Automatic update to end date?

GanttProject Desktop Support
1

Is there a way to have the end date updating automatically when you are opening the file? I have an open-ended task with no defined end date insight.

2

an open-ended task with no defined end date

Pardon? Any task in GanttProject has a start date and duration, and thus has an end date.

3

I understand that, but it would be cool to override it with a formula similar to excel “=TODAY()”.

4

What’s the use case of such task?

5

I am a project manager at an architecture firm. On some of our design phases with a particular client, we do not have a set schedule as to how long a design phase is going to take. It would be nice to have a visual representation as to how long the particular phase took due to constant changes in the design.

6

Even if your design phase constantly updates, don’t you know at any particular moment an estimation of how long it may take if it remains intact from now on? When new changes come, you either increase your design task duration or add a new task. The latter might be even better because a chain of tasks allows to see the contribution of each change into the whole design phase duration.

7

Not with this particular client. I can update it manually, I personally thing it would just be nice if there was an automatic option for this.

8

Well, if your design phase automatically becomes longer every single day then it seems to be just useless in plans. Why don’t you throw it away completely from the plan and start planning assuming that design is completed? You can create a start milestone “design is completed” and once it really is, you change that milestone’s date to the date when your project actually starts.

9

Because that wouldn’t give the client leadership a visual representation as to why it is taking longer then they are thinking it should take. I do not use this as much for planning of the project as to keeping track of the project changes.

10

Sorry for hi-jacking this old thread. I also need moving milestones, updating every day.

Consider a situation were the project is waiting for a custom action, eg. sending a bill or a proposal. The project continues after that action, but you cannot consider the time. In that case the aim is not only planning for the future but also documenting the reaction time for a specific event.

Please consider: in the task dialog we have a “in that dialog” link offering a single-selection combobox dialog

  • compute start date
  • compute end date
  • compute duration

We could add a further entry like

  • end today

This keeps the gantt chart up to date without user action. Once the event happens, a single user action fixes the end date to the current date.

11

Suggestions:

  • Use baselines to document the “before state” vs “current state”.
  • Add a tasks with name “Delay -or waiting time for- the next step”, and dependencies…
12

Thanks for your suggestions.

There may are multiple events the project is waiting for.

13

Hello @tjf,
As you know, this is a forum for users to help each other, might it be with the tool itself or usage for a specific situation.

  • You will not wait for my next answer to let me know your next requirement, will you? :wink: (joke)
  • May I kindly suggest to share your current schedule and its problems for your requirements and goals, please?
14

As you know, here’re developers as well.

The problem is clear enough. We need tasks with flexible lenght.

Dmitry didn’t consider that as useful yet. When you have multiple projects all related to a single set of resources, flexible lenght tasks will help identifying overload phases.