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Gantt Chart Planning Board - User Guide

Overview

The Gantt Chart Planning Board is a powerful visual scheduling tool that helps you plan, organize, and track work orders over time. It provides an interactive timeline view where you can manage work orders, their dependencies, and scheduling details all in one place.

Accessing the Gantt Chart

  1. Navigate to the Planning Board section in the application
  2. Select the Gantt View tab
  3. The Gantt chart will display with a collapsible sidebar on the left and the timeline on the right

Key Features

1. Work Order Display

Each work order is displayed as a horizontal bar on the timeline showing:

  • Work order name (clickable)
  • Start date and end date
  • Progress percentage (shown as a filled portion of the bar)
  • Priority indicator (color-coded left border):
    • Red: Urgent
    • Orange: High
    • Yellow: Medium
    • Green: Low
  • Lock icon (🔒) if the work order has a locked actual start date

⚠️ Important: Date Locking Behavior

  • Actual Start Date is automatically locked when the first activity on the work order is marked as complete. Once locked, you cannot move the task or adjust its start date in the Gantt chart.
  • Actual Finish Date is automatically locked when the work order is closed. Once closed, the end date becomes fixed.
  • These locks prevent accidental changes to dates that reflect actual work execution.

2. Timeline Navigation & Zoom Controls

Zoom Levels:

  • Day view - Hourly breakdown
  • Week view - Daily breakdown (default)
  • Month view - Weekly breakdown
  • Quarter view - Monthly breakdown
  • Year view - Quarterly breakdown

Controls:

  • 🔍➖ Zoom Out - See a broader time range
  • 🔍➕ Zoom In - See more detail
  • ↔️ Fit to Zoom - Reset to the optimal zoom level for your date range
  • Date Picker - Jump to a specific date range

3. Work Order Management

Adding Work Orders:

  • Click the "+ Add Work Order" button in the left sidebar
  • Fill in the work order details in the modal
  • The work order will appear in the Gantt chart

Editing Work Orders:

  • Double-click on any work order bar to open the detailed edit modal
  • Modify dates, status, assignments, and other properties

Adjusting Dates:

  • Drag the entire bar to move the work order to different dates (only if actual start date is not locked)
  • Drag the left edge to adjust the start date (only if no activities are completed)
  • Drag the right edge to adjust the end date (only if work order is not closed)
  • Changes are automatically saved after dragging

Date Modification Restrictions:

Work Order Status Can Move Task Can Adjust Start Can Adjust End
Not started (no activities completed) ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
In Progress (≥1 activity completed) ❌ No ❌ No (🔒 locked) ✅ Yes
Closed ❌ No ❌ No (🔒 locked) ❌ No (🔒 locked)

4. Task Dependencies (Links)

Creating Dependencies:

  • Connect work orders by dragging from one task to another
  • Dependencies show which work orders must be completed before others can start

Dependency Types: The system supports standard project management link types (Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, etc.)

Viewing Dependencies:

  • Dependencies appear as arrows connecting work orders
  • Hover over a link to see it highlighted
  • Critical path links are highlighted in red

5. Auto-Scheduling

The auto-scheduling feature automatically adjusts task dates based on their dependencies.

To use Auto-Scheduling:

  1. Click the "Auto Schedule Tasks" button
  2. The system will recalculate dates for dependent tasks
  3. A modal will appear showing any date changes
  4. Review and confirm the changes

When to use:

  • After adding new dependencies
  • After modifying dates of tasks with dependencies
  • To optimize the project timeline

⚠️ Note: Auto-scheduling will respect locked dates. Work orders with locked actual start dates (due to completed activities) will not be moved during auto-scheduling.

6. Critical Path Analysis

The critical path shows the sequence of tasks that determines the minimum project duration.

To enable:

  • Check the "Critical Path" checkbox in the toolbar
  • Tasks on the critical path will be highlighted with a red border
  • Links on the critical path will be shown in red

Why it matters:

  • Delays in critical path tasks will delay the entire project
  • Focus efforts on critical tasks to keep projects on schedule

7. Baseline & Actual Dates ⭐

Setting Baselines:

  1. Select one or more tasks in the Gantt chart
  2. Click "Set Baseline" button
  3. This saves the planned dates for comparison

Viewing Baseline vs. Actual:

  • Baseline dates appear as a semi-transparent bar behind the actual task
  • Helps you track schedule variance and delays

8. Grid Columns Customization

Customize visible columns:

  1. Click the ⚙️ Settings icon in the grid header
  2. Select which columns to display (maximum 5)
  3. Available columns include:
    • Work Order Name
    • Asset Name
    • Planned Start Date
    • Planned Finish Date
    • Techs Required
    • And more...

