We’ve considered three great reasons to upgrade to Project 2007 so far in this series of articles: Multiple undo and redo, Change Highlighting and Cost and Budget resources. In this article I'll examine another valuable addition to the latest version of Project: Task drivers.

A number of factors come into play when scheduling tasks. Task scheduling is defined by resource assignments, calendars, constraints and predecessors. It can take a lot of time to analyze and troubleshoot a schedule, so any tool that helps figure out a scheduling problem is of high value. The Microsoft Project team has delivered just such a tool with Task Drivers.

Before you can use it, you have to turn it on. Here's how:

1. Open your project file.
2. From the menu choose Project and then Task Drivers. (See Figure 1.)
3. Click on a task.

The Task Drivers pane will appear on the left side of your project and display what factors are affecting the timing of the task you selected.

Figure 1: Turning on the Task Drivers Pane.

Depending on the task you selected, the Task Drivers pane’s content will vary. If you selected a project or regular summary task, the earliest sub-task will be identified as the task driving the start date of the summary.(See Figure 2.)

Figure 2: Task Drivers content with summary task selected.

If the task has an actual start date or is completed, the effect is that of a constrained start date, and so this important information is presented. (See Figure 3.) Any resource assigned to the task will also be noted. Should the task have a constraint, this information is also offered. (See Figure 4.)

Figure 3: Task Drivers content when a task has actually started.

Figure 4: Task Drivers content when a task has a constraint applied.

In most projects, a task’s location in time in the sequence affects the schedule as do resource and task calendars. If any of these exist, Microsoft Project 2007 will show them as Task Drivers. (See Figure 5.)

Figure 5: Task Drivers content indicating predecessor tasks and calendars affecting schedule.

If you've used earlier versions of Microsoft Project or are a heavy user of the software, you understand what a time saver this new feature is. When used with the multiple undo/redo and change highlighting, you should be able to avoid many scheduling errors by finding, viewing and analyzing your Task Drivers easily.

Next time: Visual Reports

Sam Huffman, PMP, has been delivering training for The Versatile Company since 1996. Prior to joining Versatile, he gained insight into Microsoft Project while working at Microsoft as a member of the Microsoft Project development and support team. He has maintained his intimate knowledge of Microsoft Project with each new release and is considered a leading authority on the tool, including the newest enterprise features of Project 2003, 2007 and Project Server. During his tenure at Versatile, Sam has honed his instruction skills by delivering programs for thousands of people. His reputation for delivering practical wisdom with an upbeat style makes him one of Versatile’s most requested instructors. Sam may be reached professionally at sam.huffman@versatilecompany.com or personally at projectmanagementinfo@comcast.net.