Beginners question

[CodeRazor]

I do not understand the following. Please try it and you will see what I mean.

I create a brand new project starting on Mon 31/11/2009. I do not change any
default settings.
I create a task called "Project" and create 2 subtasks both with a duration
of 5 days and link them.

Why does the second task start on Fri 04/12/2009? And not on the Mon
07/12/2009?
Task 1 starts on Mon and finishes on Fri.
But Task 2 starts on Fri and finishes on Fri.

???..... I really don't understand how this can be right --- or helpful!

If I create a further 2 tasks, again with 5 days duration and link them to
the other 2 tasks, then task 4 finishes on a Thursday....
I would expect that the overall duration would be 20 days. But actually it
is 19....

Please help(!)

 

[Abel MacAdam]

Hi,

This may depend on your configuration. Imagine you plan five day tasks of
eight hours each. Next the configuration thinks working days are 12 h ours
long (from 8 am to 8 pm).

Hope this helps,
Abel

 

[Projectability]

It sounds like there is a disparity between the working hours as defined in
the Base Calendar used to schedule your project and the Calendar settings
available from the Tools>Options dialog box - to check the times in the Base
Calendar go Tools>Change Working Time - you want to be sure that the hours
per day and week as well as the start and finish times are in synch with the
settings in the Calendar tab.

--
Dominic Moss

Projectability - Helping People achieve more with Microsoft Project

Check the Downloads section on our Website for useful documents on both
Project Management and Microsoft Project

www.projectability.co.uk

Why not subscribe to our monthly newsletter for hints tips and views

http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001WVdpo956d6lHqIISFtfgVw==

 

[Jim Aksel]

Hello CodeRazor.

Try showing more granularity in your dates. Tools/Options/View (tab).
Select a date format that also includes a time hh:mm. More than likely your
Project Start date (Project/Project Information...) is not 8AM on Monday 30
NOV 2009.

While you are in Tools/options... pull the calendar tab and look to see what
time tasks start/end

Check the work calendar (Tools/Change Working time...) and verify the work
times for the dates in question.

Your only other choice is to look at resource calendars, but you did not say
you are assigning them yet.

Although you say you have not changed these items, it is possible they were
changed prior to you creating this project. For certain, I cannot duplicate
your problem here with P2003 or P2007 based on default settings.
--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim Aksel, MVP

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

 

[CodeRazor]

There is nothing else in this project file except the tasks I explained
earlier. This is a new file using default settings. I checked the settings
and this is what I get:

Under Tools > Change Working Time, the times are down as:
From 08:00 To 12:00
From 13:00 To 17:00

And in the Tools > Options > Calendar tab:
Week starts on:Monday
Default start time: 08:00
Default end time: 17:00
Hours per day: 8
Hours per week:40
Days per month:20

The situation I explained occurs regardless of what date I use as my project
start date.

Can you help me further? I am so confused and losing the will to live.

 

[CodeRazor]

Also.. The start date column shows the start time as 09:00 am .... and I
don't understand how this can be so, when all the default settings say 8am.

 

[Rob Schneider]

In Menu: Tools/Options, Tab: View, change the date format to one that
shows time and see if this helps you see whats going on with start and
end dates and times.

--rms

www.rmschneider.com

 

[Projectability]

As you are showing the time in the date format go to the Project Menu and in
Project Information edit the Start TIME to be 08:00 and then see what
happens.

I would also suggest that when viewing the Calendar Tab of the options
dialog box that you click the "Set as Default" button when you are confident
that its settings are in Synch with the Base Calendar being used to schedule
the project.

--
Dominic Moss

Projectability - Helping People achieve more with Microsoft Project

Check the Downloads section on our Website for useful documents on both
Project Management and Microsoft Project

www.projectability.co.uk

Why not subscribe to our monthly newsletter for hints tips and views

http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001WVdpo956d6lHqIISFtfgVw==

 

[CodeRazor]

i think i resolved it.
thanksyou

 

[Michael.Tarnowski]

i think i resolved it.
thanksyou

Hi CodeRazor,
can you please be more specific how you resolved it, resp. what went
wrong?
Michael