. Examine the links between the moved task and its predecessor and successor tasks, changing these links as necessary.

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