Hi, I have seen several threads on this topic but cannot find a fix for my issue. Maybe I am setting this up the wrong way but I need help with a solution!!
I am creating a product launch template with 100+ tasks. This template is typically setup 365 days out from a launch and includes pre-launch and post-launch tasks. The due dates of these tasks are set based on the project end date (aka product launch date). There are several milestones set in the project but one milestone is Product Launch Complete which is the same as the project end date (planned product launch date).
In the common scenario that a product launch date is pushed back, I need to be able to adjust all task due dates (that have not been completed yet) to align with the new proposed date.
Solutions I’ve tried so far:
“Adjust due dates by multi-selecting in Timeline view” - this does not work for this scenario because you can only select 50 tasks at a time. I need all tasks to be adjusted.
“Set task dependencies and adjust one date, the others follow” - I thought maybe I could make all of my tasks dependent on that Product Launched milestone but it is too many dependencies for one task.
I’ve also signed up for a free trial of Flowsana but it seems like it will only adjust the dates if dependencies are set.
Have you tried using Timeline or Gantt view and multi-selecting the tasks? They should move relatively to each other. If the multi-select limit is fewer than your tasks to move, do carefully in multiple batches.
Yes, I’ve tried both Timeline and Gantt views.. I still run into the limit when selecting tasks. It isn’t really realistic to do in batches because of dependencies that are set up. When I move the first 50 tasks, some tasks below may shift due to dependencies. Then if I select the next 50 tasks, they would be moved again.
Ah…I didn’t realize you were still using dependencies on those tasks in the Timeline batch selection.
According to 🔢 List of technical and data limitations in Asana there’s a limit of 30-45 dependencies per task. Could you distribute your dependencies such that each milestone has less than the limit of dependencies and all tasks that need to be are still in the dependency chain? Then if you shift a task’s date, it will adjust the others, depending (no pun intended) on your project dependency settings.
Another very different, maybe inferior, option would be not to use dependencies so you could use the batch selection in Timeline approach.
I think you’re right about Flowsana, but @Phil_Seeman can address that and is great with dependencies in general, so perhaps he can weigh in more generally as well.
You do mention dependencies; is it that you have some tasks tied together by dependencies but others not? If so, it wouldn’t work to tie them all together by dependencies (in a more sequential manner; as you noted, you have too many tasks to make them all dependent on the ending milestone)? This is in a project template, right, so you’d only have to do it once, then it would be propagated to all subsequent projects.
Have you checked out our Flowsana Dynamic Duration workflow? The Auto-Adjust workflow does work by dependencies, but the Dynamic Duration works differently (you set a duration for each task).
One thing that comes to mind, even if it’s not as clean as one would prefer, is to create two identical milestones, make them co-dependent, and then attach 30 tasks dependent on one and 30 on the other, if that makes sense. I know it isn’t the best solution, but this is how I would do it. There is one big downside to it as well - if all tasks are dependent on those two milestones (or three, depending on the number of tasks), if one task is shifted, everything else will shift as well, and I’m not sure if that’s what you’re looking for.
Hi @Phil_Seeman , to answer your questions, we are on a Enterprise subscription and I am a super admin on the account.
Yes, some of the tasks have dependencies and others do not. The idea to tie them all to one or two milestones (as mentioned below by Stefan) also is not realistic because there are individuals who will use this template and add additional tasks. They would have to remember to attach each newly added task to the dependent milestone which leaves too much room for a miss.
I looked into the Dynamic Duration workflow but I only have days due before the project due date, not task duration. I did see an option for the Workback Workflow. Could this be an option? I signed up for a free trial of Flowsana but am having issues attaching projects/templates. I reached out to Flowsana support on this.
No, that’s a type of Dynamic Duration workflow so if you don’t want to enter durations for each task, that option won’t help you.
I think your best bet might be to write a script (if you know Javascript) or use a FlowAgent (it will write a script for you plus it’s much easier than Javascript). If you’re interested in the latter, let me know as we’re in a closed beta but I can get you into it.