Add tasks and dependencies

Build out a Gantt schedule by adding tasks, nesting them into a parent/child hierarchy, and linking them with dependencies.

When to use this

When building a new schedule from scratch, when adding scope to an in-flight schedule, or when refining the dependency structure as the project plan firms up. Most schedule changes — adding a task, splitting a task in two, re-parenting, or changing a dependency — start here.

Prerequisites

• A Gantt exists on the project — see Quick start or Create a Gantt from a template
• The project has a valid start date and project calendar
• Permission to edit Gantt Task records

Walkthrough

Adding a task

1. Open the Gantt for the project.
2. Right-click in the task list (the left pane) and choose Add Task, or use the Add Task button on the toolbar.
3. Type the task name inline. Set the Duration (in days) or the End Date — either drives the other.
4. The task lands as a top-level task by default. To nest it under a parent, see "Setting up parent tasks" below.

Setting up parent tasks

Tasks can nest under each other to form a hierarchy. Parent tasks are computed — their start date is the earliest start of any child, their end date is the latest child end, and their duration spans the whole range.

1. Click the task you want to make a child task.
2. Use the Indent action on the toolbar (or Tab while focused on the task name) to nest it under the task above.
3. The parent task is automatically flagged Is Parent, and its dates roll up from its children.

You can outdent (Shift+Tab) to promote a child back to top level. Parent tasks can be marked Expanded or collapsed to control how the Gantt displays the hierarchy.

Linking tasks with dependencies

Timeline supports four dependency types, all with optional lag:

To create a dependency:

1. Drag from the end (or start) of one task's bar onto another task's bar. Drag from the right edge for finish-side, the left edge for start-side. The combination determines the dependency type.
2. Confirm the dependency that appears. The dependent task's dates auto-adjust to honour the link.
3. To add lag, double-click the dependency and enter a positive number (delay after the predecessor) or a negative number (overlap with the predecessor). Lag units default to days but can be set to hours or weeks.

You can also create dependencies by editing a task and adding predecessors directly in the From Task field, or successors in the To Task field. The visual link appears once the change is saved.

Working with critical path

Tasks with zero slack — meaning any delay pushes the project end date — are on the critical path. Timeline highlights critical-path bars visually on the Gantt. The critical path is computed by TreeGrid as you edit the schedule.

Constraint types

Tasks can be constrained to dates beyond their natural dependency-driven scheduling — for example, a milestone that must finish on a contract deadline, or work that must start no earlier than a permit issue date.

The supported constraints are:

• As Soon As Possible (ASAP) — default; task starts as early as predecessors allow
• As Late As Possible (ALAP) — task slips as late as possible without delaying the project
• Must Start On (MSO) / Must Finish On (MFO) — hard date
• Start No Earlier Than (SNET) / Finish No Earlier Than (FNET) — lower bound
• Start No Later Than (SNLT) / Finish No Later Than (FNLT) — upper bound

Set the constraint type and date on the task's Edit form, or via the Gantt's task properties panel.

What success looks like

• The new task appears in the task list with the dates you entered.
• Parent tasks show summary bars that span their children.
• Dependency arrows connect the linked tasks visually on the Gantt.
• Tasks on the critical path are highlighted; tasks with positive slack appear in the default colour.
• Saving the Gantt persists every change — refreshing the page loads the same state from NetSuite.

Gotchas

• Date recalculation is client-side. TreeGrid handles date propagation along dependency chains. If you make a change off-chart (e.g. via a saved-search update), the persisted dates won't recalculate until the Gantt is reloaded and saved.
• Tasks on a non-working day round to the next available working day. If your project calendar marks weekends as non-working, a task scheduled to finish on a Saturday actually finishes the previous Friday (or following Monday, depending on direction). This is by design — work only happens on working days.
• Holidays added after a task is scheduled. When you add a new holiday to the project calendar after tasks have been scheduled, TreeGrid's automatic recalculation doesn't always update existing task dates. Reload the Gantt and save it to force a re-evaluation.
• Deleting a parent task deletes its children. Indented children are removed when their parent is deleted. Use outdent first if you want to keep them.
• Dependencies must be within the same Gantt. A task in one Gantt can't depend on a task in another Gantt. If you need cross-Gantt dependencies, model them as separate single-Gantt schedules joined by milestones.

Related

• Allocate resources
• Create a Gantt from a template
• Task fields reference