Microsoft Project 2007

libra02

Hi

Just wondering if anyone can answer this question for me about Project 2007.

When creating a Start to Start relationship between 2 tasks say Task 7 and 4. To put the relationship in Task 7 am I right in thinking you go to the task information box for task 7 and in the predecessors box you add task 4 and then change relationship to start to start.

It just the start dates on gantt chart view are different for Task 4 and 7 & someone told me they should be the same after you do the linking but I do not think this is right.

If someone could shed some light it be much appreciated.

Thoie

If they're SS then they should both start at the same time. Check the dates in the date column - are those the same?

Does one of the tasks have a line on the "first" start date, then dots over to the proper start date?

Check that neither task have a forced start date - in their properties, make sure they're both set for "start as soon as possible". Then while you're in there, in task 7, put 4SS in as a predecessor.

libra02

Thoie wrote: »

If they're SS then they should both start at the same time. Check the dates in the date column - are those the same?

Does one of the tasks have a line on the "first" start date, then dots over to the proper start date?

Check that neither task have a forced start date - in their properties, make sure they're both set for "start as soon as possible". Then while you're in there, in task 7, put 4SS in as a predecessor.

No dates are not the same for the tasks. On the gantt chart view out of task 4 there is a line down to task 7 saying task link s to s from id 4 to id 7.

In id 7 predecesor coloumn I can see 4SS + 4 ( this days is the max amount of lag we had to put on before task 7 went on critical path).

So it seems there is something wrong with the dates. I did not enter them let project did it as all i enerted was tasks, predecessors and duration.

Thoie

libra02 wrote: »

No dates are not the same for the tasks. On the gantt chart view out of task 4 there is a line down to task 7 saying task link s to s from id 4 to id 7.

In id 7 predecesor coloumn I can see 4SS + 4 ( this days is the max amount of lag we had to put on before task 7 went on critical path).

So it seems there is something wrong with the dates. I did not enter them let project did it as all i enerted was tasks, predecessors and duration.

Ah - the +4 days is not an allowable amount of lag, but a forced amount of lag. So you're telling it to wait 4 days after the start of task 4 before beginning task 7. If you delete the +4, they should start on the same dates then.

libra02

Thoie wrote: »

Ah - the +4 days is not an allowable amount of lag, but a forced amount of lag. So you're telling it to wait 4 days after the start of task 4 before beginning task 7. If you delete the +4, they should start on the same dates then.

Sorry I should have saw and understood that. Dates would be the same 28/9/11 (task 4) but as we had to enter lag this pushed it tasks 7 out to 2nd October.

Thanks a million.

I had the relationship the other way around when I first did the project so no wonder it was wrong.

Thoie

Glad I could help - in 500+ lines of tasks those lags can catch you out - they make perfect sense when you're doing the initial scheduling, but then things change and you're left tearing your hair out

I generally add notes to tasks that I'm lagging or doing anything out of the ordinary with. Something like "4 days lag to account for blah blah blah". It makes the initial scheduling a bit slower, but in large projects it can be a life saver. It can work both ways - sometimes you'll have added something in because it's important, but 3 months down the line when you're under pressure to cut corners it's easy to forget why that particular thing was so crucial, so a note can help remind you that's not the thing to cut.

I also start each project by adding in a %complete column, and update that regularly throughout the project - saves you have to search back through status reports to find out if that thing got done 3 months ago.

libra02

Thoie wrote: »

Glad I could help - in 500+ lines of tasks those lags can catch you out - they make perfect sense when you're doing the initial scheduling, but then things change and you're left tearing your hair out

I generally add notes to tasks that I'm lagging or doing anything out of the ordinary with. Something like "4 days lag to account for blah blah blah". It makes the initial scheduling a bit slower, but in large projects it can be a life saver. It can work both ways - sometimes you'll have added something in because it's important, but 3 months down the line when you're under pressure to cut corners it's easy to forget why that particular thing was so crucial, so a note can help remind you that's not the thing to cut.

I also start each project by adding in a %complete column, and update that regularly throughout the project - saves you have to search back through status reports to find out if that thing got done 3 months ago.

I know I have lost some hair and fingernails doing this project but hopefully it is correct now. Yeah I add in little notes to each task if I change anything like dates etc. Handy to know then where manual changes have been made and as you said above down the line you are unlikely to remember everything.