Changing dates

[Oliver Lewis]

Ok, so I set up a plan for a training class that takes
some organizing starting 8 weeks before the actual class.
All I want to do, is be able to change the class date, and
have all the other dates (which includes all the work that
has to be done prior to the class) change in accordance to
the class date, I've tried using the predecessors, but
that doesn't work, maybe I'm doing something wrong, anyone
have any ideas?

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Oliver,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

I suggest you use the Adjust Dates macro on the Analysis toolbar to enter
the new project date.

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: http://www.mvps.org/project/

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[Dale Howard]

Oliver --

Here's how to do it:

1. Click Project - Project Information, set the Schedule From value to
"Project Start Date". Set the Start Date value to the estimated date that
you believe you will begin work on your project, and click the OK button. I
know that you don't have a firm Start date yet, so you will simply enter an
estimated Start date only for the purposes of establishing a "trial
schedule" for the remainder of the project.

2. Plan the task list for the entire project, and apply the appropriate
task dependencies for every task in the project. Make absolutely sure that
you have set the correct dependencies for any tasks that are predecessors to
the task representing the class. I'm presuming that those dependencies
would be Finish-to-Start (FS) dependencies, all of which must be completed
finished before the class is held.

3. Save your project plan and then wait patiently until you know the
precise date that the class is going to start.

4. When you learn the date the class will start, double-click the task
representing the class and then select the Advanced tab. Set the Constraint
Type value to "Must Start On" and set the Constraint Date value to the date
the class will start. Click the OK button. When warned by the Planning
Wizard about a potential scheduling conflict, select the third choice
"Continue. A Must Start On constraint will be set" and then click the OK
button. Setting this Must Start On constraint will "lock" the start date of
the Class task to the date you have entered.

5. Now it's time to schedule backwards in your project plan to determine
the precise date the project must begin. Click Project - Project
Information, set the Schedule From value to "Project Finish Date" and then
click the OK button. Notice that your project has been rescheduled
backwards from the date of the class.

6. Now that a new Start date for the project has been calculated, you will
need to schedule your project forwards in time. Click Project - Project
Information, set the Schedule From value back to "Project Start Date" and
then click the OK button.

You know have the correct start date for the project so that all predecessor
tasks to the class task will be started in time so that the class will
happen as scheduled. Hope this little trick helps.

 

[Jim Snider]

Oliver,

We use the following technique which is fairly simple and
works quite smoothly.
Highlight all of your tasks and change the conatraint type
to "As Late As Possible". Nothing should happen when you
do this (unless you have some parallel tasks). The
controlling factor is your last task, which should be your
training class. Go to this task and change the constraint
type to "Start No Earlier Than" and enter your training
date. This will push the class out into the future and
pull the preceeding tasks into the future will it.

Hope this helps, Jim

 

[Steve House]

Consider that in this case the class scheduled start is the predecessor to
the setup, not the successor. I think of the tasks participating in a link
as being the controlling task and the controlled task. It does not
necessarily mean that the predecessor comes before the successor - it means
that the timing of the predecessor controls the timing of the successor.
Ask yourself if the class was cancelled would the organizing for it still
have to take place? If not, the class delivery is the predecessor, the
pre-class organizing is the successor, and the link is Start-Finish where
the start time of the class determines when the organizing will have to be
finished. What is your project start date? The start of whatever process
that leads to the need to have a class in the first place - that proccess
will link to the class as a predecessor finish to start indicating that it
is the driving force for the class scheduling.

Remember that links describe process logic, not temporal relationships. The
time relationships are a *consequence* of the links, but creating them are
not the reason for putting the links in to begin with (at least, IMHO).
Putting up the walls is linked as a predeccessor to putting on the roof not
because we want to erect walls in August and put on the roof in September
for some reason - it's because we don't have to option of ignoring gravity
and building the roof in midair then stuffing the walls in under it later
on, thus finishing the walls dictates when we can start the roof.