In project management, accurately planning and scheduling tasks is critical for ensuring timely project delivery and efficient resource utilisation. The duration assigned to each schedule item plays a significant role in determining the overall project timeline. A key consideration in this process is whether to include weekends (Saturday and Sunday) in the task durations. 

This article provides a comprehensive guide on the 'Include Weekends' setting, detailing its implications, benefits, and how to effectively utilise it to align with your project's specific requirements.

Understanding the 'Include Weekends' Setting

The 'Include Weekends' setting allows you to choose whether weekends are counted as working days. The differences are as follows:

• Exclude Weekends: Saturdays and Sundays are not counted as working days. For example, a task that starts on a Tuesday and ends the following Wednesday is calculated as 7 days of effort.

• Include Weekends: Saturdays and Sundays are counted as working days. For example, a task starting on a Tuesday and finishing the following Wednesday will show a total effort of 9 days.

The default configuration for project schedules is set to exclude weekends.

Please note, in the Gantt view, weekends are greyed out when the view is set to Day View and weekends are excluded. This visual cue helps users quickly identify that Saturdays and Sundays are not counted as working days in the project schedule.

Configuring the 'Include Weekends' Setting

To include weekends to your project schedule, follow these steps: 

• Go to the Project Workspace and navigate to the Schedule section. 
• Click on 'Edit in Gantt View'.
• At the top of the Gantt view, find the Include Weekends toggle and turn it on.
• A confirmation pop-up will appear. Click on Include Weekends to activate the feature.

If you need to exclude weekends from your schedule, follow these steps: 

• Turn the Include Weekends toggle off. 
• When the prompt appears, choose Exclude Weekends.

NOTE: Whenever this setting is changed, the effort allocated for each task will be recalculated to reflect this adjustment.

Influence of Weekend Inclusion & Exclusion on Schedule Items

Creating New Schedule Items

Exclude Weekends (Include Weekends Toggle Turned Off)

Gantt View: 

New schedule tasks cannot have start or end dates on weekends. If you try to save a schedule item with a start or end date falling on a weekend, it will not be allowed.

Bulk Edit: 

When performing a Bulk Edit upload, the system prioritises the StartDate and Effort columns over the EndDate. If the provided EndDate does not align with StartDate plus Effort, the system will disregard the EndDate and generate a new one based on StartDate and Effort. 

If the StartDate or Effort are not populated: 

• If both EndDate and Effort are provided, the system calculates the StartDate by subtracting the Effort from the EndDate. 
• If both StartDate and EndDate are provided, the system calculates the Effort based on the number of working days, excluding weekends. 

Additional adjustments for weekends: 

• If a schedule item has a StartDate falling on a weekend, the StartDate will be moved to the next working day, and the EndDate will adjust to maintain the same effort. 
• If a schedule item has an EndDate falling on a weekend, the EndDate will be pushed back to the previous Friday if the effort allows. For example, if a task with a 5-day effort starts on a Monday and is scheduled to end on a Saturday, the EndDate will move to the preceding Friday. If the task starts on a Tuesday and ends on a Saturday, the EndDate will be pushed to the following Monday to account for the required effort.

Include Weekends (Include Weekends Toggle Turned On)

Gantt View: 

New schedule tasks can have start or end dates on weekends without any restrictions.

Bulk Edit:

When performing a Bulk Edit upload with weekends included, the system prioritises the StartDate and Effort columns over the EndDate. If the provided EndDate does not align with StartDate plus Effort, the system will disregard the EndDate and generate a new one based on StartDate and Effort. 

If the StartDate or Effort are not populated: 

• If both EndDate and Effort are provided, the system calculates the StartDate by subtracting the Effort from the EndDate. 
• If both StartDate and EndDate are provided, the system calculates the Effort based on the total number of days, including weekends. 
• Dates falling on weekends will remain unchanged upon upload.

Updating Existing Schedule Items

Exclude Weekends (Include Weekends Toggle Turned Off)

Gantt View:

When managing schedule items in the Gantt View with weekends excluded, specific rules apply to ensure tasks do not start or end on weekends: 

• Moving Schedule Items: When changing the start date while keeping the same effort, tasks cannot start or end on weekends. The start date will automatically shift to the next working day, and the end date will adjust to the nearest Friday or Monday, depending on the effort. 
• Expanding/Shrinking Tasks: When extending or reducing the duration of a task, it cannot start or end on weekends. The system will adjust the start date to the next working day and the end date to the nearest Friday. 
• Dragging Tasks Across Weekends: If a task spans over weekends, such as dragging a 4-day task to start on a Friday, the end date will be calculated based on working days only. For instance, a task starting on a Friday will end on the following Wednesday (Friday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday).

Bulk Edit:

• The same rules apply as when creating a new item. StartDate and Effort columns are prioritised, and any dates falling on weekends are adjusted accordingly.

Include Weekends (Include Weekends Toggle Turned On)

There are no constraints on dates when weekends are included. StartDate, EndDate, and Effort are handled as specified without adjustments for weekends.