Uploading Progress to Different Project File

[Jim Aksel]

We maintain two separate project files, let's call them "Level3" and
"Level4". The structure of the two files is intended to be identical, but is
not exactly so. The Level 4 schedule is a further breakdown of everything in
the Level 3.

So, what is a "Task" in Level3 becomes a Summary Task in Level4. We are
resource loading with Work and real headcount on Level4. It will be EV based
on either %Work Complete or Physical%Complete.

What we want to do is take the %Work Complete data from the summary tasks of
Level4 and map them to the associated tasks in Level3.

Is there a way to do this?

One suggested solution was to just collapse Level4 to look like Level3.
However, that will not work. Our customer insists there be no hidden detail
in the Level3 schedule.

Any ideas?

 

[John]

We maintain two separate project files, let's call them "Level3" and
"Level4". The structure of the two files is intended to be identical, but is
not exactly so. The Level 4 schedule is a further breakdown of everything in
the Level 3.

So, what is a "Task" in Level3 becomes a Summary Task in Level4. We are
resource loading with Work and real headcount on Level4. It will be EV based
on either %Work Complete or Physical%Complete.

What we want to do is take the %Work Complete data from the summary tasks of
Level4 and map them to the associated tasks in Level3.

Is there a way to do this?

One suggested solution was to just collapse Level4 to look like Level3.
However, that will not work. Our customer insists there be no hidden detail
in the Level3 schedule.

Any ideas?

Jim,
First of all I'd say your customer needs some training. Where does he
think the information is coming from if it is not at a performance task
level? And the first part of that training should be the fact that a
summary line is NOT a task - it is a summary of the, yup you guessed it,
subtasks under it.

Nonetheless, how do you work "around" your insistent customer who
apparently has no problem with a "cooked" schedule. Since he obviously
doesn't understand basic schedule hierarchy, why not print him a
hardcopy or give him an HTML or other snapshot of the appropriately
collapsed file. Another somewhat covert approach would be to rename
spare fields in the customer file to replicate % work complete and any
other pieces of data he wants and then copy/paste, export using VBA or
use paste links to transfer the real data. Normally I wouldn't suggest
paste links because they are prone to corruption but if you are
extremely disciplined in file maintenance, (e.g. no file renaming, no
moving files, no sudden changes, and never skip breakfast), you should
be OK.

Personally I'd try to educate my customer. If that fails, I'd probably
go for the VBA approach simply because it is efficient and less
problematic than the other methods I suggested.

John
Project MVP

 

[Jim Aksel]

I could write a book about this customer, they are essentially using Level 3
schedules as PowerPoint Slides ....

Anyway, I will try the VBA route and see what I can pull over. Hit me off
line if you want the true story.

jim

 

[John]

I could write a book about this customer, they are essentially using Level 3
schedules as PowerPoint Slides ....

Anyway, I will try the VBA route and see what I can pull over. Hit me off
line if you want the true story.

jim

Jim,
Nothing wrong with using PowerPoint slides to give an overview of a
project, but that doesn't explain a demand for no detail. And with
respect to your offer to communicate offline, I really don't think I
want to hear about another customer (or manager) who doesn't understand
scheduling and project management. I've already read about enough of
them on the newsgroup.

John