I entered predecessors which changed my start and finish dates

[CarliC]

After I completed entering my predecessors it changed my start and end dates
for specific task. The only way that I can get them back to the original
dates set was to delete the predecessors. Thsi fixes the date issue but
doesn't bring the baseline back to where it originally was pre-predecessor.

Can anyone help?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

I try to understand your problem.

First, it is quite normal that predecessors change the planned dates for a
task: that is how Project works. And indeed, removing the predecessor puts
the original dates back. But after all, IS it a predcessor (meaning it MUST
be finished before the task can start)? If it is, the dates or the successor
task have to follow suit; if it isn't you shouldn't introduce it as one.

And baselines chenge when you go to Tools, Tracking, Set baseline.

Hope this helps,

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

 

[CarliC]

I suppose I am not understanding the relationship between predecessors and
sucessors. There can't be one without the other? If I add sucessors in as
well as predessors will my date be adjusted to the original planned dates I
entered?

 

[CarliC]

I am so new to this program, I've only had it for four days. How do I do I
enter the sucessors?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Creating a predecessor of a task makes the task a successor to the
pedecessor.
Any link is from a predecessor to a successor
There are at least 8 ways to create a link between tasks
Entering a number in the predecessors colum is one.
You can also insert, column, successors and enter the successor number
there.
You can select predecessor, then thesuccessor with the CTRL key and hit the
link tasks button on the toolbar

Best of all: you can follow a typical two day course to undertand the
program!


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

 

[CarliC]

Thank you for the help. Where would I find this two course you are speaking
of? Is it available online?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

I meant a "teaching" course. There must be one in your country! I can only
help if it's Belgium or the Netherlands..

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

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi CarlicC,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

A 2-day course is essential if you want to get up and running quickly.
Meanwhile, you might like to have a look at my free series for beginners on
Microsoft Project in the TechTrax ezine at this site:
http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc or this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the articles before leaving the site,
Thanks.)

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

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

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

 

[Steve House]

First of all, you should (almost) never be entering start and finish dates
for tasks at all. Project is not designed to document a schedule you have
already come up with independently, it's designed to take information on
what tasks need to be done, your estimate of how long each task will take,
the relationships between the tasks, and resource information and from that
calculate the individual task start and end dates for you. You don't tell
it the schedule you want to work - it tells you the schedule you'll be able
to work.

Imagine we're building a shed and can start on Monday. It'll take three
days to lay the foundation, 5 days to erect the frame, and 4 days to put on
the roof. We have to have the foundation completed before we can erect the
walls and we have to have the walls in place before we can put on the roof.
Foundation is a predecessor of walls, walls are a successor of foundation.
Likewise at the same time walls are also a predecessor of roof. If we start
the foundation on Monday the earliest walls can start is Thursday, the day
after foundation finishes. Project's reason to exist is to calculate that
for you - that's why adding the predecessor caused your dates to change -
they HAD to because it's physically impossible for the task to start until
the predecessor allows it to.

HTH