- Project Calendar: Configure standard working days, shifts, local holidays, and non-working hours.
- Project Properties: Set the project start date, finish date, and scheduling mode (Auto-scheduled vs. Manually scheduled).
- Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): Break down the entire project scope into logical phases, deliverables, summary tasks, and sub-tasks (often structured up to multiple levels).
2. Scheduling and Logic (CPM)
- Activity Durations: Estimate and assign realistic durations to each task.
- Dependencies (Task Linking): Connect tasks using Finish-to-Start (FS), Start-to-Start (SS), Finish-to-Finish (FF), and Start-to-Finish (SF) relationships.
- Lags and Leads: Add overlap (lead) or delay (lag) time between dependent tasks.
- Constraints and Deadlines: Apply target dates or execution constraints only when contractually required.