63% of schedules uploaded to our free tools have at least one task with no links in or out

Findings, by how often they appear

Each bar is the share of uploaded schedules with at least one finding of that kind, out of its own n. A finding with fewer than 20 schedules behind it is left out. Summaries every report carries, such as the critical path itself, are not counted as findings. To see which of these your own plan has, run it through the free Schedule Health Check.

• Tasks with no links in or out63%
  A task that is not a milestone has no predecessor and no successor, so it floats free of the schedule and a slip on it moves nothing. n = 299
• Milestones with nothing leading in48%
  A milestone has no predecessor, so its date is typed in rather than driven by the work before it. n = 299
• Date constraints the links cannot meet42%
  A task carries a date constraint, such as finish no later than, that the dates worked out from its links fall outside. n = 299
• A resource booked over 150% of capacity34%
  At its busiest point, a person or resource is booked on more than one and a half times what they can do. n = 299
• An outline six or more levels deep32%
  The task outline nests six or more levels, which makes the plan hard for anyone but its author to read. n = 299
• Tasks waiting on more than five others29%
  A task has more than five predecessors, so any one of them running late holds it up. n = 299
• Links to tasks missing from the file27%
  A task names a predecessor that does not exist in the schedule. n = 299
• More than 10% of tasks pinned to a date24%
  More than one task in ten carries a date constraint other than as soon as possible, which usually means the links are not trusted to set the dates. n = 299
• Tasks a day or less from the critical path22%
  Tasks with some float, but one working day or less, so a short slip makes them critical. n = 299
• More than half the tasks on the critical path21%
  Over 50% of tasks are critical, so the plan has almost no slack to absorb a delay. n = 299
• Critical work over 60% of all task hours17%
  The work on the critical path adds up to more than 60% of the task hours in the plan, so one slip moves the whole delivery. n = 299
• Milestones over 15% of tasks16%
  More than 15% of tasks are milestones, which often means the real work is not broken down. n = 299
• Tasks over 10 working days behind baseline11%
  A task now finishes more than 10 working days after its baseline finish. n = 299
• More than 30% and up to half the tasks on the critical path10%
  Over 30% of tasks are critical, but no more than half: a thin margin for a delay. n = 299
• A resource booked over capacity, up to 150%8%
  At its busiest point, a person or resource is booked above their capacity, but no more than one and a half times it. n = 299
• No task finishing on its baseline date5%
  A baseline is saved, but not one task still finishes within half a day of its baseline finish. n = 299
• Tasks over 3 and up to 10 working days behind baseline4%
  A task now finishes more than 3, and no more than 10, working days after its baseline finish. n = 299
• Costs with no currency set2%
  The file carries planned costs but names no currency for them. n = 299
• Deadlines the scheduled finish overruns1%
  A task finishes, by its links, after the deadline set on it. n = 299

Found in under 1% of these schedules: Links that loop back on themselves, No critical path at all, Tasks costing 15% to under 30% over baseline, Tasks costing 30% or more over baseline.