13 guide sections

Schedules Help

Upload, publish, replace, archive, and share schedules.

When someone on your project asks which schedule is current, you want there to be one answer. Constructable Schedules is where the issued plan lives: you upload the file from your scheduling application, review it, publish it when it's ready, replace it when it needs correcting, and archive it once it's been superseded. For .mpp and .xer plans, review opens Schedule and Lookahead so you can read the imported activities and plan the next few weeks of work on top of them. Start with the task that matches what you need to do.

Start here

Common task recipes

  • Issue a new baseline: Select Add Schedule, enter Title and Upload Date, upload one file, save, review, then select Publish Schedule.
  • Issue an updated schedule: Add a separate clearly titled schedule when the prior version must remain visible in history, or use Edit Schedule and Replace file when correcting the same record.
  • Plan this week's work on an imported plan: Open the schedule, select Lookahead, add tasks under the activities, then Export PDF.
  • Withdraw a published schedule: Select Unpublish Schedule.
  • Retire a schedule: Select Archive Schedule. Archiving also unpublishes it.
  • Recover an archived record: Expand Archived, select Unarchive Schedule, review it, then publish if appropriate.

Publish and maintain

Add a schedule

Add a schedule when you're ready to bring a source file into Constructable for review. New records begin as Unpublished, which gives you a chance to verify the file before the team sees it as issued.

  1. Open Schedules.
  2. Select Add Schedule.
  3. Enter the required Title.
  4. Enter the required Upload date.
  5. Under File, upload one file.
  6. Wait for upload to finish.
  7. Select Add.
  8. Open View Schedule and verify the content.

Each Schedule record holds one file. If the title is blank when you select a file, we fill in the Title with the file name before you submit the schedule.

Note: Anything you add here starts Unpublished, so nobody outside your schedule managers sees it until you publish it.

Pro Tip: Actually open View Schedule before you publish. Catching a wrong or truncated export while the record is still Unpublished is far easier than explaining it after the field has been working from it.

Can I attach two files to one schedule?

No. Each Schedule record holds one file.

The title filled itself in. Can I change it?

Yes. We only fill in the Title from the file name when you've left it blank, and you can edit it before you submit.

You have the file in the project, visible to schedule managers, and not yet presented to the team as issued.

Publish or unpublish a schedule

Publishing is how you tell the project that a schedule is issued. Unpublishing pulls it back out of published use without deleting anything, which is exactly what you want when a plan goes out before it was ready.

Publish a schedule when you have checked the file and want the project team to treat it as issued:

  1. Verify Title, Upload Date, and file.
  2. Open the schedule actions menu.
  3. Select Publish Schedule.
  4. Confirm the Published badge appears.

To withdraw it from published use, select Unpublish Schedule. The record and file remain available to schedule managers, but their visibility and status change. Unpublishing does not archive the record.

We record each Published or Unpublished transition, so the record keeps a history of when the plan was issued and when it was withdrawn.

Note: Use these actions to show whether the schedule is currently issued, not simply whether someone has reviewed it. A plan you've read but haven't committed to should stay Unpublished.

I published the wrong file. What now?

Select Unpublish Schedule to take it out of published use, then correct the record — replace the file with Edit Schedule, or archive it and publish the right one.

Does unpublishing delete the schedule?

No. The record and its file stay available to schedule managers, and unpublishing doesn't archive it either.

The team can see exactly one thing: whether this plan is currently issued.

Edit or replace a schedule

Replace the file when you're correcting the same schedule record, such as fixing an accidental upload. If the new file represents a separate issued version that should remain in history, add a new Schedule instead.

  1. Open the schedule actions menu.
  2. Select Edit Schedule.
  3. Update Title or Upload date as needed.
  4. Under Replace file, remove the current file and upload one replacement.
  5. Wait for upload to finish.
  6. Select Save.
  7. Open the schedule and verify the replacement.

Note: The old file is gone from the record once you save the replacement — you can't pull it back from here. If the previous version is one your project needs to be able to produce later, keep it and add a new Schedule instead of replacing this one. Replacing an .mpp or .xer also clears the imported activities and calendars from this record, so Schedule and Lookahead rebuild from the new file.

Note: A record that's already Published stays Published through a replacement, so there's no second publish step — and no second chance to review it before the team can see it. Verify the replacement after you save.

Do I need to publish again after replacing a file?

No, as long as the record remains Published. Viewers may need to reopen the record to load the new attachment.

Should I use Replace file or add a new Schedule?

Replace when you're correcting this record. Add a new Schedule when the previous version must remain visible in history.

The record still has one file, and it's the right one.

Archive or restore schedules

Archive a schedule when it has been superseded or should no longer appear with active records. Nothing is lost — the record moves out of the active list and stays available under Archived, so you can bring it back if you need it.

