Scheduling from fixed finish dates?

[Tom G.]

What is the best way to schedule a series of activities from a fixed
finish date? We are planning an event that takes place on July 23, 2005. I
am trying to plug in things like:

Issue press release 3 days before event (must occur on)

Issue press release 30 days before event (could be +/- 3 days)

Design, print, mail brochures must be finished 60 days before event.*

* Design and print can happen early but mailing must
take place no earlier than 60 days before event and no
later than 45 days before event.

These activities needs to be relative days in case we have to reschedule
the entire event for a later date. However, most tasks MUST happen as
outlined above (finish x number of days before event).

I am fairly used to constructing projects that have regular SF relations
and the end date floats depending on the length of time. Here we're trying
to plan backwards and I'm not sure I'm doing what I want.

Thanks for the help!

 

[JackD]

Plan the project in the traditional way with FS (I don't think you meant SF)
dependencies then go to Project Menu/ Select project information/ set the
"Schedule From" box to "Project Finish"

 

[Tom G.]

Plan the project in the traditional way with FS (I don't think you
meant SF) dependencies

Yeah, I meant F->S.

then go to Project Menu/ Select project
information/ set the "Schedule From" box to "Project Finish"

But that doesn't help me with those tasks that MUST take place 60 days
prior to fnish (like doing the press releases). Or am I missing
something?? How do I put in a task sequence like this:

Design Brochure <- 5 days
Obtain approvals <-- 5 days
Print Brochure <- 5 days
Mail Brochure <- 2 days

Each of these have F->S relations but "Mail Brochure" MUST finish ON 60
days before event date (end of project).

 

[JackD]

FS+Lag = 60d

 

[Tom G.]

FS+Lag = 60d

It appears the only place I can enter this is if I the task itself is a
predecessor task. In my original example:

Design Brochure <-- 5 days
FS Obtain approvals <-- 5 days
FS Print Brochure <-- 5 days
FS Mail Brochure <-- 2 days

Assume these are all linked, I can set the lag on Print Brochure but Mail
Brochure can't have a lag tied to itself.

If I want to mail the brochure 60 days prior to the finish date of the
project, how do I set the lag?

Or do I have to set the event date as a dependent item FOR all tasks??
That seems really ugly.

 

[JackD]

Create a milestone called "Finish Date"
Create a dependency between Mail Brochure and Finish Date with a lag of 60
days.
Alternatively you could create a task between the two called "Wait for mail
to be delivered" and make it 60days long.
Obviously print brochure is an activity which is a predecessor to mail
brochure so it is linked in a typical FS manner to mail brochure. I would
avoid using a lag here, just make print brochure long enough to cover all
the time from start of printing to mailing. I assume mailing is not
instantaneous either. Probably a day or more for that.
Prior to printing you have an approval process. It appears to be 5 days so
make it 5 days and do not use a lag.
Prior to approvals you have design. It may be in parallel to obtaining
approvals so either link it to approvals if serial or to Print if parallel.

Now you know when each task has to start and when it has to finish.

 

[Tom G.]

Create a milestone called "Finish Date"
Create a dependency between Mail Brochure and Finish Date with a lag
of 60 days.

Actually, I started playing around with it and I think what I came up with
will work. Maybe you can tell me a good reason NOT to do this.

I did somewhat the same thing but I set Mail Brochure as dependent on
Finish Date but with a FF relation. Then set the lag time as -60 days. I
applied a calendar that includes Sat/Sun as working days. That seems to
work so far.

 

[Tom G.]

I did somewhat the same thing but I set Mail Brochure as dependent on
Finish Date but with a FF relation. Then set the lag time as -60
days. I applied a calendar that includes Sat/Sun as working days.
That seems to work so far.

Arrgh. Well I see a reason why it doesn't work 100%. If I schedule any
predecessors to Finish ALAP, the -xx lag time gets ignored.

 

[JackD]

Yup.

Stick to FS dependencies.