Beginner

Sequence the tasks in a plan

Order the children of one request, set what each task waits for, and read why a task can not start.

Published

Outcome

You sequence the children of one request. Each task states what it waits for. You can see which tasks are free to start, and why the others are not.

Before you start

You need a request that holds more than one child. You also need the Editor or Administrator role. Viewers can open a plan, but they can not change it.

The plan view needs a large screen. On a phone, open a task and use its Dependencies tab.

Open the plan

  1. Go to Requests.
  2. Open the request that holds the children.
  3. Select the Children tab.
  4. Select Sequence these tasks.

The plan has two parts. The canvas on the left holds the tasks that a dependency touches, as cards: predecessors to the left, successors to the right. The Unsequenced list on the right holds the tasks that no dependency touches yet.

A new group has an empty canvas and a full list. That is correct: nothing is ordered yet.

Put a task on the canvas

  1. Find the task in the Unsequenced list. Use the filter box for a long list.
  2. Select the task.

The task leaves the list and appears on the canvas. It stays there while you work, whether or not you link it.

  1. Move the pointer over the task that runs first.
  2. Press the blue circle on its right edge.
  3. Drag to the task that runs second, then release.

An arrow joins the two cards. The second task now waits for the first.

If the two tasks are far apart, use the selection bar instead:

  1. Select the task that runs second.
  2. Open Wait for at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Select the task that runs first.

Note: the Wait for list holds every task in the group. A predecessor that is still in the Unsequenced list moves onto the canvas with the new arrow.

Orkyo refuses a link that closes a loop. If the message says the plan becomes circular, remove the opposite link first.

Say what a task waits for

By default a task waits for every predecessor. To change that:

  1. Select the task on the canvas.
  2. Select Open task.
  3. Select the Dependencies tab.
  4. Under Can start when, select All predecessors, Any predecessor, or At least….
  5. If you select At least…, type the number in How many.
  6. Move the cursor out of the field to save the number.

The card shows a badge for a condition that is not the default. ANY means one predecessor is enough. 2 OF 3 means two of three predecessors must be done.

Read a card

Each card carries the task name, its scheduled window with the number of days, and its status. The window is what tells two tasks with the same name apart.

A padlock on a card means the task can not start yet. Open the task to see which work it waits for.

Note: a canceled or deferred predecessor leaves the condition. Orkyo frees the task rather than hold it shut for work that nobody will do.

  1. Select the arrow between two cards.
  2. Select Remove at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Confirm the removal.

The two tasks stay where they are. Only the order between them goes.

Next steps