Grouping related tasks using hammocks

You can use hammocks to show an overview of tasks that are related to each other but that may be located in different parts of a project - in different charts or summary groups, for example. Here, you will create a hammock to group together two tasks that require groundworks to be carried out:

1. On the bar below the Finish on Site bar, create a task called "Groundworks Tasks".
2. Right-click the task and select Make Into - Hammock from the menu that appears. The hammock task appears as illustrated below:
   
   
3. Double-click the Sub-Structure summary task in the bar chart to expand it.
4. Right-click the Dig Footings task and select Add to Hammock from the menu that appears. The Select Hammock dialog appears:
   
   
5. There is only one hammock in the project at the moment. Click Groundworks Tasks in the dialog and click OK. A copy of the Dig Footings task is added to the hammock:
   
   
6. Click the Landscaping chart in the project view. The view is updated to display only the contents of the Landscaping chart.
7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to add the Prepare Ground task to the Groundworks Tasks hammock.
8. Click the Programme chart in the project view. The hammock now contains copies of both tasks:
   
   
   
   The tasks that you add to a hammock are not moved to the hammock; the hammock contains copies of the tasks and the originals are still located in the same place as they were before you added them to the hammock.
9. You can contract and expand hammocks in the same way you can contract and expand summary tasks. Try this now: double-click the hammock in the bar chart to contract it and hide the tasks it contains, then double-click it again to expand it.
   
   Note that the hammock you created is displayed as part of the project hierarchy in the project view:
   
   
10. Click the Groundworks Tasks hammock in the project view. The view is updated to display only the contents of the hammock:
    
    
    
    This can be useful if you want to view the contents of a hammock apart from the rest of a project, or print the contents of a hammock.

Before you continue, click the Programme chart in the project view, double-click any expanded summary tasks in the bar chart to contract them and double-click the hammock to contract it.

Your project should now look something like this (note that the dates and durations of tasks may be different):

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Linking tasks in different charts and summary groups	Using task pools as templates for networks of tasks