Creating relative date restrictions
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From: "Steve House" sjhouse at hotmail dot on 19 Nov 2009 07:24 Gantt chart view is as good as any. There are a variety of other places where you can specify the lag time as well. But you have me confused. IF it's not a 2 week duratiuon task why are are saying it's expected to finish 2 weeks after it starts? That's what saying "it starts no earlier than 2 weeks after A finishes and should end no earlier than 4 weeks after A finishes" is implying. Consider this. The reason for using scheduling software is to figure out the organization of the workflow and the resource assignments that will allow you to MEET the dates than the project owner has specified you must hit. You do this by plugging in tasks with estimated duration, linking them according to their physical dependencies, and assigning resources to work on them. In response to those inputs, Project computes a schedule of dates. If those dates meet the requirements, you're golden. If it doesn't, and on the first trial it may very well not, then you have to reorganize the workflow until it does. Task X is taking too long and making us miss the deadline? Move another resource onto it and see if that helps, that sort of fine tuning. If you enter dates yourself, trying to force the schedule to show the dates you want, you're really just doing wishful thinking, crippling Project's ability to help you with a reality check as to whether your trial workflow could actually be doable in reality. -- Steve House MS Project Trainer & Consultant wrote in message news:hayansekki724.41tlzb(a)DoNotSpam.com... > > Thank you, this is very helpful. I knew there must be some way to do it. > In what view do I click the link arrow? (I'll probably figure this out > myself when I get into the office). It's not a two week duration task, > but this will look neater than using hammock tasks. > > The project owner's specifications determine when the tasks can take > plac | ��y �y this case, so I don't have much option there. :p > > Steve House;4694027 Wrote: >> Task 1 is linked to Task 2 with a conventional finish to start >> dependency >> link. Such a link says Task 2 can begin no earlier than the finish of >> Task >> 1. >> Now click the link arrow and add a +2week lag time. NowTask 2 may >> start no >> ealier than 2 weeks after the completion of Task 1. Task 1 get >> delayed, >> Task 2 will too. Set Task 2's duration to 2 weeks. 2 weeks lag plus >> 2 >> weeks duration means th�y ��w �w pected finish of 2 will be 4 weeks >> after >> the >> completion of task 1. >> >> Note - you should NOT be setting dates for individual tasks. >> Duration, >> links, and resource availability, not management's desires, determine >> when >> tasks are able to take place. >> -- >> Steve House >> MS Project Trainer & Consultant > > > -- > hayansekki724 > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > hayansekki724's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/155494.htm > View this thread: > httpO^oS|?orums.techarena.in/microsoft-project/1271993.htm > > http://forums.techarena.in > KHA.5300(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl> > Newsgroups: microsoft.public.project > NNTP-Posting-Host: red.202.netsurf.net 66.135.107.202 > Path: TK2MSFTNGP01.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl > Xref: TK2MSFTNGP01.phx.gbl microsoft.public.project:173888 > > Task 1 is linked to Task 2 with a conventional finish to start dependency > link. Such a link says Task 2 can begin no earlier than the finish of > Task > 1. > Now click the link arrow and add a +2|eOg
From: hayansekki724 on 19 Nov 2009 12:12 Steve, I may have mistyped. I want task 2 to start no earlier than two weeks after task 1 and end no later than 4 weeks after task 1. In this case, task 2 has no duration, it's a delivery deadline for a component of the project not managed internally, so I'm not concerned with it's actual duration and start date. Point taken about using Project to properly schedule tasks. However, in a case like this where the owner has specified "deliver task 2 between two and four weeks after Notice to Proceed (task 1)", is my attempt to force the schedule for this task not correct? Thanks, Steve House;4696321 Wrote: > Gantt chart view is as good as any. There are a variety of other > places > where you can specify the lag time as well. But you have me confused. > IF > it's not a 2 week duratiuon task why are are saying it's expected to > finish > 2 weeks after it starts? That's what saying "it starts no earlier than > 2 > weeks after A finishes and should end no earlier than 4 weeks after A > finishes" is implying. > > Consider this. The