Setting constraints

Hi Kerri

Thank you for your question.
Unfortunately there isn't a way to set the start and end dates and get the software to distribute the tasks within the deadline you set.

In auto-schedule mode the software will position tasks based on the logic of each connection.

In manual scheduling mode tasks stay on the dates you set - so you could drag them to the correct positions on the chart rather than rely on links to drive them.

you can change the setting for a tasks (or a group of highlighted tasks) by going to the Task ribbon and clicking either Auto Scheduled or Manual.

You can change the default behaviour for all new tasks in your project by clicking on the New Tasks button in the status bar of the Project Window (lower left corner) and choosing either manual or automatic.

I hope this helps. Incidentally if you are looking to move your project forward or back you can use the Move project button on the Project ribbon. This has the advantage of preserving your slack by updating your constraint dates to keep them aligned with your new project start date.

Kind regards,
Andrew