How to Add Summary Task in Microsoft Project

Quick summary

A summary task in Microsoft Project groups related subtasks under a single parent row, letting project managers track rolled-up timelines and progress at a glance. Using the Indent Task feature in the Task ribbon, you can quickly build a hierarchical work breakdown structure in the Gantt Chart view.

Steps

1. Open Microsoft Project and make sure you are in the Gantt Chart view — navigate to the Task tab in the ribbon if needed.
2. Enter all tasks you want to organize; these individual rows will become your subtasks once grouped.
3. Select the tasks to be grouped by clicking and dragging, or hold Ctrl to select non-adjacent tasks.
4. Click the Indent Task button — the right-pointing arrow — in the Task ribbon to nest the selected tasks.
5. Add a new row above the selected tasks and enter a descriptive summary task name that clearly represents the group.
6. The top task automatically becomes the summary task, with all indented rows displayed as subtasks beneath it.