9. Filtering Work Orders

Use the Filter Panel on the left to narrow down displayed work orders:

  • Filter by site
  • Filter by asset
  • Filter by status
  • Filter by assigned team
  • Search by work order name or number

10. Tooltips

Hover over any work order to see a detailed tooltip showing:

  • Work order name
  • Asset information
  • Start and end dates
  • Completion percentage
  • Time spent vs. estimated time
  • Current status
  • Plan assignment

Settings: Company administrators can enable/disable:

  • Activity remarks in tooltips
  • Internal remarks in tooltips

Advanced Features

Multi-Select

  • Hold Ctrl/Cmd and click multiple tasks to select them
  • Perform batch operations on selected tasks

Weekend Highlighting

Weekends are automatically highlighted in a darker shade to distinguish them from working days

Read-Only Mode

Some work orders may be read-only based on permissions or status. These cannot be modified in the Gantt chart.

Understanding Date Locks

The system automatically locks dates to maintain data integrity once work has begun or completed:

Actual Start Date Lock (🔒):

  • Triggers when: The first activity/checklist item on the work order is marked as complete
  • Prevents:
    • Moving the entire task bar to a different start date
    • Resizing from the left edge (adjusting start date)
  • Reason: Once work has actually started, the start date reflects reality and should not be changed in planning
  • How to identify: A lock icon (🔒) appears on the task bar

Actual Finish Date Lock:

  • Triggers when: The work order status is set to "Closed"
  • Prevents:
    • Resizing from the right edge (adjusting end date)
    • Moving the task to extend beyond its closed date
  • Reason: Closed work orders represent completed work with actual finish dates
  • Impact: The end date becomes a fixed historical record

 

Planning Tip: Keep these locking behaviors in mind when planning:

  • Schedule work orders with some buffer time before dependencies
  • Update planned dates before starting work on activities
  • Use baseline tracking to compare planned vs. actual dates

Best Practices

  1. Use dependencies to show relationships between tasks
  2. Enable critical path when managing complex projects with many dependencies
  3. Regularly auto-schedule after making changes to ensure dates remain consistent
  4. Set baselines before project execution to track performance
  5. Use appropriate zoom levels - Week or Month view works best for most planning scenarios
  6. Color-code priorities to quickly identify urgent work
  7. Filter strategically when working with large numbers of work orders
  8. Plan before executing - Adjust dates before starting activities to avoid locked dates
  9. Monitor lock icons - 🔒 indicates work has begun and dates are now actual, not planned

Keyboard & Mouse Tips

  • Double-click a task bar = Open edit modal
  • Drag task bar = Move dates (only if not locked)
  • Drag task edge = Resize (change duration, respecting locks)
  • Click and drag from one task to another = Create dependency
  • Scroll wheel = Scroll timeline horizontally
  • Shift + Scroll wheel = Scroll timeline horizontally (alternative)

Troubleshooting

Work order won't move:

  • Check if the actual start date is locked (🔒 icon visible)
    • Cause: At least one activity has been completed
    • Solution: Dates must be edited in the work order detail view, not the Gantt chart
  • Verify you have edit permissions

Can't adjust start date:

  • The actual start date is locked because work has begun
    • Locked when: First activity marked as complete
    • Workaround: If dates need correction, contact an administrator or use the work order edit modal

Can't adjust end date:

  • The work order is closed, locking the actual finish date
    • Locked when: Work order status set to "Closed"
    • Workaround: Reopen the work order if dates need adjustment

Dependencies won't create:

  • Ensure the link would not create a circular dependency
  • Check that both tasks are visible and not filtered out

Auto-scheduling doesn't work:

  • Ensure tasks have proper dependency links
  • Check that tasks have valid dates
  • Note: Tasks with locked actual start dates will not be rescheduled

Changes not saving:

  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify you have the necessary permissions
  • Look for error messages in the bottom-right corner