Manage tasks

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Tasks on your map can come from a variety of sources: you can enter them manually, link to tasks from Outlook, SharePoint, or Mindjet Tasks online, or import them from Project. Tasks have defined Task Info such as Start Date and Due Date. Workdays available for tasks are defined by the Task Info calendar.

Note: You may not have access to MindManager's online features. However, if you have a MindManager Plus, Mindjet for Business, or ProjectDirector account, you can turn on MindManager's online features using Options.

The Task Management options are used in concert with the map's Task Info to allow you to automatically calculate and update task information on the map.  
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To automatically calculate the task info for a set of topics, you mark their parent as a roll-up topic. Calculated task info is shown on the parent topic with special markers.

You can show dependencies between tasks in roll-up branches, and specify a dependency type. When you update the task info for the independent task, the dependent task's info is automatically updated if needed, based on the type of dependency.

You can also choose to display at-risk and past-due tasks on rolled-up branches with special fill colors.  
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You can also choose to roll up costs associated with tasks. For more information, see Define Task Cost.  

 

    See also:

 

 

Mark roll-up topics for task management

When you mark a topic as a roll-up topic, its task info is calculated along the entire branch for all parent topics of tasks up to and including the roll-up topic. (Resources are not used, but are retained when entered.) The calculated task info is shown with special markers.

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  1. Select a topic that has at least one subtopic.

  2. Then do one of the following:

    On the ribbon Task tab, click Roll Up Task Info. Or  In the Task Info pane, click Roll-up tasks.

Roll-up topics display a special icon .

  1. (Optional) Enter task info for the roll-up topic's subtopics.
    Read Note

Calculated task info

Calculated task info is shown with special markers. You cannot edit this calculated task info, but you can add and edit other task info that has not been calculated (for example, resources).

Initial task info

Calculated task info
(The parent topic is marked as a roll-up topic,
and the map has been updated)

When task info is calculated:

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Show at-risk and past-due tasks

You can choose to use a specific topic fill color for at-risk and past-due tasks. At risk and past-due indicators are only added to tasks on roll-up branches.

  1. In the Task Info pane, click Calendar & task options.

  2. Select and choose colors in the Show at-risk as and Show past-due as options.

  3. Click View Task Highlighting Rules.

  4. Double-click a rule to open the Edit Rule dialog.

  5. Choose Fill Color from the Effect drop-down menu, and choose a color.

Tasks are considered at-risk if their current progress indicates that they may not be completed by their Due date. Specifically, if the period between the Start date and Due date is more than 75% elapsed, but the Progress is less than 75%, the task is marked as at-risk.

Tasks are past-due if they are less than 100% complete and their Due date is today or earlier.

At-risk task

Past-due task

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Add a dependency between tasks

You indicate a dependency between tasks by linking the topics with a special type of relationship. You can choose the type of dependency using the Task Management options.

The dependency is defined using the order that you click on the tasks. While you create the relationship, think "This task (topic 1) determines that task (topic 2)", and click the tasks in that order. Topic 1 is the determining task. Topic 2 is the dependent task.  
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Add a dependency in Map view

  1. Select the determining task (the task that another task depends on), and assign a Start Date, Due Date, and Duration.  
    Read Note

  1. Select the determining task, press CTRL, and then select one or more tasks. (If you select more than two tasks, multiple dependencies will be created in the order that you selected the tasks).

  2. Click a dependency type

The dependency type is indicated by an icon on the relationship line.

Read Note

Add a dependency in Gantt Pro

  1. Right-click the first task, and then click Edit Task.

  2. Click the Dependencies tab, choose a task, and choose a dependency type.

The dependency type is indicated by an icon on the relationship line.

For the purposes of explanation, we refer to the first topic selected (the determining task) as Task 1 and the second topic selected (the dependent task) as Task 2. The Start and Due dates for Task 2 (the dependent task) are adjusted according to its dependency on Task 1.

Dependency type

Meaning

Adjustments on update (Only if necessary to abide by the dependency condition.)

Finish-to-Start

Task 2 Start date cannot be earlier than Task 1 Due date

The Task 2 Start date is adjusted to be after the Task 1 Due date.

Start-to-Finish

Task 2 Due date cannot be earlier than Task 1 Start date

The Task 2 Due date is adjusted to be at or after the Task 1 Start date.

Start-to-Start

Task 2 Start date cannot be earlier than Task 1 Start date

The Task 2 Start date is adjusted to be at or after the Task 1 Start date.

Finish-to-Finish

Task 2 Due date cannot be earlier than Task 1 Due date

The Task 2 Due date is adjusted to be at or after the Task 1 Due date.

Change a dependency

You can change the dependency type by selecting the dependency line, and then selecting a new dependency type in the Task Info pane.

You can also move the end of a dependency to a different topic by selecting the dependency and dragging the blue handle to a new topic.

Read Note

Manage slack time

Sometimes you may include more time between a task's start and due date than is actually needed for the task's duration. Or, a task may end earlier than planned, affecting other dependent tasks.  If you have "slack" time between dependencies, you can remove it.

To remove slack time from all dependencies in a map:

        In the Task tab Advanced Scheduling group, click Remove Slack Time.

To remove slack time from selected dependent tasks in a map:

  1. In Gantt Pro,select the topic(s) with tasks where you want to remove the slack time.

  2. Click Remove Slack.

  3. In the sub-menu, select From Selected and Dependent Tasks.

Read Hint

Format the dependency line

You can change the style of the dependency line in the same way that you format a relationship. Double-click the line to see the formatting options.

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Task Management rules

Roll-up rules

Dependency rules

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