Updates going missing

[Gordon Blair]

hi guys,
Not sure if you can help me, or if I should call
Ghostbusters.... Myself and one of my Trusted, Sensible
colleagues have both experienced the strange phenomenon
of updating and amending the Plan, only to return to it
at a later date for the updates to have apparently not
stuck. We've only been in one at a time, we've not been
in read only and we've saved as a Time Stamped Copy and
archived the old version. Is there a known issue with
MSP2002 (Standard) and XP Pro SP1?
Yours, in the twilight zone,

Gordon

 

[Clark Meyer]

Hi Gordon,

I too have experienced this phenomenon, and have yet to see any answers or
solutions. When I change a task's calendar to '24hrs' (it's an overnight or
weekend task) it gets magically reset the next time I bring up the project
(and yes, I saved my work ;-) ).

To add insult to injury, the 24-hour calendar doesn't seem to apply to the
start time for the task, but does seem to be considered for the end time. For
example, I have a task (I'll call it task 1) that ends at 3:00pm. I have a
4-hour task (task 2) that I want to start at 7:00pm, so I put a predecessor
value on task 2 of "1FS+4hrs". This should cause task 2's start time to be
7:00pm and end time of 11:00pm. But, what happens is the start time
mysteriously becomes 10:00AM the next day! (normal work day of 8am-5pm)

However, if I make the lag time 2 hours or less, so that the start time is
within my "normal" calendar work day (not the 24-hour day that I specified),
the start time is 5:00pm and ends at 9:00pm. Of course, when I bring up the
project again the next day (or next hour, 5 minutes, or whatever), the
24-hour calendar is gone and the times are back to 10am-2pm again.

So, you're not alone in experiencing "disappearing updates", but I sure wish
someone could figure out what's going on here. Kinda makes one want to look
for other project management software that works!

Regards,
Clark

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Clark,

I can't reproduce this behavior in Project 2002. Everything works as meant.
Which version are you using?

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

You didn't mention which version of Project you are using but in Project
2003 Pro your problem doesn't occur - task 2 will begin at 7pm as you want.
For earlier versions, as best I recall, all time elements within Project are
controlled by the Project Calendar, whatever calendar you have designated as
such, unless over-ridden. For a task that can be by the task's Resource
Calendar or Task Calendar but they only apply to the task itself and not the
links, etc, related to it. In your case, while you're over-riding the
regular calendar with the 24-hour calendar for your second task, the
calendar governing the lag time between it and its predecessor is still the
standard 8-5 calendar. With a 4-hours lag time, you have 2 hours from 3-5
pm and the next 2 hours from 8-10 am the next day and then the 4 hours has
expired and task 2 can begin.

You can override the project calendar for the lag time by specifying it in
elapsed time instead. Elapsed time ignores working time calendars and so
while 4 hours duration time (plain 4h lag) expires at 10 am the next day, 4
hours elapsed time expires at 7pm the same day. Enter your lag time as
"4eh" without the quotes of course and I think it'll give you the results
you're looking for.

 

[Clark Meyer]

I'm sorry. I had mentioned the version in my original post: "Changing task
calendar does not stick". I'm using Microsoft Standard 2002, version
10.0.2002.0502. I will try your suggestion. I was wondering if I made the
default calendar the 24-hour calendar and override the tasks (most of them)
to the standard calendar, would that work. I'll do some experimenting today
and let you know how it goes. Thanks Steve.

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Clark,

Very,very puzzling.
I did EXACTLY as you wrote in Project 2002 Standard (be it that I have SP-1
installed) and it works to perfection.
The standard calendar is Project's default 8-17 one and the task calendar is
24 hrs.
Either this is something resolved in SP-1 or you have a constraint on the
task
You don't have a resource attached have you?

Greets,

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

I would not recommend using the 24 hour calendar as the project calendar
though some users might disagree. The 24 hours calendar says that all hours
of the day are working time and as such will be filled with work. But more
than just that, it also implies that once a task begins it continues without
interruption until it's done. If the task happens to require several weeks
of work, that means that when it starts Monday morning it won't stop for
meals, sleep, anything, until it finishes many days later. Machines might
work like that but people don't. Since the rule of thumb for a WBS is one
task = one resource, that is hardly a realistic expectation to put onto your
resources. I've yet to meet anyone who is able to work, say, 72 hours solid
without a break.

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer/Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

 

[Clark Meyer]

Agreed. That's why I said "override the tasks (most of them) to the standard
calendar" - would that not cause them to be scheduled according to the
standard working hours? Anyway, I think entering as elapsed time will be a
better solution. The 24-hour thing was more of an experiment.

Thanks again,
Clark

 

[Clark Meyer]

No resources attached at all...just tasks. Our corporate desktop group
doesn't always keep up with the software upgrades, so that could very well be
it (SP-1). I don't have any constraint on the task and, curiously enough,
Steve's "elapsed hours" suggestion doesn't work if I use a lag time (to make
the start time occur after hours). I can make it work if I don't use the lag
time and just increase the elapsed hours, but geez, what a pain and loss of
productive time this issue has been!

Thanks to everyone for your gracious assistance and patience.

Clark

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

Using elapsed time for the *lag time* , entering the lag as 4eh, doesn't
work???

 

[Clark Meyer]

Actually, my mistake. An elapsed-time lag time *does* work.

To the original question of this thread (my apologies to Gordon for sort of
taking over the thread with my own issue), why would modifications, such as
my modification to the task calendar, disappear?

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

That one's a puzzle. Are they disappearing in the file in which they were
made or are you looking for the modified calendars in other files created
after?

 

[Clark Meyer]

In my case, they are disappearing from the file in which they were made. It
was like saving the file saved everything except that change (the changing of
the task's calendar type). I'm not sure about Gordon's case, as he didn't
specify the nature of his updates.