when you create tasks in a schedule in MS project do all tasks have to have a predecessor or successor including milestones.
can you have stand alone tasks in a schedule
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Russell GeakeProject Management Consultant| Deciduous Partners LtdLostwithiel, Cornwall, United Kingdom
there is nothing stopping you having stand alone tasks...read on for the value added answer ;)
predecessors and successor relationships are there to help identify critical path, dependencies and other such things - a task that isn't linked just won't appear within the critical path.
If you are new to project it is worth "rough working" the project plan without any dependencies, this way you can rearrange task orders wihtout affecting things you might not notice (large projects with many tasks and links. Be careful. I try to add most of these relationships prior to creating a baseline. ALWAYS save versions of the plan before and after any work session, and if necessary throughout it - just remember to save them as different versions . Saving Changes...
Darren KosaPlanning & Controls ContractorHampshire, United Kingdom
Hi Anon,
There are of course exceptions, but for a draft / what-if schedule I would agree with Russell.
For a baselined contractual document, I would question the need for a standalone task in your schedule. If it doesn't drive at least the 'End' milestone, what is the requirement to have it in the schedule in the first place?
You can have stand alone tasks, but in reality they are very rare. Darren is right, if it is not delivering something that is required by the end date or a subsequent task then why do it?
If you schedule your project team meetings etc then these are not on the critical path. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Good discussion. You can have stand-alone tasks but they will require tracking which can be done in a variety of ways. However the best way is for a predecessor and/or successor. You might want to consider using lags as a way to keep track the task and keep it connected to the project time line. Saving Changes...