reason for using scheduling software is to figure > out > the organization of the workflow and the resource assignments that > will > allow you to MEET the dates than the project owner has specified you > must > hit. You do this by plugging in tasks with estimated duration, linking > them > according to their physical dependencies, and assigning resources to > work on > them. In response to those inputs, Project computes a schedule of > dates. > If those dates meet the requirements, you're golden. If it doesn't, > and on > the first trial it may very well not, then you have to reorganize the > workflow until it does. Task X is taking too long and making us miss > the > deadline? Move another resource onto it and see if that helps, that > sort of > fine tuning. If you enter dates yourself, trying to force the schedule > to > show the dates you want, you're really just doing wishful thinking, > crippling Project's ability to help you with a reality check as to > whether > your trial workflow could actually be doable in reality. > > -- hayansekki724 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ hayansekki724's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/155494.htm View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/microsoft-project/1271993.htm http://forums.techarena.in
From: "Steve House" sjhouse at hotmail dot on 21 Nov 2009 08:33
Actually one of the scheduling problems you're having is due to the fact that neither of the "tasks" you mentioned are tasks at all. A task is observable physical action performed by a resource over time. Driving the truck for a week to deliver the pasrt in your Task 2 is a task but the "Part Delivered" is a milestone, an instantaneous event with no duration. Thus "Part Delivered" simply cannot have a start date of XX and an end date of YY two weeks later. Since the owner has specified that milestone to occur between 2 and 4 weeks after the "Notice to Proceed" milestone, just concern yourself with the earliest required delivery date - FS link with 2 weeks lag and put a hard date deadline on it two weeks later. -- Steve House MS Project Trainer & Consultant "hayansekki724" <hayansekki724.41wrvc(a)DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message news:hayansekki724.41wrvc(a)DoNotSpam.com... > > Steve, > > I may have mistyped. I want task 2 to start no earlier than two weeks > after task 1 and end no later than 4 weeks after task 1. In this case, > task 2 has no duration, it's a delivery deadline for a component of the > project not managed internally, so I'm not concerned with it's actual > duration and start date. > Point taken about using Project to properly schedule tasks. However, in > a case like this where the owner has specified "deliver task 2 between > two and four weeks after Notice to Proceed (task 1)", is my attempt to > force the schedule for this task not correct? > > Thanks, > > Steve House;4696321 Wrote: >> Gantt chart view is as good as any. There are a variety of other >> places >> where you can specify the lag time as well. But you have me confused. >> IF >> it's not a 2 week duratiuon task why are are saying it's expected to >> finish >> 2 weeks after it starts? That's what saying "it starts no earlier than >> 2 >> weeks after A finishes and should end no earlier than 4 weeks after A >> finishes" is implying. >> >> Consider this. The reason for using scheduling software is to figure >> out >> the organization of the workflow and the resource assignments that >> will >> allow you to MEET the dates than the project owner has specified you >> must >> hit. You do this by plugging in tasks with estimated duration, linking >> them >> according to their physical dependencies, and assigning resources to >> work on >> them. In response to those inputs, Project computes a schedule of >> dates. >> If those dates meet the requirements, you're golden. If it doesn't, >> and on >> the first trial it may very well not, then you have to reorganize the >> workflow until it does. Task X is taking too long and making us miss >> the >> deadline? Move another resource onto it and see if that helps, that >> sort of >> fine tuning. If you enter dates yourself, trying to force the schedule >> to >> show the dates you want, you're really just doing wishful thinking, >> crippling Project's ability to help you with a reality check as to >> whether >> your trial workflow could actually be doable in reality. >> >> > > > -- > hayansekki724 > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > hayansekki724's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/155494.htm > View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/microsoft-project/1271993.htm > > http://forums.techarena.in > |