Adding a deadline to a task

A deadline assigns a task a date in the schedule by which the task will be finished. Instead of using a constraint (As Soon As Possible, As Late As Possible, Finish No Earlier Than, Finish No Later Than, Must Finish On, Must Start On, Start No Earlier Than, or Start No Later Than), which can sometimes create situations in a task plan that are difficult to schedule and keep track of, you can use a deadline. It is possible for the schedule to slip past a deadline. When this occurs, it will appear in the task plan as negative slack. A deadline is sometimes mistaken for a constraint.

To add a deadline to a task

  1. Open the Projects module.
  2. Select an item.
  3. Select the Task Plan tab.
  4. Select a task in the task plan.
  5. Open the Task Information dialog box.
  6. Select the Advanced tab.
  7. In the Deadline field, use the calendar picker to select the date by which the task must be completed.
  8. Click Close.