Create Master Schedule - Standard Grid

Modified on Mon, 25 Aug at 12:56 AM

This article explains how to create a master schedule from scratch directly in the Linarc Scheduler. The dynamic scheduler enables you to progressively add schedule items and refine the plan throughout the project’s lifecycle.

To create the master schedule from scratch

Ensure that you are on the Grid view of the scheduler. If not:
- Click the app launcher icon in the top-right, then select 'Schedule'
- The scheduler opens on the grid view by default. To return to the grid view from any other screen:
- Click 'Planner' on the top and select 'Grid' on the left.

The scheduler grid opens with default columns:

You can add or remove columns as required. This is optional.

Column Selection

Right-click on the table header

The left pane shows all available columns.

Select the rows to be shown on the grid

The available columns are:

Outline - The serial number of the line item in the outline numbering system, as per the WBS hierarchy.

WBS - The alphanumeric WBS serial number of the task/schedule item indicating the hierarchical branch path. Applies only to the schedules created with the graphical WBS tree structure.

Task Name - The label of the task/schedule item.

Task Code – The cost code associated with the item. This code is essential for financial calculations such as job cost tracking, automated Schedule of Values (SOV) generation, and other related processes. It can be assigned in two ways:

Auto-populated: When a fund is allocated to the task item from the corresponding budget line item, the cost code of that budget line item is automatically inherited. This applies only to last-level task items and activities.
Manually entered: By clicking inside the cell and selecting from the available options. This method applies to items at all levels.

Planned Days - The number of days estimated to complete the task. You can enter the values in days. Alternatively, the Planned Days auto-populates if you enter the planned start/end dates manually.

Planned Hours - The effort hours required to complete the task. This is optional.

Predecessors - The dependency of the task item with its predecessor. You can manually set the dependency.

Planned Start – The scheduled commencement date of the task. For dependent tasks, this date is auto-populated based on the relationship with their predecessor task.

Planned End – The scheduled completion date of the task. This date is automatically calculated from the Planned Start date and the Planned Duration (days), or from task dependencies. Alternatively, you can manually enter the Planned End date, in which case the Planned Duration is auto-populated.

Both Planned Start and Planned End dates are influenced by any constraints applied to the task.

1st Constraint Type and 1st Constraint Date - The primary condition applied to start/end days of the task, overriding the planned days and task dependencies.

2nd Constraint Type and 2nd Constraint Date - The secondary condition applied to start/end days of the task, overriding the planned days and task dependencies.

Start Delay - The difference in number of days between the planned start and the actual start days of the task.

End Delay - The difference in number of days between the planned end and the actual end days of the task. Applies only to fully completed tasks.

Progress- The current completion percentage of the task.

Field-level tasks - Fetched from the reports from the foreman. The project managers can also manually update the progress.
Parent-level tasks - Auto-calculated from the progress of the children.
Assigned Tasks - The subcontractor shares the tasks' progress with the general contractor.

Planned Quantity - The total amount of work done/deliverables planned for the task.

Actual Quantity - The amount of work done/deliverables realized with the current progress state. Fetched from the progress reports of the last-level child tasks.

Unit of Work - The unit by which the work quantity/deliverable is measured.

Assignee - The team member responsible for tracking the task from the contractor company. You can select the member from the drop-down.

Actual Start - The real commencement date of the task item.

For self-assigned last-tier items, the Actual Start is the date when the first progress update is reported, either from the field or the office.
For subcontractor-assigned last-tier items, the Actual Start is the date when the subcontractor first reports progress.
For parent-level items, the Actual Start is automatically derived from the earliest Actual Start among its child items—that is, the date on which the first child task begins.

Actual End - Auto-populates once the task reaches 100% completion.

For self-assigned last-tier items, the Actual End is the date when the final progress update reflects 100% completion.
For subcontractor-assigned last-tier items, the Actual End is the date when the subcontractor reports the task as completed with 100% as completion percentage.
For parent-level items, the Actual End is automatically derived from the latest Actual End among its child items—that is, the date on which the last child task finishes.

Actual Effort - Total man-hours expended for that task.

Predicted Start - Auto calculated from the planned start date, the current progress of the predecessor tasks, and the dependency relationships.

Predicted End - Auto calculated from the planned start date and the current progress.

Contractor - The contractor company to whom the task item is allotted.

The following values are auto-calculated from the task dependencies, their relationships, constraints, and the critical path. These apply only to non-critical tasks.

Early Start - The earliest date at which the task can be started.

Early Finish- The earliest date at which the task can be completed.

Late Start- The latest date at which the task can be commenced.

Late Finish- The latest date at which the task can be completed.

Slack- The permissible number of days the task can be started after the planned start date without affecting the overall schedule.

Days to finish - The number of days required to complete the task. The remaining days are entered by the foreman while updating the completion percentage of each leaf-level task every time. The days required for the parent-level tasks are aggregated from their children.

Location - The spot on the site where the task is executed. This is optional and can be entered fom a predefined list available as a drop-down in the cell itself.

Updated on - Auto-populates and indicates the date at which the last progress update was made or auto-calculated.

Task Type – Indicates the classification or source of the task. The available types are:

Normal Task – Typically a parent-level task used for structuring and grouping work.
Budget Task – A last-level task linked to a budget line item, with an amount allocated from the budget. Commonly, subcontractor-assigned work.
Estimate Task – A last-level task linked to the project estimate, with an amount allocated from the estimate line item. Commonly, self-performed work.
Change Order Task – A task created as a result of adding approved change order work to the schedule.
Inspection – Represents an inspection event.
Checkpoint – Represents a checkpoint event used to track intermediate progress or reviews.
Milestone – Represents a significant milestone or project delivery point.

Critical - Indicates whether the task is critical based on the current critical path calculation. You can recalculate the critical path of the schedule at any time. Critical tasks are also indicated with theicon in the grid.

Task Status - The current state of the task, whether it is in 'Draft' (unpublished), 'In progress', 'Scheduled', or 'Completed' state.

In addition to these, if any custom fields are added to the scheduler, those will also be listed on the left pane.

The right pane shows the selected columns.

After enabling the required columns, arrange the columns in the right pane by dragging and dropping them to establish the desired order for their appearance in the table.
Click 'Apply' for your selection to take effect

Add Schedule Line Items

Add top-level tasks (phases)

Click Add New Row at the bottom to insert your first phase-level WBS element.

Enter a name by clicking inside the Task Name field.

Continue clicking Add New Row to create additional top-level tasks (e.g., project phases).

Add subtasks

Right-click on a task item, then choose Add > Subtask to insert a child task under it.

Repeat this process to build out successive levels of the WBS hierarchy.

Define details for lowest-level items

For work packages or deliverables at the lowest level, specify:

Task dependencies and relationships
Duration (planned days)
Labor or manhours
Planned quantity of work
Planned start date

Once dependencies and predecessors are set, the start dates of dependent tasks are auto-populated. You can override them manually if required.

The end date is auto-calculated.
See Add WBS Elements and Task Items for more details.

Edit dates in the Gantt view

Adjust task dates visually by dragging and dropping the task bar to the desired date range.
Extend or reduce task duration by dragging the left or right edges of the bar.

Parent-level task roll-ups

Duration, manhours, and start/end dates of parent tasks are automatically calculated from their child items.

Critical path

The scheduler dynamically recalculates the critical path as you add tasks and define dependencies.

Add events

To insert a milestone, inspection, or checkpoint event, right-click on the relevant item, hover over Add, and select the desired event type.

See the following sections to know more: