B
Bill Cole
This is more of a general MS Project question than a Project Server
question, but this did not come up until my team began entering their actual
hours each week via PWA.
Each resource has a list of assigned tasks and each task is linked to the
prior task by having the prior task as a Prececessor.
Each week when the resource apply their hours in PWA, I want Project to
calculate new Finish dates for all legs, of course the date I am most
interested in is the final leg
Finish Date which means that resource is done with all development
assignments.
(By the way, I have to highlight all of the resource's tasks and choose
Tools->Projecrt->Update Project and then type in the current date to get PS
to recalculate all the Finish Dates,
if there is a way to have PS automatically recalculate finish dates when
resources apply their hours, let me know).
The problem with Project calculating each task's Finish Date is it gets
thrown off when a prior task is completed, that is, the Remaining Work is
set to 0. When that happens, the
Finish Date on that task becomes fixed to the date they last entered hours.
Project in subsequent weeks thinks the successor task work can begin at the
Finish Date of the
precedessor task, which is not correct.
In the example below,
INITIAL TASKS as of OCT 1
Task 1 - 80 hours begin 10/1, Finish 10/15
Task 2 - 120 hours, begin 10/15, Finish 11/05 - pred is task 1
Task 3 - 80 hours, begin 11/05, Finish 11/19 - pred is task 2
AS OF OCT 22, Task 2 was completed early, remaining hours set to 0, Project
sets the Finish Date to 10/22
AS of OCT 29, now the calculations for Task 3 are wrong, because Project
assumes the remaining work for Task 3 can be done beginning 10/22.
That is wrong. 10/22 is now in the past, and Task 3 remaining work and
finish date should be calculated when Task 1 is done.
Task 1 - 24 hours remaining - Finish Date 11/03
Task 2 - 0 hours remaining - Finish Date 10/22 (This is an actual finish
date, no longer calculated)
Task 3 - 80 hours remaining - Finish Date 11/05 (This is WRONG, Project
assumes the 80 hours can begin 10/22, but it can not really begin til 11/03
without double booking the resource).
The Finish Date for Task 3 should be 11/17, which is 2 week from 11/03, not
2 weeks from 10/22.
The only way I know around this problem is to monitor the schedule each
week, see which tasks have been set to 0 hours remaining, and then modify
the predecessor of the next task
in the schedule to the first earlier non-completed task as the predecessor.
In the above example, when Task 2 was completed, I'd have to modify the
predecessor of Task 3 to include Task 1.
If only Task 2 was the predecessor of Task 3, the Finish date of Task 3 is
calculated incorrectly.
Bill
question, but this did not come up until my team began entering their actual
hours each week via PWA.
Each resource has a list of assigned tasks and each task is linked to the
prior task by having the prior task as a Prececessor.
Each week when the resource apply their hours in PWA, I want Project to
calculate new Finish dates for all legs, of course the date I am most
interested in is the final leg
Finish Date which means that resource is done with all development
assignments.
(By the way, I have to highlight all of the resource's tasks and choose
Tools->Projecrt->Update Project and then type in the current date to get PS
to recalculate all the Finish Dates,
if there is a way to have PS automatically recalculate finish dates when
resources apply their hours, let me know).
The problem with Project calculating each task's Finish Date is it gets
thrown off when a prior task is completed, that is, the Remaining Work is
set to 0. When that happens, the
Finish Date on that task becomes fixed to the date they last entered hours.
Project in subsequent weeks thinks the successor task work can begin at the
Finish Date of the
precedessor task, which is not correct.
In the example below,
INITIAL TASKS as of OCT 1
Task 1 - 80 hours begin 10/1, Finish 10/15
Task 2 - 120 hours, begin 10/15, Finish 11/05 - pred is task 1
Task 3 - 80 hours, begin 11/05, Finish 11/19 - pred is task 2
AS OF OCT 22, Task 2 was completed early, remaining hours set to 0, Project
sets the Finish Date to 10/22
AS of OCT 29, now the calculations for Task 3 are wrong, because Project
assumes the remaining work for Task 3 can be done beginning 10/22.
That is wrong. 10/22 is now in the past, and Task 3 remaining work and
finish date should be calculated when Task 1 is done.
Task 1 - 24 hours remaining - Finish Date 11/03
Task 2 - 0 hours remaining - Finish Date 10/22 (This is an actual finish
date, no longer calculated)
Task 3 - 80 hours remaining - Finish Date 11/05 (This is WRONG, Project
assumes the 80 hours can begin 10/22, but it can not really begin til 11/03
without double booking the resource).
The Finish Date for Task 3 should be 11/17, which is 2 week from 11/03, not
2 weeks from 10/22.
The only way I know around this problem is to monitor the schedule each
week, see which tasks have been set to 0 hours remaining, and then modify
the predecessor of the next task
in the schedule to the first earlier non-completed task as the predecessor.
In the above example, when Task 2 was completed, I'd have to modify the
predecessor of Task 3 to include Task 1.
If only Task 2 was the predecessor of Task 3, the Finish date of Task 3 is
calculated incorrectly.
Bill