Adding Tasks to Your Project

Tasks are the individual work items that appear on your Gantt chart. Each task has a name, section, start date, end date (or duration), optional assignee, and status. Together, they form the complete schedule for your construction project.

Understanding Sections

Every task belongs to one of three sections. Sections help you organize work into the natural phases of a construction project:

• Planning — Permits, architectural design, engineering reviews, material orders, and any other pre-construction work.
• Execution — The bulk of the physical work: foundation, framing, rough electrical, rough plumbing, insulation, drywall, painting, flooring, cabinetry, and fixtures.
• Closeout — Punch list items, final inspections, site cleanup, and project handoff to the client.

Steps to Add a Task

1. Open your project from the dashboard to view the Gantt chart and task list.
2. Click "New Task" in the toolbar, or press N on your keyboard to open the task form.
3. Enter the activity name — a short, clear description of the work, such as "Frame Exterior Walls" or "Install Kitchen Cabinets."
4. Choose the section (Planning, Execution, or Closeout) that best fits this task.
5. Set the start date. Dates snap to the nearest Monday so that tasks align cleanly with the weekly Gantt columns.
6. Set the end date or enter a duration in days. If you enter an end date, BuildChart calculates the duration for you. If you enter a duration, the end date is calculated automatically.
7. Assign to a team member (optional). Use the smart assignee dropdown to pick from project members or type a name manually.
8. Set the status — Not Started, In Progress, Blocked, or Complete.
9. Click Save to add the task to your project. It will appear immediately on the Gantt chart.

How Duration Works (NETWORKDAYS)

The "Days" column shows business days only. BuildChart uses the NETWORKDAYS formula, counting Monday through Friday and excluding weekends. Both the start and end dates are included in the count. For example, a task starting Monday and ending Friday of the same week has a duration of 5 days.

This means a task spanning two full weeks (Monday to Friday) shows as 10 days, not 14. The Gantt bars still span the full calendar width including weekends, but the duration number reflects actual working days.

Parent and Child Tasks

You can create task hierarchies using parent and child tasks. A parent task is a summary-level item (like "Rough-In") that groups several child tasks (like "Electrical Rough," "Plumbing Rough," and "HVAC Rough").

To create a hierarchy, first add the parent task, then add child tasks and set their parent to the task you just created. Parent tasks automatically calculate their dates, status, and progress from their children. You do not need to manually update the parent — it always reflects the aggregate of its children.

On the Gantt chart, parent tasks display as a thin summary bar with bracket ends, giving you a visual overview of each group of work.