Automatic calculating

[Niki]

Hi guys

Here's one for you ...

My summary row doesn't seem to be calculating automatically? The column
contains duration fields. I have the options set to calculate automatically
and all open projects.

I really don't want to manually calculate every time I change a value.

Can anyone help?

Niki

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

I'm not sure what you're saying is happening. Are you saying that if you
change the duration on one or more subtasks indented under a summary task,
the summary task's duration doesn't change? If so, that could be perfectly
normal behavior depending on the durations and linking of the subtasks. The
summary task duration is not the sum of the subtasks. It is the time
between when the earliest strting subtask begin's until the latest finishing
subtask ends. If your editing the durations does not affect the end date of
the latest ending task, the summary duration won't, and shouldn't, change.

Here's an example.

Summary Task, 15 days
Subtask1, 5 days
Subtask 2, 10 days, no predecessor
Subtask 3, 15 days, no predecessor

All three tasks start together and go in parallel. The duration of the
summary is 15 days. If I change the duration of subtask1 to 10 days, the
summary will not change. OTOH, if I change subtask3 to 18 days, the summary
*will* change.

Hope I've guessed right what is happening with your situation.

 

[Niki]

Hi Steve

The column [Duration2] contains calculated fields [Work]-[Duration1]

Work = Actual work + Remaining work
Duration 1 = project budget (days)

We use a gantt chart view to change values in a Remaining work column and it
used to automatically refresh the values in Duration 2.

It's only since we upgraded to 2003 that this seems to have stopped?

Hope I've explained this properly?

Niki

 

[JackD]

Right click on the duration2 column header, select customize. Make sure that
in the dialog box that appears that the calculation to be used for summary
and groups has "use formula" selected if you want to use a formula. Do the
same for duration 1.

--
-Jack ... For project information and macro examples visit
http://masamiki.com/project

..

Hi Steve

The column [Duration2] contains calculated fields [Work]-[Duration1]

Work = Actual work + Remaining work
Duration 1 = project budget (days)

We use a gantt chart view to change values in a Remaining work column and it
used to automatically refresh the values in Duration 2.

It's only since we upgraded to 2003 that this seems to have stopped?

Hope I've explained this properly?

Niki

I'm not sure what you're saying is happening. Are you saying that if you
change the duration on one or more subtasks indented under a summary task,
the summary task's duration doesn't change? If so, that could be perfectly
normal behavior depending on the durations and linking of the subtasks. The
summary task duration is not the sum of the subtasks. It is the time
between when the earliest strting subtask begin's until the latest finishing
subtask ends. If your editing the durations does not affect the end date of
the latest ending task, the summary duration won't, and shouldn't, change.

Here's an example.

Summary Task, 15 days
Subtask1, 5 days
Subtask 2, 10 days, no predecessor
Subtask 3, 15 days, no predecessor

All three tasks start together and go in parallel. The duration of the
summary is 15 days. If I change the duration of subtask1 to 10 days, the
summary will not change. OTOH, if I change subtask3 to 18 days, the summary
*will* change.

Hope I've guessed right what is happening with your situation.

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

While John has probably hit the proximate problem, there may be other issues
to consider. Your first calculation of work = actual work + remaining work
is redundent since Remaining Work is calculated by subtracting Actual Work
from (planned) Work in the first place. You should get the same number just
by looking at the plain Work field in the first place. Secondly, duration
and work are two totally different measures and it's purely coincidence that
they both use appear to use hours as the unit. (Actually they aren't the
same units because work is man-hours of effort while duration is hours of
time.) The duration hours and the work hours of a task are only equal when
there is one resource working 100% (or the equivalent such as 2 resources
working 50%) on the task. You may be introducing serious errors by using a
duration field to store a work budget since they aren't equivalent measure.
Your Baseline should be holding the project budget since the budget is
determined from the estimates of what it's going to take to get the work
done. By the time you get to where it seems you are with the plan, the
budget should be driven by a bottom up estimate of what it actually will
take, not a top-down mandate of what you've got to work with and when you
assign resources and then save the baseline that's exactly what you've got.
Now when you begin posting progress, the Baseline Work field holds that
original approved budget. The Work field will hold Actual+Remaining,
revised if the duration or work estimates change once work begins. The Work
Variance field holds a value equal to Work-BaselineWork wich is what I think
it is you're trying to calculate. Why reinvent the wheel, inaccurately to
boot?

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer/Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Hi Steve

The column [Duration2] contains calculated fields [Work]-[Duration1]

Work = Actual work + Remaining work
Duration 1 = project budget (days)

We use a gantt chart view to change values in a Remaining work column and
it
used to automatically refresh the values in Duration 2.

It's only since we upgraded to 2003 that this seems to have stopped?

Hope I've explained this properly?

Niki

I'm not sure what you're saying is happening. Are you saying that if you
change the duration on one or more subtasks indented under a summary
task,
the summary task's duration doesn't change? If so, that could be
perfectly
normal behavior depending on the durations and linking of the subtasks.
The
summary task duration is not the sum of the subtasks. It is the time
between when the earliest strting subtask begin's until the latest
finishing
subtask ends. If your editing the durations does not affect the end date
of
the latest ending task, the summary duration won't, and shouldn't,
change.

Here's an example.

Summary Task, 15 days
Subtask1, 5 days
Subtask 2, 10 days, no predecessor
Subtask 3, 15 days, no predecessor

All three tasks start together and go in parallel. The duration of the
summary is 15 days. If I change the duration of subtask1 to 10 days, the
summary will not change. OTOH, if I change subtask3 to 18 days, the
summary
*will* change.

Hope I've guessed right what is happening with your situation.

 

[Niki]

Hi Jack

Sorry I didn't get back to you. It was the "use formula" that was causing
the problem. It must have re-set itself when we upgraded? It's doing a lot
of strange things like that.

Anyway, all working smoothly now!

Thanks for your help and have a lovely Christmas.

Niki

Right click on the duration2 column header, select customize. Make sure that
in the dialog box that appears that the calculation to be used for summary
and groups has "use formula" selected if you want to use a formula. Do the
same for duration 1.

--
-Jack ... For project information and macro examples visit
http://masamiki.com/project

..

Hi Steve

The column [Duration2] contains calculated fields [Work]-[Duration1]

Work = Actual work + Remaining work
Duration 1 = project budget (days)

We use a gantt chart view to change values in a Remaining work column and it
used to automatically refresh the values in Duration 2.

It's only since we upgraded to 2003 that this seems to have stopped?

Hope I've explained this properly?

Niki

I'm not sure what you're saying is happening. Are you saying that if you
change the duration on one or more subtasks indented under a summary task,
the summary task's duration doesn't change? If so, that could be perfectly
normal behavior depending on the durations and linking of the subtasks. The
summary task duration is not the sum of the subtasks. It is the time
between when the earliest strting subtask begin's until the latest finishing
subtask ends. If your editing the durations does not affect the end date of
the latest ending task, the summary duration won't, and shouldn't, change.

Here's an example.

Summary Task, 15 days
Subtask1, 5 days
Subtask 2, 10 days, no predecessor
Subtask 3, 15 days, no predecessor

All three tasks start together and go in parallel. The duration of the
summary is 15 days. If I change the duration of subtask1 to 10 days, the
summary will not change. OTOH, if I change subtask3 to 18 days, the summary
*will* change.

Hope I've guessed right what is happening with your situation.

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer/Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs


Hi guys

Here's one for you ...

My summary row doesn't seem to be calculating automatically? The column
contains duration fields. I have the options set to calculate
automatically
and all open projects.

I really don't want to manually calculate every time I change a value.

Can anyone help?

Niki