Suggesting Schedule Updates

Members with Contribute permission or higher can suggest updates to a project's schedule in Suggesting mode. Only members with appropriate permissions have access to Suggesting mode.

Suggesting mode is a dedicated communication channel for collaborating on updates to your project schedule. After you submit suggestions, a manager reviews them.

Important: Suggestions don't change the schedule. After you introduce accepted updates to the file in an external tool, update the schedule by importing the updated version.

Suggesting view and workflow

To enter Suggesting mode:

Select the Viewing drop-down list in the Activities tab.
Select Suggesting, or follow the instructions in the video.

Viewing options with Suggesting selected

In Suggesting mode, you can suggest updates to the start date, finish date, duration, remaining duration, and % complete.

Delay and cost impact

Use the Impact column to tell the reviewer about delay and cost effects.

Use Root cause to add a root cause and update suggestion details. The option is visible only while the pointer is over an individual activity.

Note: Root causes come from the project's issues in the Issues tool.

Review and submit suggestions

To review all update suggestions:

Select the number next to the Suggesting drop-down list .
Review all your update suggestions in Review your suggestions.
Click Submit to manager.

Note: Reviewers can't see your suggestions until you submit them.

Track update suggestions

After you submit update suggestions, use the Suggestions log to track their status.

Use search and filter to find individual update suggestions.

Tip: You can export the Suggestions log to Excel, with all applied filters.

Review update suggestions

Managers receive three types of notifications for suggested updates:

Email
in the Schedule tool homepage
Gantt chart notification

Tip: Select a notification to open the Suggestions log.

The Suggestions log separates Open and Resolved suggestions.

Open update suggestions need the manager's review. To view all table columns, scroll the table horizontally.

Managers can leave a response note when they change a suggestion's status. The note appears in the Response Note column.

Important: Activity updated only tracks updates that you've already introduced to the schedule in an external tool and doesn't update the schedule itself. To make updates visible in the schedule, update the schedule after you introduce accepted updates to the file in an external tool.

Available statuses:

In review: for update suggestions that currently undergo review.
Mitigated: for update suggestions that aren't necessary.
Allowed: for update suggestions that passed review and are ready to apply to the schedule.

Note: Saving a manager's response notifies the members who suggested individual updates.

Reopen update suggestions

Setting and saving Mitigated or Allowed moves update suggestions to the Resolved list.

To reopen a resolved suggestion:

Open the Resolved list.
Click the More menu for the suggestion.
Select Reopen.

Search and filter suggestions

Large and complex schedules can have many update suggestions. Search and filter to find them.

Note: Searching and filtering affect both the Open and the Resolved lists.

To search update suggestions, use the search bar in the top, right corner.

To filter update suggestions, click Filters Filters and select your criteria in the right navigation. Filters include:

Milestone and Critical
Status
Contributors (Suggested by)
Root cause
Delayed and Cost impact
Date range
Updated in schedule: for activities that a reviewer marked as updated in an external tool with Activity updated