Changing Estimate Durations

[pmAgony]

Good Day All,

Project Virgin here... I just defined my outline under the tasks list
and unwittingly allowed Project to enter the default estimate time of
1day?. Sweet...

However, now that I am done entering tasks, I'd like to go back and
actually specify the duration of each task from 1day? say to, 2days.
Nothing I can do physically is allowing me to change the estimated
(1day?) alotment.

Can someone please tell me how I can make a manual change. I've tried
right-clicking the cell for options but its greyed out. Nothing in the
menus that indicates where to adjust the duration either.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

All the best,

 

[JulieS]

Hi PMAgony,

I am guessing that you are trying to change the duration of a summary
task. (A task with other task indented underneath it.) The durations of
summary tasks are calculated by Project based upon the amount of working
time from the start of the earliest subtask to the finish of the latest
subtask. If you create links between the subtasks, the duration of the
summary task will automatically change.

As you are new to Project, I suggest taking a read of fellow MVP Mike
Glen's excellent series of articles on MS Project. They can be found
through the following link:

http://project.mvps.org/mike's_tutorials.htm

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional information
about Microsoft Project

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

This beats me. The Duration field is an editable field.

Unless... you want to change duration of summary tasks? They can't be, they
are always calculated from start and finish times of the outline children!

Greetings,

 

[pmAgony]

JulieS,

Thanks for the quick response... I learned from tinkering with the
hierarchial buttons that I can adjust the time so long as I don't
create a child that's dependent on any task above it or below it.

I simply highlighted my tasks and made them the same rank, at which
point the Duration, Start & End Dates fields were unlocked.

You literally have to assign duration, start and end dates 1 task at a
time (OR do not assign hierarchy till after you've set time
parameters). Which I would imagine is the proper and logical way of
creating tasks. My intentions were to create the tasks by name first
then modify their specs thereafter.

I hope this makes sense.

BTW, I launched the site you recommended and have bookmarked for later
retrieval.

Thanks so much for your help!

All the best,

 

[pmAgony]

I'm going to piggyback one more questions

I've setup milestone markers in RED which indicate dates that my client
will pay me on. Once completed, I generated a PDF and noticed that at
the bottom of my timeline i have a legend/key box that indicates what
each graphic on the timeline represents.

The diamond for milestones is there, however, its in black, not red and
it states "milestone" whereas, i would like for it to state "payme".

How can I modify the legend/key box at the bottom?

Thanks yet again!

 

[JulieS]

Hi PMAgony,

You're most welcome and thanks for the feedback

To your questions:

"You literally have to assign duration..."

Yes. Who else other than you would know how long a task is going to
take? You can also drive the duration of tasks by assigning resource
and work on the task, but most users at least start with a stab at
duration.

"... start and end dates"

No! The start and finish dates of the task should be driven by the
start date of the Project, the working time defined in the project
calendar, the links (predecessor/successor) among others. Do *not*
enter in start and finish dates or you will be setting yourself up for
*much* more agony than you are in currently

I know you are pressed for time, but trust me -- taking the time to read
through Mike's articles as a starter will save you *hours* of time
later.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional information
about Microsoft Project

 

[JulieS]

In order for information such as "payment" to appear in the legend in
the Gantt chart, you'll need to create a new bar type in the view.

For starters, insert the Flag1 field into your view temporarily. Set
the flag to "yes" for the payment tasks. You can remove or hide the
Flag1 field after you have set the flags to "yes" as needed.

Then go to Format > Bar Styles. Select the Milestone row then click the
Cut Row button, and the Paste Row button twice. On the second
"Milestone" row, change the Name to Payment. Change the color to red.
Under the Show For ... tasks, select Flag1. The remainder of the
information can remain the same. Click OK.

Now, when you preview your Gantt chart view, you should see your
"Payment" information show in the legend.

For additional information see:
FAQs 31 & 33 at:
http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional information
about Microsoft Project

 

[pmAgony]

OK, let's talk about setting and not setting start/end dates. I
understand the logic behind not specifying an end date. That forces
the project out of its management element and doesn't adjust the
timelines should I make changes later.

But the start date. For example, I am not starting on this project
till 1-2-2007, and there will be certain lapses between working days.
If I simply allow project to assign the start/end dates, it will do it
progressively.

I am not working progressively hour after hour, day after day. So when
I complete say Task1, its very possible I will not begin Task2 for a
few days later.

By allowing project to handle the date schema, my hours/day durations
aren't accurate.

