Change (or remove) a task constraint - Project

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Change (or remove) a task constraint

Applies to: Microsoft Office Project 2003

If you manually enter a start date or an end date for a task, Project changes the constraint type for that task to Start No Earlier Than (SNET) or Finish No Earlier Than (FNET). These constraint types force the task to start or end on the specified date regardless of subsequent changes that would otherwise affect the task's place in the overall project plan. This is usually not the best way to schedule with Project.

By changing the constraint type back to the default type, As Soon As Possible (ASAP), you allow Project to adjust the dates for the task optimally in relation to the project plan as a whole.

There are several ways to change the constraint type:

Show Make constraint changes in the Project Guide

When you complete the following procedure, all of your task bars move to the project's start date, and then you can reschedule the tasks by linking them to indicate the order in which they must be performed.

On the Project Guide toolbar, click Tasks .
In the side pane, click Set deadlines and constrain tasks.
Do one of the following:
- To select a single task, click the task name.
- To select more than one task, hold down CTRL and click each task name.
- To select all of the tasks in your project, click Select All.
Under Constrain a task, click the constraint As Soon As Possible.
In the side pane, click Done.

Show Make constraint changes in the Task Information dialog box

Click the task that has the constraint, and then click Task Information.
On the Advanced tab, review or change the constraint type.

Note Task constraints are also clearly marked in the Indicators field (indicators field: A field containing a graphical indicator that provides information about the state of an assignment, resource, or task. For example, a check mark indicator shows that a task is completed.) with a constraint indicator (indicators: Small icons representing information for a task or resource that are displayed in the Indicators field. The Indicators field is located to the right of the ID field and appears in a number of tables.) (either Inflexible constraint indicator or Moderately flexible constraint indicator ). Rest the pointer on the constraint indicator to see the constraint type and date.

Show View and change constraints in the Constraint Dates table

On the View menu, click More Views.
In the Views list, click Task Sheet, and then click Apply.
On the View menu, point to Table, and then click More Tables.
In the Tables list, click Constraint Dates, and then click Apply.
The task sheet changes to show the Constraint Dates table, which shows the task name, duration, and constraint type for all constraints (including As Soon As Possible), and the constraint date, if applicable.
Do either or both of the following:
- To change the type of a constraint, click the arrow in the Constraint Type field, and then click the constraint type that you want.
- To change the date of a constraint, in the Constraint Date field, type or select the date that you want.
  If you change a constraint to As Soon As Possible (ASAP) or As Late As Possible (ALAP), the Constraint Date field shows NA.