Select Archive Schedule to remove it from the active list and unpublish it. You can still find the record under Archived.

To restore:

  1. Expand Archived.
  2. Open the record's menu.
  3. Select Unarchive Schedule.
  4. Review the restored record.
  5. Select Publish Schedule if it should be issued again.

Note: Unarchiving does not automatically republish the record. A restored schedule comes back Unpublished, which means bringing an old plan back never surprises the team by reappearing as the issued one.

Where did my archived schedule go?

It's under Archived on the Schedules page. Expand that group to find it.

Does archiving delete the file?

No. Archiving removes the record from the active list and unpublishes it. The record is still there under Archived.

Your active list shows only the plans people should be working from.

View and share

Find and view schedules

Open Schedules to find the files available for your project. Each row tells you what kind of file it is, what it's called, whether it's issued, and when it was uploaded — enough to pick the right one without opening three of them.

Active schedules show the file type, Title, Published or Unpublished badge, and Uploaded date. Select View Schedule on web or View on native.

Archived records are grouped under Archived (count).

Note: Without schedule write access you'll see published records without the management actions. Nothing is broken; publishing, editing, and archiving simply aren't yours to do.

A schedule I know exists isn't in the list. Where is it?

Expand Archived first, since archiving moves records out of the active list. If it isn't there, it may be Unpublished — those are visible to schedule managers rather than to everyone with View published schedules.

You can tell at a glance which plan is issued and how recent it is.

Preview PDF and Gantt schedules

You can read a schedule without leaving Constructable, which is usually all you need for a quick look. What you get depends on the file you're opening.

  • A PDF attachment opens in the inline PDF viewer. If the record is a PDF, that's what you see even when activities also exist.
  • .mpp and .xer files open Schedule and Lookahead once the import finishes. That's the current way to read a project plan in Constructable — see View Schedule and Lookahead plans.
  • While we're still importing a project plan, the page shows Preparing schedule preview. Download works while you wait.
  • Every other file type shows Preview unavailable and stays downloadable. The subtitle still reads Only PDF schedules can be previewed inline right now. — that's the empty-state copy, not a complete list of what actually previews.

Note: The preview is created from the uploaded file and is useful for a quick review. For authoritative editing and detailed validation, download the source and open it in your scheduling application.

The preview has said Preparing schedule preview for a while. Is it stuck?

Import can take time, and Download works while you wait. If it never finishes, verify the source file and contact support with the project, schedule title, file name, and upload time.

Why does my schedule show Preview unavailable?

The file isn't a PDF, and it doesn't have imported activities yet. Select Download and open the source in the application it came from.

You get a fast read on the plan, and a clear path to the source file when a fast read isn't enough.

View Schedule and Lookahead plans

An imported .mpp or .xer is two views of the same plan. Schedule is the imported activities as they came from the scheduling application. Lookahead is the next few weeks of work you add on top of those activities — who is doing what, for which company, and how large a crew.

  1. Open the schedule.
  2. Select Schedule or Lookahead.
  3. Use Today to jump the timeline to today.

Schedule lists the imported activities with start, duration, end, progress, predecessors, and successors. Zoom the timeline to Day, Week, or Month. Dependency arrows stay on this view. Activities themselves aren't editable here — change them in the scheduling application and replace the file.

Lookahead lists the activities that fall in the selected window, plus any Constructable tasks nested under them. The extra columns are Actions, Assigned To, Company, and Crew Size. Choose a window from 1 to 8 weeks. Filter by Company and Assigned To; No Company and Unassigned are in those lists. Select Show activity hierarchy on an activity row when you need the parent path. If tasks sit past the activity's finish, you'll see Some tasks fall outside this activity's dates.

Note: Lookahead tasks are Constructable work, not imported Microsoft Project or Primavera tasks. Replacing the plan file rebuilds the activities; don't treat Lookahead as a second copy of the source schedule.

Why don't I see Schedule and Lookahead?

The record is a PDF, the import hasn't finished, or this file type doesn't produce activities. A PDF always opens the PDF viewer first.

You can read the issued plan and the next few weeks of field work without leaving Constructable.

Add and manage lookahead tasks

Lookahead is where you put the work for the next week or two against the imported activities — a crew, a duration, a person responsible. You need Create, update, archive, and publish schedules. Anyone with View published schedules can read the tasks; they just can't add or change them.

  1. Open the schedule and select Lookahead.
  2. On an activity or a parent task, select Add Task. The new row is named New Task, starts on the parent start, lasts one working day, and starts at 0% progress.
  3. Select Edit Task to set Title, Progress, Company, Assigned To, Crew Size, Start, and Duration. End is calculated from the work calendar and isn't typed.
  4. Drag a leaf task's bar on the timeline to move its dates, or use Reorder task to change order among siblings.

