Can I status a sub proj & have the status roll to a master sch?

[Penny]

I have a master schedule and it is linked externally to a sub project. I
would like to status the sub project and have the status, i.e. % Complete,
and potential new early dates, automatically update to the activity in the
master schedule.

 

[JulieS]

Hello Penny,

How did you link the subproject to the master? If the subproject is
embedded, any changes made to the subproject should automatically
update the information in the master.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

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[Penny]

I have the subproject liked through predecessors. I am not sure what the
embedded link is that you are talking about?

 

[JulieS]

Not quite and this is where the terminology can get a bit muddled

When creating a "master project" you can insert a subproject in its
entirety into the master project. (Insert > Project). By default, the
inserted project is embedded and is linked to the subproject. In the
indicator column there is an icon next to the subproject Project
Summary line showing the name and path of the embedded project. In
those kinds of master projects, because the tasks showing in the
master are linked to the subproject, changes made to the tasks in the
master file will automatically update the subproject tasks and changes
made to the subproject tasks will show in the master. So, if the data
in the task in the subproject is changed, the master is also changed.
If you show the Project Summary task in the master, the % complete,
actual, remaining durations etc. will be updated.

From what I understand from your brief explanation, you have a task in
your "master project" whose schedule is driving a successor task in
the subproject? The external successor's progress will show on the
external successor task but I don't believe it will impact the master
project's summary level task progress.

I hope this is a bit clearer. Please let me know if you have any
further questions.

Julie

 

[Penny]

Julie thank you for your help. Actually I have 4 sub projects and one
master. The subs are not inserted projects but 4 seperate files. In my
master I want to show key activities from each of the subs so I can see
impacts of work across all 4 subs. So I have activities in the subs that are
driving the activities in the master through predecessor ties. I would like
to be able to update the subs and see that update flow up to that linked task
in the master. Does that make sense?

 

[JulieS]

Hi Penny,

It does make sense, thanks

If you have external predecessors (tasks from the subproject) driving
the successor tasks in the master, any changes to the predecessor
task's schedule should change the successor task schedule. To give an
example that I hope helps clarify:

Master Project File
Summary Task A in master
subtask B in master
-----> external task 1
subtask C in master successor to external task 1

The schedule of subtask c is being driven by the external task 1. If
I change external task 1 duration from 1 day to 2 days, assuming a F
to S relationship between External task 1 and subtask C, the start of
subtask C is modified by the change in duration for external task 1.

I mark external task 1 100% complete. I can see the 100% for external
task 1 when looking at the task in the master project file. However,
there is no change in subtask C. Percent complete from one task does
not change the % complete in its successor. There is also no change
to the percent complete to Summary Task A in the master project.

I hope this helps.

Julie