Scheduling by End Date

[Compass Rose]

I am trying to create a Project template for an organization that runs an
annual event. The date of the event will vary from year to year. The tasks
that have to be performed prior to the event won't change from year to
year-only the dates that they will be performed. Most tasks have predecessors
which are other tasks, but some of the tasks have Start Dates that are
relative to the Event Date, some starting as much as 1 year prior to the
event. For example, Task 1 has a Start Date of 1 year prior to the event.
Task 2 has task 1 as a predecessor. Task 3 has task 2 as a predecessor, etc.

I would like the template to work in such a way that to produce the Gantt
chart for a year's event, the user would enter the Project End Date in the
Project Information and all the tasks will be adjusted accordingly.

How should the task predecessors and 'Schedule from' in the Project
Information be set up to achieve this?

TIA
David

 

[davegb]

I hate to say it but this approach is doomed.
You have a mixture of scheduling backwards and forwards.

You can set in Project Information to schedule backwards from a Finish Date,
and all Tasks will be scheduled As Late As Possible.
But don't do it.
And don't use any Date Constraints either.

Always schedule forwards from a start date, which is fundamental to the
Critical Path Method.
If the duration of all of its Predecessors causes the Finish Date to be
later than the date of the big event, then look for what is causing it on
the Critical Path and shorten the duration of something on the Critical
Path, or get something off the Critical Path.









- Show quoted text -

Event planning is very difficult in Project, but it certainly can be
done. Maybe a couple of hints will get you started.

I'd start by setting the project start date one year before the event
when that first task starts. Then schedule forward from there. Trevor
is right, if you "Schedule from Finish", you any control of when
things get done. Schedule so that your final event occurs on the
specified date. Anytime you update, you have to make sure your final
event is still scheduled on the correct date. You can use a Must Start
On constraint here, or a Deadline. If you use a constraint, always
check, after modifying your schedule, that your final even is
scheduled correctly.

You'll probably have a number of ALAP tasks. You usually do with event
planning. This means that each of these tasks are critical by design
and must start and finish on time. Takes some juggling sometimes. But
let's face it, shipping the lettuce has to be done ALAP, or close to
it.

Event planning means a lot of constraints in your schedule, which
makes it difficult to determine your critical path and means a lot of
manual manipulation to get it right. But it can be done. You do have
to break some of the "rules" of scheduling, but to make an omelette...

Hope this helps in your world.

 

[Frumpy Jones]

My MS Project knowledge is limited, so I apologize if I ask something that
has already been answered, but this thread question is my exact question with
different criteria:

I want to make a four-week project that will be the exact same for every
client we have, but with a different end date.

Can I make a project template (For lack of a better term) and create
multiple projects with different end dates, that will autofill the events
leading up to that end date?

Simpliest exaple will be if I have project that has five things:

Feb 01 Send kit to client
Feb 08 Client sends back list
Feb 15 Sent script to Client
Feb 22 Client gives Approval
Feb 29 Program airs

Now, what I want is that if I copy this same exact project, and change the
end date to March 29th, it back-dates all the other items to accomodate.

Possible?

Note: This answer determines if I buy MS project

 

[Dave]

There are a number of ways of shifting project dates so it can be done.

There is a macro for example for changing project dates.

Another way would be to work out the number of working days between Feb
29 and Mar 29 and add that to the start date.

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Frumpy,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

Yes. Remove any Actual data and Save As - select Template and it will have
an .mpt suffix. When you open the template, it strips off the .mpt and will
apply a normal .mpp suffix. So run the Adjust Dates macro from the Analysis
toolbar and enter the new start date to meet your finish date requirement.

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 Project Tutorials

 

[Steve House]

One first step is to realize that what you have outlined in this post IS NOT
a project plan. You have listed milestones, a set of deadlines, but project
plans are much more than a list of deadlines, they are schedules of all of
the project actual detailed tasks. Tasks are always observable physical
actions extending over a measurable length of time. For example, your "Send
kit to client" is a deliverable, an event that needs to take place on or
before the 1st of February. But being able to send that kit requires
preparation, which means that, for example, someone will have to write the
material (16 hours of work), draw the comps (12 hours of work), draft the
proposal (24 hours of work), review proposed contract with legal (3 hours of
work), assemble kit (1 hour of work), and deliver it to client (30 minutes
of work). At the end of the sequence of activities, you will have crossed
the milestone "Kit Sent To Client" and it will occur on whatever date
results from taking the date you started the processs and adding the length
of time it takes you to do all the required stuff. So create your project
file for one client with all the required details and save it as a template.
For your other clients, create a new file based on the template and use the
"Change Dates" tool (Analysis toolbar) to revise the start date to the
proper one for that particular client. See if your milestones fall where
they need to. If they do, dandy, you're set. If not (much more likely)
then change the start date of the process and/or find ways of getting tasks
done quicker (hire more people, for example) until you figure out a way to
get them to fall into line.

 

[davegb]

My MS Project knowledge is limited, so I apologize if I ask something that
has already been answered, but this thread question is my exact question with
different criteria:

I want to make a four-week project that will be the exact same for every
client we have, but with a different end date.

Can I make a project template (For lack of a better term) and create
multiple projects with different end dates, that will autofill the events
leading up to that end date?

Simpliest exaple will be if I have project that has five things:

Feb 01 Send kit to client
Feb 08 Client sends back list
Feb 15 Sent script to Client
Feb 22 Client gives Approval
Feb 29 Program airs

Now, what I want is that if I copy this same exact project, and change the
end date to March 29th, it back-dates all the other items to accomodate.

Possible?

Note: This answer determines if I buy MS project

The answer here is yes and no. If you choose to enter the end date of
the project, as was mentioned above, Project schedules every task to
start on it's Late Start date, meaning, no Total Slack. Every task is
critical and must be completed on time or the end date will slip. Not
generally a good idea.

In general it would be better to create your template, then when you
create a new project, enter a trial Start Date, and see where your End
Date is relative to your target, and adjust accordingly. Then your
tasks will have, where appropriate, Total Slack. Much better
scheduling situation!

Hope this helps in your world.