Assigned To lists project users and organization users on the project team — bidder-only memberships stay off the list. Company lists companies on the project team. Unassigned and No Company are the empty values.

Date and duration edits apply to leaf tasks. A parent task's dates come from its children, so change the children when the parent dates look wrong.

Delete Task removes that task and every task nested under it. There's no confirmation, and there's no restore from this screen.

Progress drives status: 0% is planned, anything above 0% is in progress, and 100% is done.

You now have the next window of work named, assigned, and dated against the issued plan.

Export a lookahead PDF

Hand a superintendent a Lookahead they can pin on the wall. Export doesn't need schedule write access — View published schedules is enough.

  1. Open the schedule and select Lookahead.
  2. Set the week count you want in the export. The PDF covers that many weeks from the start date you pick next.
  3. Select Export PDF.
  4. In Export Lookahead, choose the Start date.
  5. Select Download PDF.

The PDF lists Project, Schedule, Weeks, and Printed on in the header. Columns are the task name, Assigned To, Company, Start, Duration, End, Progress, and Crew. A window with nothing in it prints No activities in this date range.

You have a printout of the current Lookahead, dated from the start you chose.

Manage schedule calendars

Working days on an imported plan come from its calendars. Open Calendars from the schedule actions to see them. The Primary calendar is the one durations use.

  1. Open the schedule.
  2. Open Calendars.
  3. Select a calendar. The Edit calendar dialog opens.
  4. Review Name, Primary calendar, Working days (Monday through Sunday), and Exceptions.
  5. Select Add exception to mark a date Working or Non-working.
  6. Select Save. The toast reads Calendar updated.

Anyone with View published schedules can open the list and read a calendar. Changing one needs schedule write access. Delete removes the calendar and its exceptions; the toast reads Calendar deleted.

Note: Calendars arrive with the imported plan. Replacing the file rebuilds them from the new source.

The plan's working days now match how the job actually works.

Download a schedule

Sometimes you need the actual file — to open it in your scheduling application, to pass it along, or because the preview doesn't show what you're after. Downloading requires access to the Schedule.

Open a schedule, open its actions menu, and select Download. When no preview is available, the page also offers a prominent Download action.

Note: Your download contains the attachment that is current at that time. If a manager replaces the file afterward, the copy on your machine won't change. Download it again.

I downloaded this last week. Is it still the current plan?

Not necessarily. Check the record's Uploaded date and whether it still shows Published, then download again if the file has been replaced.

You have the source file in hand, in the form the scheduler produced it.

Use Schedules on mobile and native devices

The schedule matters most when you're standing on the job rather than sitting at a desk. Mobile and native layouts give you the schedule list, the Published and Unpublished badges, the PDF preview, Schedule and Lookahead, Download, and any management actions your role allows.

On a phone each schedule is a full-width card rather than a desktop row: the title, the Uploaded date, the file-type badge, the published state, and a View link, with the row's action menu sitting after View rather than where you'd find it on desktop.

Pro Tip: Use desktop web for a wide Lookahead timeline and careful file replacement. A replacement overwrites the old file for good — not something you want to do quickly on a phone.

Where did the actions menu go on my phone?

It sits after View on the row, rather than where you'd find it on desktop.

You can check the current plan and pull the file from wherever the work is happening.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshoot schedules

Nearly every schedule problem is a package or permission you don't have, a record that's been archived out of the active list, or a file we can't preview inline. Find your symptom and work through the checks in order.

Schedules is missing

  1. Confirm the organization has the Field package.
  2. Confirm you are in the intended project.
  3. Ask an administrator to check View published schedules.

Add Schedule or management actions are missing

You need Create, update, archive, and publish schedules. Read access lets you open and download schedules without maintaining them.

A schedule is missing from the active list

Expand Archived. If the record was archived, select Unarchive Schedule. Archiving also clears Published, so review and publish it again if it should return to the issued list.

The preview says Preparing schedule preview

We're still importing the uploaded plan. You can use Download while you wait. If processing does not complete, verify the source file and contact support with the project, schedule title, file name, and upload time.

The preview says Preview unavailable

Inline preview covers PDFs and imported .mpp / .xer activities. Anything else shows this message. Select Download and open the source in the application it came from.

Add Task is missing

You're on Schedule, not Lookahead, or your role doesn't have Create, update, archive, and publish schedules. Switch views first; write access is what adds and edits tasks.

A PDF fails to load

Try Download. If the downloaded file is also invalid, use Edit Schedule and replace it with a valid source file.

A change is not visible to viewers

Confirm the record shows Published. Replacing a file does not require a separate publish action when the existing record remains Published, but viewers may need to reopen the record to load the new attachment.