Automatic start date/due date based on start date, due date, or duration
in progress
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Mohammed Khalil
A lot of my tasks I know the start date and how long they will take (for example construction/shipping items). Right now I have to set a start date and then calculate the date the task will finish, instead of saying start on x day and go for 45 days.
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Juan Grandas
Hey there 👋
I'm the new Product Manager for this area—great to meet you!
Quick update: the work is in progress and on track. This is one of our top priorities for the quarter. We're in development making several scheduling-related improvements to ensure that durations behave consistently across all views and ClickApps.
I'll keep you posted with any further updates.
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Erin Ward
I have a template with tasks organized by the week they are due, and it would be incredible if I could enter a final due date, and the rest of the due dates would autopopulate backwards based on the final due date. I have found a way to remap the due dates when applying the template to a new list, but I want it to autopopulate the due dates backwards for the EXISTING lists. Our final due date for individual lists changes all the time. I spend so much time manually changing each task due date when the final due date changes!
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CJ Zamarron
Erin Ward Ahh I second this!! I've been trying to figure out how to do this without having to manually add a due date to 30+ subtasks for a 3-month project, but it looks like it's not available. This feature would be SO helpful.
Juan Grandas
Juan Grandas
Robert Hudman this is definitely in scope. We're working hard to make sure that scheduling is consistent across gantt and list views, including the duration task property.
Kim Hoang (BF)
Hello Juan Grandas, please don't forget to give us a dedicated duration field so we can quickly identify how many lead time days it takes for a summary task or the project to finish
I have seen many requests around, kindly check out the links below
Thank you
Juan Grandas
Kim Hoang (BF) Thank you so much for putting this together. I’ve merged the some of the relevant threads to improve their representation.
Adding duration as a task property is one of our top priorities this quarter. We're also making sure that the business logic for scheduling is consistent across the different views where scheduling may occur.
Kim Hoang (BF)
Great Juan Grandas
DURATION FIELD
I accidentally discovered a new button, "Use subtask date" (see Bullet 1 in the screenshot), on the Gantt view when right-clicking on a task. I tested it by adjusting the subtask dates, and it works really well! The parent/summary task’s dates automatically updated based on the subtask dates, which is a great improvement. However, the master list/master summary task (see Bullet 2) doesn’t have this functionality yet. I also tried it in the List view, but it doesn't work there yet.
I believe you and your team are still working on this request, and I hope it will be implemented soon. :)
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Kim Hoang (BF)
DEPENDENCY FIELD
Also, I want to point out that the Duration task should definitely work in parallel with dependencies/predecessors, as they are interdependent during project planning. Please take a look at these requests:
- (My own )https://clickup.canny.io/feature-requests/p/dedicated-dependency-columns-for-predecessors-successors
- https://clickup.canny.io/feature-requests/p/advanced-dependency-options
- https://clickup.canny.io/feature-requests/p/automatically-remap-dependency-due-dates
- https://clickup.canny.io/feature-requests/p/blockingdependency-automation
- https://clickup.canny.io/feature-requests/p/tasks-with-a-waiting-on-dependency-should-be-below-the-dependency-thats-blocking
- https://clickup.canny.io/feature-requests/p/option-to-switch-dependency-icons
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Kim Hoang (BF)
For developing the "Automatic start date/due date based on start date, due date, duration, and dependency, we should understand the differences of dependency, let me explain below.
1. Predecessor vs Successor
Predecessor: A task that must be completed (or partially completed) before another task can begin. It directly impacts when the next task can start. For example, "Foundation must be laid before walls can be built" — here, laying the foundation is the predecessor.
Successor: A task that depends on the completion (or partial completion) of the predecessor. In the same example, "Building the walls" is the successor to the foundation task.
- Predecessor vs Dependency
Predecessor: Refers to a specific task that comes before another task in a sequence.
Dependency: Refers to the relationship between two tasks. MS Project supports different types of dependencies, such as:
Finish-to-Start (FS): The predecessor must finish before the successor can start (most common).
Start-to-Start (SS): The predecessor must start before the successor can start.
Finish-to-Finish (FF): The predecessor must finish before the successor can finish.
Start-to-Finish (SF): The predecessor must start before the successor can finish (least common).
- Predecessor vs Constraint
Predecessor: A task that defines the sequence or order in which tasks should be executed. It helps define the timeline but doesn’t directly limit the task’s timing flexibility.
Constraint: A restriction that limits when a task can be started or finished, regardless of its predecessors. Constraints include:
Must Start On (MSO)
Must Finish On (MFO)
As Soon As Possible (ASAP)
As Late As Possible (ALAP)
- Predecessor vs Lead/Lag
Predecessor: The task that must be completed (or partially completed) before another can begin.
Lead: An overlap between tasks, where the successor task starts before the predecessor finishes.
Lag: A delay between tasks, where there is a waiting period after the predecessor task finishes before the successor can start.
- Predecessor vs Critical Path
Predecessor: A task that comes before another and determines the timing of the successor.
Critical Path: The sequence of tasks (including predecessors and successors) that determines the longest duration to complete the project. Tasks on the critical path are essential for on-time project completion. Dependency
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Kim Hoang (BF)
CONCLUSION
There are more than 4000 users who are requesting this feature, so I strongly believe that once this critical and fundamental feature request is implemented, it will significantly benefit every detail-oriented project manager (especially those who aren't strictly focused on Agile Project Management Framework). ClickUp will attract a large number of new subscribers. For heavy MS Project users like myself, ClickUp will become the go-to tool, and MS Project will be a thing of the past. :)
Hope you understand what I tried to explain here.
In any case, keep up the great work! Many of us are genuinely excited to see this request come to life.
Juan Grandas
Hi Kim Hoang (BF),
This feature is planned: parent tasks will inherit the first start and last due dates from subtasks. It will likely be an option you can turn on or off, and when enabled, it will apply consistently across all views where tasks are scheduled.
Right now, we’re focused on introducing duration-based scheduling and non-working day support, but we’ll address these common requests as soon as possible.
Kim Hoang (BF)
Juan Grandas Fantastic, can't wait to test it out soon :)
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Jt Whissel
Honestly the most basic of features, for project management. Its the only reason why you would use a Gantt chart to show relationships, estimates and then get a overall project estimate.
Going through and organizing each task manually for start and stop dates is crazy
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Morgen Harvey
A huge roadblock for me as a project manager is not being able to bulk select tasks and shift all of their due dates by a certain number of days. I hope this gets incorporated into this necessary feature for PMs!
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Mercedes Ronnander
This would be super helpful for my team as we have tight deadlines but consistent duration between start date, due date, and release dates for our content. Being able to have two dates calculate from another would be immensely helpful, and frankly, with all the other cool stuff that ClickUp can do, I'm a bit surprised to learn this isn't already a feature.
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Roberto Di Capua
Simply like MS Project does since the beginning... super helpful feature
Robert Hudman
This would make things much easier for project planning
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Amanda Robbins
My project has frequent due-date changes on tasks. The automatic durations/date-calculation formulas for the rest of our work-flow can only be based off of a start-date calculation rather than an end date calculation. (We have been told it is not yet possible to calculate things based on an end-date in Click-Up). This would be a huge improvement for us if this could be developed!
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