Actual Hours Affecting Calendar?

[Lisa H]

I am the project administrator and have a Project Manager who has several
tasks starting on non-working days. Looking at the tasks in question, I see
that a resource has entered hours on a non-working day and that that day is
the same as the Start date for that task. Do the actual hours override the
start date for a task? What is the explanation for finish dates also ending
up on non-working days?

 

[Joe]

Lisa,

Yes, if someone enters actual hours on a non-working day, it will become the
start date as well. As for why it ends on a non-working day, if the task is
now 100% complete and the user entered the last hour on a non-working day,
then that would explain why it ended on a non-working day. If there are
still hours left on the task, I don't think it should end on a non-working
day.

Joe

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Lisa --

To piggyback on Joe's excellent answer, remember that in Microsoft Project
actuals always override estimates. When you originally plan your project,
Microsoft Project schedules all tasks to take place during working periods,
as defined by the Project Calendar. When you assign resources to tasks,
Microsoft Project schedules all work to take place during the working
periods defined by each resource's personal calendar. When a resource
enters actuals, Project Server allows the resource to enter actuals during
nonworking time periods, such as weekends and holidays. So, if a task is
scheduled to begin on a Monday, but the resource actually begins on Sunday
and enters his/her actuals on Sunday, the actuals override the estimates,
and the task now begins on Sunday. Hope this helps.

 

[Lisa H]

Thanks Joe and Dale!

Lisa --

To piggyback on Joe's excellent answer, remember that in Microsoft Project
actuals always override estimates. When you originally plan your project,
Microsoft Project schedules all tasks to take place during working periods,
as defined by the Project Calendar. When you assign resources to tasks,
Microsoft Project schedules all work to take place during the working
periods defined by each resource's personal calendar. When a resource
enters actuals, Project Server allows the resource to enter actuals during
nonworking time periods, such as weekends and holidays. So, if a task is
scheduled to begin on a Monday, but the resource actually begins on Sunday
and enters his/her actuals on Sunday, the actuals override the estimates,
and the task now begins on Sunday. Hope this helps.