Easy Scheduling

Most people like the idea of automatic scheduling: if one task moves, the dependent tasks move; weekends are skipped; dates adjust when a resource is on leave. But classic scheduling like MS Project can feel intimidating if you don’t know terms like “Fixed Work” or “Fixed Units.”

Celoxis supports both: the full advanced scheduling (with modes, allocations and fine-grained control) and Easy Scheduling for simpler usage. You can choose what fits the team or even specific projects.

Easy Scheduling gives you the good parts of automatic scheduling without exposing those complex options. Think of it like driving an automatic car: you still get where you need to go, but you don’t have to manage clutch and gears.

What Easy Scheduling does

When a project or task is using Easy Scheduling, we simplify a few things for you.

  1. Scheduling mode is hidden
    You won’t see options like Fixed Work, Fixed Duration or Fixed Units. The system picks sensible defaults so you don’t have to understand or choose a mode.
  2. Resource allocation percent is hidden
    Normally, you would specify that a person is allocated 25%, 50% and so on. In Easy Scheduling you don’t have to do that. You just select the resource.
  3. Work is divided automatically when you add multiple resources
    If you assign more than one person to the task, the system splits the work equally among them. This way you don’t have to do mental math or adjust each person’s percentage.
  4. Successor tasks move automatically
    If Task A finishes later and Task B depends on Task A, Task B’s dates will move automatically. You get the automatic rescheduling behavior people expect.
  5. Calendars are respected
    When dates move, the system automatically avoids weekends and also adjusts for resource leave/holidays (where available). So you don’t end up with a task starting on a Sunday or assigned to someone who is on leave.

Why this matters

In many tools, you either get a lot of power with too many settings, or you get a simple-looking screen but the underlying schedule and workload are not actually correct.

Easy Scheduling is meant to sit in the middle: give users a simple, safe UI, but keep the scheduling engine strong behind the scenes.

Accurate workload, not just a pretty chart

Even though we hide percent allocation and scheduling modes from the user, the system still maintains the real assignment data internally. This means:

  • Workload and capacity reports are based on actual calculated effort.
  • When a task is moved, the corresponding load on the resource is also moved.
  • What you see in reports matches what is really scheduled.

Many competing tools show similar workload views, but because their data model is loose, the charts only look correct. With Easy Scheduling in Celoxis, the charts stay accurate because the engine is doing the detailed work for you.

Who should use Easy Scheduling

  • Teams where most users are occasional project users, not trained project managers.
  • Organizations that want consistency and fewer mistakes in task setup.
  • Project managers who want automatic behavior but don’t want to teach people scheduling theory.
  • Teams that care about accurate workload/capacity but don’t want to force everyone to enter allocation percentages.

What you lose (by design)

To keep things simple, some advanced controls are not shown in Easy Scheduling. For example:

  • You cannot fine-tune individual resource allocation percentages on every task.
  • You do not choose between different scheduling modes.
  • Work is split evenly when multiple resources are added.

This is intentional. If you need per-person allocation like “John 30%, Mary 70% on the same task,” or you need to model more complex scheduling scenarios, you can switch to the full/advanced scheduling in Celoxis.

Result

You get automatic rescheduling, calendar-aware dates, simple resource selection, and workload charts that actually match reality. In short, it just works, without forcing every user to become a scheduling expert.

Enabling Easy Schedling

Only Admins can enable Easy scheduling. To enable easy scheduling, navigate to Top Menu ▸ ▸ Admin ▸ Projects ▸ Project Options. Check the Option Use Easy Scheduling.