Use Buildxact's Schedule to plan your project timeline from estimating through to job completion.
There are two schedules available:
Estimate Schedule: Draft your project timeline while preparing an estimate.
Job Schedule: Manage, update and track your schedule once the estimate has been converted into a job.
When you create a job, the estimate schedule is copied across and becomes read-only. All future scheduling is completed in the Job Schedule.
Watch this video to get an overview of all things scheduling, otherwise see instructions on specific tasks below the video.
Create tasks
You can add tasks to your schedule in several ways.
Add tasks from Estimate Costings
Select the T (Schedule) icon beside a cost item to add it to the schedule.
The task is automatically added to the corresponding category.
Note: Only costed line items can be added to the schedule from Estimate Costings.
Add tasks from the Schedule
Select the + button beside a category to create a new task.
The new task is added to the bottom of that category.
Insert a task between existing tasks
Select the menu beside a task and choose:
Add task above
Add task below
The task is inserted into the selected position.
Create a new category
Select Add Category, enter a category name, then begin adding tasks.
Organise your schedule
Buildxact makes it easy to adjust your schedule as your project changes.
You can:
Drag tasks to reorder them.
Move tasks between categories.
Drag tasks left or right to change their start date.
Drag the edge of a task to adjust its duration.
Edit a task to manually change its start date, end date or duration.
Apply colours to tasks and categories to make your schedule easier to read.
Save and reuse schedules
If you regularly build similar projects, you can save your schedule as a preset.
Save a preset
Select Presets.
Select Save as preset.
Enter a name.
Save the preset.
Apply a preset
Open Presets.
Select the preset you want to use.
Choose whether to replace existing tasks or add the preset after them.
Select a start date.
Apply the preset.
All saved categories and tasks are added to the schedule.
Link tasks with dependencies
Dependencies keep tasks in the correct sequence.
For example:
Deliver windows
Install windows
If the delivery date changes, the installation task automatically moves with it.
Create a dependency
You can create a dependency by:
Dragging from the end of one task to the beginning of another, or
Opening a task and adding dependencies from More options.
A dependency line appears between the linked tasks.
Use automatic dependencies
To automatically link every task in sequence:
Open Settings.
Enable Automatic Dependencies.
Any changes to a task automatically flow through to the following tasks.
Tip: If you're using a touchscreen device, adding dependencies from the task details is often easier than dragging between tasks.
Track progress
Once an estimate has been converted into a job, you can track task progress.
Update task progress
Drag the progress indicator along the bottom of a task bar to show how much work has been completed.
Buildxact automatically updates:
Task progress
Category progress
Overall schedule progress
View delayed tasks
Tasks that should have started but have no recorded progress are highlighted in red.
Categories containing delayed tasks are also highlighted, making them easy to identify.
Assign tasks
Assign contacts to tasks so everyone knows who is responsible for the work.
Assign a contact
Open a task and select one or more contacts from the Assignee field.
Assigned contacts appear in the Assignees column.
Double booking warnings
If a contact is already assigned to another task during the same time period, Buildxact displays a warning before you save.
You can still assign them if required.
Send task reminders
Automatically remind assigned contacts about upcoming work.
Schedule reminder emails
Open a task, choose when the reminder should be sent (for example, one week before the task starts), and optionally include a message.
If multiple contacts are assigned to the task, all assigned contacts receive the reminder email.
Share your schedule
Use Share to download or email your schedule.
Export a Gantt Chart
Export the visual schedule exactly as it appears on screen.
You can export:
The current visible timeframe
The entire schedule
Export a Task List
The Task List provides a simplified report showing:
Task name
Category
Progress
Start and end dates
Assigned contacts
Email your schedule
Select Email from the Share menu, enter the recipient's email address, and send the schedule directly from Buildxact.
Tips
Use the Estimate Schedule to plan your project before work begins.
Continue scheduling in the Job Schedule after creating the job.
Save commonly used schedules as presets.
Use dependencies to keep your timeline aligned when delays occur.
Keep task progress updated so delayed work is easy to identify.