When a booking is linked to a task, the two stay synchronized. Changes to one can affect the other, depending on what’s modified.
This ensures that planned work (tasks) and scheduled time (bookings) remain aligned.
👉 For step-by-step instructions on adding bookings to tasks, see Creating and Managing Bookings on Tasks.
Adjusting Tasks
1) Moving a Task
A task is considered moved when both its start and due dates shift by the same number of days (for example, dragging it in Timeline or Gantt layouts).
All linked bookings move by the same number of days
Booking durations remain unchanged
📌 Note: If you don’t have permission to edit bookings (Add, edit, and delete budget bookings), moving the task is not possible.
2) Extending a Task
A task is considered extended when:
The start date moves earlier, or
The due date moves later
Existing bookings remain unchanged, as they already fit within the longer task duration
📌 No special booking permissions are required for this action.
3) Shortening a Task
A task is considered shortened when:
The start date moves later, or
The due date moves earlier
What happens next depends on how the change affects existing bookings:
If a booking still fits within the new task dates, it remains unchanged
If a booking would fall outside the task dates, Productive adjusts it automatically:
The booking is moved just enough to fit within the task dates, or
If the task becomes shorter than the booking, the booking duration is reduced
📌 Note: If you don’t have permission to edit bookings, you can only shorten a task as long as all bookings remain within its dates.
What to Watch Out For
Shortening tasks can lead to:
Lost booked hours
Increased workload concentration
Overloaded people
When a task change would impact bookings or availability, Productive shows a warning so you can review the effect in the Resource Planner before confirming.
Some warnings can be dismissed using Don’t show this again
Warnings shown when changing a task’s due date always appear
Important Constraints
Some task changes may be blocked entirely. For example:
If a linked booking belongs to a delivered or locked budget or deal
If a change would move a booking outside the budget or deal’s date range
This prevents accidental changes to finalized or restricted financial plans.
Adjusting Bookings
1) Moving a Booking
A booking is considered moved when both its start and end dates shift by the same number of days.
If the booking stays within the task’s date range, the task remains unchanged
If the booking would move outside the task dates:
A warning appears in the modal
If you have permission to edit the task, the task is automatically moved to cover the booking
📌 If you don’t have permission to edit the task (Add, edit, and delete tasks), the change is blocked.
2) Shortening a Booking
A booking is considered shortened when:
The start date moves later, or
The end date moves earlier
Shortening a booking never affects task dates; the task remains unchanged.
3) Extending a Booking
A booking is considered extended when:
The start date moves earlier, or
The end date moves later
If the booking stays within the task dates, the task remains unchanged. If the booking would extend beyond the task’s dates:
A warning appears in the modal
If you have permission to edit the task, the task is automatically extended to cover the booking
📌 If you don’t have permission to edit the task, the change is blocked.
Quick Summary Table
Here’s a visual summary of how different changes to tasks and bookings affect each other.
