An outline task in Microsoft Project 2007 is a task which contains several subtasks. The duration, start and end dates, and all of the attributes of the outline task come from the subtasks below it. For example, for our Website Build project, we have define the major tasks that must be performed to achieve the project: define requirements, design graphics, implement content management system, user acceptance testing, and website launch. Each of these major tasks have several tasks which must be accomplished for the major task to be complete. When I am defining the requirements, I am: meeting with the customer to define what they want, create a website requirements document, creating a wireframe, and so on. The major task of defining the requirements has several tasks associated with it. This major task is the outline task with many subtasks below it. In this tutorial, we’re going to show you how to create an outline task in Microsoft Project 2007:

1. Open Microsoft Project 2007. Open your blank Website Build project plan (you can download a blank Website Build project file here).
   
2. Create your first major task, define requirements. Click in the first row, under Task Name, and enter in the text Define Requirements like this:
   
3. Press Enter to save your task.
   
4. You noticed that the duration was automatically set to 1 day? and the Start date was set to the first day of our project. You do not need to worry about these durations or dates yet, we will work on those late. On the second line, enter in your next task Meet with the client. Press Enter.
   
5. Add your other tasks for the Define Requirements major task: Prepare business requirements document; Business requirements signoff; Create wireframe; Wireframe signoff.
   
6. Click on the Meet the client subtask, then in the toolbar at the top, click the Indent button – a green arrow to the right. The keyboard shortcut to achieve the same thing is Alt+Shift+Right Arrow.
   
7. Click on the Prepare business requirements document subtask, hold down your shift key, the click on the Wireframe signoff subtask. This will select the four tasks as shown in the image above. Next, click on the Indent button or press Alt+Shift+Right Arrow.
   
8. The top task, Define Requirements, is now an outline task for the five tasks below it.

As I mentioned earlier, we don’t change the attributes of the outline task, we change them in the subtasks and the attributes of the outline task will change. The new outline task has a – and + tree control on it so you can show only the top outline tasks, or open it and show all of the subtasks.

You can also go several layers deep with outline tasks. You can have outlines inside of outlines – on complex projects, you will likely use this.