As objects become linked, they form chains. For any object in a chain, its predecessors are those that are connected by a link that terminates at the given object, and its successors are those that are connected by a link that emanates from the given object. A list of an object’s predecessors and successors can be viewed in NetPoint, and predecessor/successor data can also be exported to excel. Instructions for both are provided.
Steps
Viewing and Breaking Links
- Right-click on a desired object and choose from the menu. The Predecessor and Successors window will open.
- To remove the link between the selected object and a given predecessor or successor, select it in the list and click Break Link. The link will be removed upon closing the window.
- When finished, click the red Exit icon.
Comparing Resources
- With the Select Tool
chosen in the toolbar, right-click on a desired object and choose from the menu.
- To view assignments for a given resource, click the dropdown button next to Compare Resources and choose from the list.
- To add, modify, or remove a resource assignment, select the desired activity in the list.
- Under Rate, click in the box and enter, edit, or remove the value. NOTE: If the rate column is left blank, no assignment will take place.
- To distribute the assignment over the entire duration of the activity, click the drop down button under Distribution and choose /Duration.For more info, see [bookmark postid=”8356″ anchor=”assignment-options”]Assignment Options[/bookmark].
- When finished, click the red Exit
icon to close the window. Changes will be saved automatically.
Exporting to Excel
WARNING: When a template is exported to Excel, the new Excel file will automatically overwrite the last-exported Excel file unless the last one was renamed or moved. To avoid losing the previous Excel file, rename it or move it to a different location before doing the next export.
- With the Select Tool
chosen in the toolbar, right-click on a desired object and choose from the menu. If desired, the predecessor/successor data that’s exported can be customized first. To do so, skip to step 1 of [bookmark postid=”14283″ anchor=”modifying”]Modifying/Exporting an Existing Template[/bookmark] instead and choose “Defaults – Logic, Predecessors & Successors” from the dropdown.
- Click the Export button. Excel will open with the exported data. NOTE: On export, the Excel file will be automatically saved in the schedule’s project folder and become linked to the schedule for updating. This new file will automatically overwrite the last-exported Excel file (for that schedule) unless it was renamed or moved.
- If you plan on exporting additional templates in the future, then we suggest renaming the file or moving it to a different location to avoid having it being overwritten. Click from the menu bar, enter a name, and click Save. NOTE: If you DO rename or move the file, you can ONLY initiate an update from it from within Excel. For more info, see [bookmark postid=”14848″ anchor=”transfer”]Updating from Linked Reports[/bookmark].
NOTE: For more info, see [bookmark postid=”14283″ anchor=”predecessor”]Predecessor and Successor Data[/bookmark] in the Exporting Linked Reports section.
Notes
Predecessors and Successors Window

Column |
Definition |
Type |
The type of object, such as activity, link, milestone, benchmark, delay, or hammock. |
Description |
The object’s description field, used to describe the object. |
ID |
The object’s ID. The ID is a unique identifier. |
Rate |
The amount or number of the resource required. |
Distribution |
How the resource is used by an activity. Resources may be assigned per time period or duration. |
Float |
The float of the object. The float is the amount of time an object can be delayed before delaying the completion of the project. |
Relation |
The relationship with the selected object, such as start-to-start (SS), finish-to-finish (FF), finish-to-start (FS), or start-to-finish (SF). If the relationship is SS or FF, it’s followed by the lead or lag of the embedded node. |
Gap |
The duration of the link to the selected object. |