can't drag tasks even when no constraints set?!

[jkn]

Hi all
I am puzzled as to why MS project (Professional 2002) doesn't allow
me to do what seems to be a simple process of dragging a task to start
on a specific date.

I realise that this is not 'best practice', but I want to create a task
with a given duration, and drag it to start at a particular time.

I do 'new task task', double-click, and enter a duration. I have "new
tasks is set to 'start on current date'" is set in the Options |
Schedule tab. So I have a task starting on today's date, with a 'start
no earlier that <today>' constraint. so far, so good.

I then clear this constraint, by setting the Constraint type to 'Start
as soon as' in the 'Advanced' tab. I press OK, and the constraint is
gone.

I then try to drag the task to a different date. Project doesn't allow
this, which seems to be contrary to what I have read.

I understand that this would set a constraint, and for my current
purposes that's OK. I'm almost using Project as a 'drawing tool' for
now.

There seems to be a conflict between a 'start date' (which I never
entered, but is presumably how Project originally scheduled the task),
and a 'start no earlier than' constraint (which seems to refer to the
date I dragged the task to).

If I'm right in that, , then my question becomes, "How can I remove the
'start date' constraint? There seems to be know way of doing this, only
manually changing it.

If there is a better way of doing this I'd love to know. I am teaching
myself ways of using Project as a proper scheduling tool but sometimes
doing things the 'dirty' way has its useful...
Thanks very much in anticipation

Jon N

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

I've tried duplicating your problem and find I get different results.
Create a new project and set the project start date (Project menu) to
sometime in the past, I used 10 Jan. (If the project was going to start in
the future it would make no sense at all to have new tasks start on the
current date - a task can't start BEFORE the project start since the project
start date is the date the earliest task in it begins.) Set the options for
new tasks to start on the current date. Enter task X, duration 5 days.
Project places it starting today with a SNET constraint. Remove the
constraint by setting ASAP in the constraint block on the advanced tab.
Task jumps back to start on 10 Jan. Click and drag the task to the right
and I can drop it to start on any date I choose, with a SNET constraint
re-established for the new start date. Something must be different between
what I'm doing and what you are doing but I can't tell what it is.

You are correct that there is a difference between a start date and a SNET
constraint. The start date is the date MSP calculates the task will
scheduled to start. The SNET constraint sets an earliest possible limit on
that date but there's nothing to say the task won't be scheduled to start
later if circumstances dictate it so. To see an simple example, in a new
file change the date format setting in the View options so you can see both
date and time. Leave the project calendar at the default standard calendar,
08:00-12:00 and 13:00-17:00 M-F. Have the project start today. Enter a
task and give it a Start No Earlier Than constraint of next Monday at 6am by
typing "31/01/2005 06:00" in the Start field. Look at the start field in the
Gantt chart after completing the entry. Now double click and look on the
Advanced page. You'll find the constraint says "31 Jan 05 06:00" but the
scheduled start in the task list is "31 Jan 05 08:00," two hours later than
what you typed. Why the discrepency? The earliest it can start is 06:00 as
set by your manually entering that date as the start date but according to
the calendar, there's not going to be anyone there at that hour to do the
work. Project slips the task forward from the SNET constraint until such
time as the calendar says someone is scheduled to come in to work, 08:00,
and places that task start there. The work schedule always follows the
project calendar or the resource calendar once a resource is assigned unless
you explicitly override it with a task calendar.

 

[jkn]

I've tried duplicating your problem and find I get different results.

Create a new project and set the project start date (Project menu) to

sometime in the past, I used 10 Jan. (If the project was going to start in
the future it would make no sense at all to have new tasks start on the
current date - a task can't start BEFORE the project start since the project
start date is the date the earliest task in it begins.) Set the options for
new tasks to start on the current date. Enter task X, duration 5 days.
Project places it starting today with a SNET constraint. Remove the
constraint by setting ASAP in the constraint block on the advanced tab.
Task jumps back to start on 10 Jan. Click and drag the task to the right
and I can drop it to start on any date I choose, with a SNET constraint
re-established for the new start date. Something must be different between
what I'm doing and what you are doing but I can't tell what it is.

You are correct that there is a difference between a start date and a SNET
constraint. The start date is the date MSP calculates the task will
scheduled to start. The SNET constraint sets an earliest possible limit on
that date but there's nothing to say the task won't be scheduled to start
later if circumstances dictate it so. To see an simple example, in a new
file change the date format setting in the View options so you can see both
date and time. Leave the project calendar at the default standard calendar,
08:00-12:00 and 13:00-17:00 M-F. Have the project start today. Enter a
task and give it a Start No Earlier Than constraint of next Monday at 6am by
typing "31/01/2005 06:00" in the Start field. Look at the start field in the
Gantt chart after completing the entry. Now double click and look on the
Advanced page. You'll find the constraint says "31 Jan 05 06:00" but the
scheduled start in the task list is "31 Jan 05 08:00," two hours later than
what you typed. Why the discrepency? The earliest it can start is 06:00 as
set by your manually entering that date as the start date but according to
the calendar, there's not going to be anyone there at that hour to do the
work. Project slips the task forward from the SNET constraint until such
time as the calendar says someone is scheduled to come in to work, 08:00,
and places that task start there. The work schedule always follows the
project calendar or the resource calendar once a resource is assigned unless
you explicitly override it with a task calendar.

Hi Steve
Thanks very much for your reply. I have gone through this on a new
project and the behaviour is as you described. And now my previous
project behaves properly as well!!

Grr. Just one of those Windows/Microsoft days, I guess ... I know that
I definitely seen this behaviour on the same MS Project file before as
well. Maybe a PC reboot is in order in these cases...
Best Regards
Jon N