Simpler way to enter task having just an end date
 

Most of the tasks in my project are created from AIs (Action Items) assigned during meetings.
I want to quickly enter these tasks in OP assigning them just an end date, but I do not want to have their types be 'milestone', since they are not milestones by my definition and would limit filtering later on.

What is the best way to do this ?
i.e. If the 'Type' is a 'task' I am required to provide a start date or effort/duration.

Tasks with no duration are milestones. What exactly do you propose that OmniPlan do with these tasks of yours which only have end dates, but no duration (whether explicit or implicit)? Do you ever intend to set a duration? Why not just add them as milestones on the end date and convert when you have figured out the duration?

Thanks for the quick reply.
I do not ever intend to set an explicit duration.
Having the start date be 'today' as default would work. How do I do that ? Default seems to be project start date or 'Undetermined date'...
Other solution is to set as milestone, and then create a custom data field to differentiate it from major milestones.

In my opinion, you may be using the program in a fashion different than intended. Start and end dates should be used only when dictated by outside constraints. Otherwise, the start and end dates should be computed by OmniPlan. A new task added to the project should derive its start date from the dependency chains, constraints and resource availability, not by what date appears on the calendar the day you happened to put it on the plan. However, you could do your new tasks by typing them all in without setting any dates, selecting them all at once, bringing up the inspector and setting a start constraint of today (or tomorrow, more realistically). That way they won't be scheduled to start at the start of the project plan.

I still don't see how you expect anything useful to be done by a resource scheduling tool when you aren't willing to describe the resource needs....are you just using it as a glorified checklist?

Thanks again for the quick reply.

Within the same project I have a mixture of major tasks that are scheduled by the tool and sub tasks that are added on a weekly basis. I want to manage and report all within the same tool repository.
I still use much of the tools other features even for tasks that I don't want to be scheduled by the tool.

I totally agree with the need of an instant Creation of task with date beginning set to NOW.

[QUOTE=mattao;88606]I totally agree with the need of an instant Creation of task with date beginning set to NOW.[/QUOTE]

Do you typically have resources just sitting around waiting to be told what to do? If not, doesn't their taking up the new task depend on finishing something else first? Put in that dependency and you don't need an artificial start date.