tasks with multiple finish dates

[ehimrod]

I am using Microsoft Project Manager 2007, and am wondering if there is a way
that I can set it up so that each task can have multiple "finish" dates
calculated for me. I'm working with shipments that are in my area for
approximately 10 weeks. During that period, I need to do something with them
at week 5 and week 9. Each shipment would be what the program calls a task.

I have tried using Start, Finish (week 5), Start1, and Finish1 (week 9),
with separate durations for each, but the program only recognizes the first
Start and Finish. If the past, I have just used one set of Start and Finish
dates, then calculated out the rest manually, but I'm wondering if there is
an easier way to do this.

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

The program will call a task an undertaking with just one finish I'm afraid.

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

 

[Jim Aksel]

I think you need additional detail in the schedule. For example, let's
suppose you have 10 shipments (or 10 lots). Make a task "Shipment #1"
Indent all the things you need to do for Shipment #1 underneath that task so
it becomes a summary.

Now you can link the subtasks together with additional detail including what
happens on Week 5 and Week 9.

Two important milestones you may want to include underneath the summary task
are (A) Shipment Authorized to Commence Work, and, (B) Shipment Complete

Once you are done with "Shipment #1" you essentially have a template for the
other 9 shipments. Collapse the summary task, copy it, and then paste it 9
times.

If you want to cascade (waterfall) the shipments you can link "B" from
Shipment #1 to "A" in "Shipment #2" (etc.) then the who thing will waterfall
nicely after you do this for every shipment.


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Jim Aksel, MVP

Check out my blog for more information:
http://www.msprojectblog.com

 

[Steve House]

A task is an observable physical activity that produces a unique result.
Further, the duration is the length of time the resource doing the task
takes, from the moment the action starts to happen until it ends. You say
your shipments have two different activities that need to happen to them,
the first at week 5 and the other at week 9. That means each shipment is a
summary task with those two distinct activities as subtasks indented
underneath it. Further, an action that happens on week 5 and another that
happens on week 9 do not have a durations of 5 and 4 weeks ... they have
durations of how ever long the actual physical action takes to do, with a
lag time of 5 weeks after the shipment's arrival for the first and a lag
time of 4 weeks later for the second. The waiting time between arrival and
the first task and between the first and second task are not part of the
respective task's durations.

For discussion, lets say those two actions each take one hour to perform.
How about modeling it this way ....

1 Shipment 1
1.1 Shipment Arrives, Duration 0 (milestone)
1.2 Action 1, Duration 1h, Predecessor 1.1FS+5w
1.3 Action 2, Duration 1h, Predecessor 1.2FS+4w
1.4 Shipment Leaves, Duration 0 (milestone), Predecessor 1.3 FS+1w
2 Shipment 2 ....