Automatically changing the Duration

[tikendrajit.singh]

Hi All

I have a query regarding the Automatic update of the Duration.

Scenerio:
Task A has 6wks duration

Problem:
When I change the finish date of Task A, I want the duration of Task
to change automatically without affecting the Start Date this Task

Is this possible.
Please help me out

-T

 

[vanita]

Hi Tikendrajit

When you fix the start date of an activity you are using the constarint
'Must Start on'. Now when you change the finish date youself (and not through
the links) you are trying to apply another constraint of 'Finish no earlier
than'. This is not possible. You can only apply one constarint on an activity.

So, practically what you are looking for is not possible. Also, the sequence
to be adopted is to assignthe duration and predecessors to activities. Let
the dates be calculated automatically. If required apply one constarint to an
activity.

I hope it helps.
Vanita

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi TK,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

You should not be entering dates at all in favour of entering Durations and
Precedence links and let Project do what it is designed to - calculate the
schedule dates based on the data you've entered. If you enter dates you
will be constraining Project and you will lose flexibility in the planning
and execution of your project.

However, you can do what you're after by changing the Duration until it
meets the finish date you want.

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP
See http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc for my free Project Tutorials

 

[tikendrajit.singh]

All

Thank you very much for all your promt reply.
All the suggestions are really helpful for me.

I was doing my own trials in MS Project to see how the duration can b
automatically updated with the changes in the Finish Date.

Thank God I got it. And thought that I would share with you all.

Create:
Task 1 (1wk), Task 2 (2wk) and Task 3(4wk)
Task2 dependent on Task 1
Task3 dependent on Task2

Change the Date format of Start Date and Finish Date (example: April
'09)

For all the Start Date modify the Start Date (example: April 1 '09 t
April 1 '09?)

Put the extra ? as per the example.

Now change the finish dates of the Tasks, the duration will changes
The dependeny is intact and also the dates derived form the dependencie
are also intact.

I believe this will really help in tracking purpose.

Anybody if have a better way or idea then let me know.

Regards
~Tikendrajit (TK

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

The better way is to let Project calculate the the finish date for you,
don't manually supply it at all. Project is not simply to document a
schedule you have already predeternined. Rather, you should be saying "If
Task 1 can start 01 Apr and will take 10 days, what date will Task 2 start?
If Task 2 will take 5 days, what date will it finish?" and let Project
calculate them for you.