Critical Path Column - Proj 2003

[Penny]

It is my understanding that the critical path column says yes with a 0 slack
and then when you calc the critical path it goes based on the yes in the
critical column. I am having several cases where my slack column says 0 and
I am not getting the yes in the critical column.

Any ideas what I am doing wrong?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Finshed tasks have zero slack (they cannoyt move any more) but they are not
considered "Critical".
HTH

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[Penny]

I don't even have any Complete tasks in my schedule yet as I am just setting
this up. But I am still getting 0 Total Slack columns and not getting a yes
in the Critical Path column.

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Did you enter an Actual Start value?

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[Penny]

No. The project hasn't started yet.

Did you enter an Actual Start value?

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

OK; the send me the file at
jandemesATprom-ade.be
I'll try to diagnose.
(Could be in 20+ hrs time since it's near midnight here)
Greetings,

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Just to make sure... you are talking about the TOTAL SLACK column, not the
FREE SLACK column, don't you???
Critical is when TOTAL SLACK is 0.

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[Penny]

Thank you Jan for your help. Yes I am talking about Total Slack. I just
don't get it. But unfortunately the schedule I have is at a classification
level that I cannot forward it to you. Thanks for the offer though. If you
can think of things that I could trouble shoot I would be grateful for the
help.

 

[Penny]

Trying to also send you a note on your email. Am unsuccessful emailing to:
jandemesATprom-ade.be. Does there have to be an @ something in there?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,
Replace AT by @, yes.
One should never show a readable e-mail address in a newsgroup because
spammers "milk" newsgroups looking for addresses, hence the AT instead of @.

I appreciate the confidentiality but you can replace all task names by "T"
or anything and resource names by the figures 1,2,3 etc. (can be
copie/pasted from the ID row)
What's left has the same slack but has lost all potential confi information!

(I'm really curious)!

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[JulieS]

Pardon me for bumping in here. When you press F9 on your keyboard
does the "No" change to "yes" in the critical column? If so, it
sounds as though your calculation is set to manual. Go to Tools >
Option, Calculation tab and ensure the Calculation mode is set to
Automatic.

I can reproduce what you report by setting my calculation mode to
manual and adding tasks. The total slack field is 0days but
critical is "no". When I press F9, either the total slack
recalculates correctly and/or critical goes to "yes"

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

Julie
Project MVP

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