Tasks — Gantt Timeline
View and manage the project schedule as a Gantt chart. Drag task bars to set dates, connect dependent tasks with arrows, and zoom from day to quarter.
The Gantt Timeline view shows all project tasks as horizontal bars on a time axis. It is accessed by clicking Gantt in the Planning toolbar (switching from Kanban or Calendar view).
The Gantt view is the best view for scheduling work, identifying overlaps, setting dependencies between tasks, and communicating project timelines to clients or contractors. The today line — a vertical red line — marks the current date on the timeline.
Switch to Gantt view
With the Planning panel open, click Gantt in the view toggle in the Planning toolbar (the toggle shows Kanban | Gantt | Calendar).
The Gantt chart opens with all tasks from the project. Tasks without start or end dates appear at the top of the list in an Unscheduled group with no bar on the timeline. Tasks with dates are arranged by start date.
Set and adjust task dates
To set dates for a task:
By dragging — hover over the timeline row for the task. A placeholder bar appears. Click and drag from left to right to set the start and end dates. The bar snaps to the current zoom level (day/week/month).
By dragging an existing bar — click and drag the center of an existing bar to move it (preserving duration). Drag the left edge to change the start date. Drag the right edge to change the end date.
By entering dates manually — click a task name to open the Task Detail dialog. Set start and end dates in the date fields.
The bar label shows the task name and duration in the selected unit (days, weeks).
Drag the right edge of a bar to extend the end date without affecting the start date. This is the quickest way to adjust a task when a phase takes longer than planned.
Add task dependencies
Dependencies are shown as arrows connecting task bars — an arrow from Task A to Task B means Task B cannot start before Task A ends (a Finish-to-Start dependency).
To add a dependency: 1. Hover over the right edge of Task A's bar — a small circle appears 2. Click and drag from that circle to Task B's bar 3. An arrow is drawn connecting the two tasks
To remove a dependency, click the arrow to select it and press Delete.
Dependency arrows are visible at all zoom levels. If a dependent task's start date is before the predecessor's end date, the arrow turns red to flag a scheduling conflict.
Drag the right edge only to push out an end date when a phase runs long — the start date stays fixed and the rest of the schedule is unaffected.
Collapse and expand task groups
Tasks can be organized into groups (parent–child hierarchy). A parent task appears as a thicker bar spanning the combined date range of its children.
Click the ▶ arrow to the left of a parent task name to collapse the group and hide child tasks. Click ▼ to expand. Collapsed groups still show the combined duration bar.
To create a group, open any task in the Task Detail dialog > Move to group > create a new group or assign an existing parent task.
Group tasks by project phase (e.g. Concept, Design, Construction) to create a clear phased timeline that communicates the overall project schedule at a glance.
Zoom the timeline
Use the zoom control in the Gantt toolbar to change the time scale:
- Day — each column is one day. Best for short, detail-intensive schedules.
- Week — each column is one week. Good for project phases spanning weeks.
- Month — each column is one month. Good for multi-month project overviews.
- Quarter — each column is one quarter. Best for annual project portfolios.
Scroll horizontally to pan the timeline. The today line is always visible at the current date regardless of zoom level.
Set milestones for any fixed external commitment first, then schedule your tasks to land on or before each milestone — this makes the deadline-driven constraints visible to everyone reviewing the chart.
Highlight the critical path
Click the Critical Path button on the Gantt toolbar to run the Critical Path Method (CPM) analysis. Tasks and dependency arrows that form the longest chain driving the project end date are highlighted in red. Any task on the critical path with zero schedule float — meaning a delay there directly delays the whole project — appears in the same red highlight. Click the button again to turn off the highlight.
Focus your scheduling attention on red-highlighted tasks first. Tasks with float can slip within their float window before they affect the project finish date.
Zoom, pan, and navigate
Use the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons on the Gantt toolbar to change the time scale, ranging from a detailed day-by-day view to a high-level multi-month overview, or drag the zoom slider between them. The Fit button frames all tasks at once. Use the previous and next chevrons to pan through dates, and click the date-range label between them to snap the view back to the current date. The today line remains visible at every zoom level.
Undo and redo scheduling changes
Every date change, dependency addition or removal, milestone creation, and bar drag is tracked in the planning history. Click the Undo button (curved left arrow) on the Gantt toolbar to reverse the last action, or Redo (curved right arrow) to reapply it. Up to 50 actions are stored in the history for the current session.
The today line gives an instant read of project health — bars that end to the left of today are overdue unless the task is already marked Completed. Use this as your first check when opening the Gantt after time away from a project.
Dependency arrows do not auto-reschedule. If you move a predecessor bar forward in time, tasks that depend on it are not automatically shifted — you must reposition them by hand. Review the dependency chain after any significant schedule change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a milestone and a task?
A task represents work with a duration — it has a start date, a due date, a status, and can be linked to entities on the drawing. A milestone is a zero-duration marker for a specific date that matters externally, such as a client review or permit deadline. Milestones cannot have subtasks or dependencies and only appear in the Gantt view.
Does the Gantt show tasks from all drawing pages?
Yes. The Planning workspace and Gantt view show every task in the project, regardless of which drawing page the task or its linked entities belong to. Tasks are project-scoped, not page-scoped.
Can I nest tasks under a parent in the Gantt?
Yes. Open a task's Edit Task dialog and set its Parent Task field. Subtasks appear indented under their parent in the Gantt row list, and the parent row can be collapsed or expanded using the chevron icon on the left. Parent task bars span the combined date range of their subtasks.
Why is a dependency arrow shown with a warning triangle?
A warning triangle on a dependency arrow means the dependent task is scheduled to start before its predecessor finishes — a logical conflict in the plan. You need to move the dependent task's start date to be on or after the predecessor's end date to resolve the conflict.
Can I reorder tasks in the Gantt list?
Yes. Each task row has a drag handle on the far left (the grip icon). Drag a row up or down to change its position in the list. The reorder is undoable with the Undo button on the Gantt toolbar.