Is this a case where I will want to constrain my time?

thanks,

 

[Steve House]

You'll find that if you have set the duration of Task X to some value and
then later indent tasks X1, X2, and X3 as children under it, the original
duration of X that you input will be overridden by a new duration calculated
from the durations of its children. All tasks with tasks indented under
them in the outline structure are summary tasks. The durations of summary
tasks are ALWAYS read-only calculated values. This reflects the fact that
in a properly designed project task list, the children represent the
components of their parent - the summary task Foundation has as its children
Dig Hole, Tie Rebar, Erect Forms, Pour Concrete, Remove Forms, etc -all the
various elements that have to be done to make a completed foundation. It's
logical that the duration of the parent is 100% a consequence of the
durations of all its pieces.

 

[pmAgony]

Hi Steve,

If so (and I thoroughly undestand your explanation) my projected
completion date for this project will be trumped by the duration of
each task and its project.

Scenario:
I estimate completion of Project Alpha 6 weeks from the 1st of 07
(putting us at 2/15) but I allow MS Project to progressively track and
manage my hours/days (beginning 1/07) as I assign them to each task.
Result: I will fall short of my estimated completion date of 2/15.

The time it takes to complete a task if I work uninterrupted and
systematically, is far less than what I am estimating, ultimately
allowing MS Project to yield a timeline that reflects days, not (6)
weeks.

I know I am missing the BIG PICTURE here - obviously this logic is
rendered moot when individuals like yourself and JulieS are using this
to track and manage project timelines.

I see the light, but the tunnel is black!

You'll find that if you have set the duration of Task X to some value and
then later indent tasks X1, X2, and X3 as children under it, the original
duration of X that you input will be overridden by a new duration calculated
from the durations of its children. All tasks with tasks indented under
them in the outline structure are summary tasks. The durations of summary
tasks are ALWAYS read-only calculated values. This reflects the fact that
in a properly designed project task list, the children represent the
components of their parent - the summary task Foundation has as its children
Dig Hole, Tie Rebar, Erect Forms, Pour Concrete, Remove Forms, etc -all the
various elements that have to be done to make a completed foundation. It's
logical that the duration of the parent is 100% a consequence of the
durations of all its pieces.
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

JulieS,

Thanks for the quick response... I learned from tinkering with the
hierarchial buttons that I can adjust the time so long as I don't
create a child that's dependent on any task above it or below it.

I simply highlighted my tasks and made them the same rank, at which
point the Duration, Start & End Dates fields were unlocked.

You literally have to assign duration, start and end dates 1 task at a
time (OR do not assign hierarchy till after you've set time
parameters). Which I would imagine is the proper and logical way of
creating tasks. My intentions were to create the tasks by name first
then modify their specs thereafter.

I hope this makes sense.

BTW, I launched the site you recommended and have bookmarked for later
retrieval.

Thanks so much for your help!

All the best,

 

[JulieS]

Hi,

My answers/comments are embedded.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional information
about Microsoft Project

OK, let's talk about setting and not setting start/end dates. I
understand the logic behind not specifying an end date. That forces
the project out of its management element and doesn't adjust the
timelines should I make changes later.

But the start date. For example, I am not starting on this project
till 1-2-2007, and there will be certain lapses between working days.
If I simply allow project to assign the start/end dates, it will do it
progressively.

[Julie]Yes, true -- based upon the assumption that you are "available"
to work Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

I am not working progressively hour after hour, day after day. So
when
I complete say Task1, its very possible I will not begin Task2 for a
few days later.

[Julie] This may be a difference between your plan and reality. Part
of Project's purpose is to help you determine when tasks *could* occur
and then compare the *could* to the *did* which you record through
tracking.

If you are saying you are planning not to start Task 2 for a couple of
days after the completion of Task1 due to lack of available resources
(you), then certainly an option is to modify your resource calendar and
mark certain days or hours as non-working.

For example: Let's say you can only devote two days per week to this
project (Tuesdays and Thursdays).Create yourself as a resource and
change your calendar to allow only Tuesdays and Thursdays as working
days.

If you had created a task with a 3 day duration, scheduled to start on a
Monday and finish on Wednesday, your assignment to the task will modify
the start and finish dates. (A resource may only work on tasks during
time defined as working time on his/her calendar.) The start date of
the task will shift from Monday to Tuesday (day 1 of work). Day 2 of
the work will be Thursday, and Day 3 of the work will be the following
Tuesday. The Duration of the task will still be 3 days -- as it is 3
*working* days based upon your calendar.

 

[Steve House]

Remember Project is based on the assumption that you need to complete
your Project ASAP and will give you the schedule that will do that. Now
if you wish a task to be delayed to start later than when Project wants
to do it, there are a couple of ways to accomplish it. First, if you
always want there to be a 3 day, lets say, delay between the end of Task
A and the beginning of Task B, you would insert a lag time of 3 days
into the link between the two tasks. OTOH, if you wanted Task B to
start no earlier than Thursday regardless of when you finish Task A, you
would put a Start No Earlier Than constraint of Thursday's date on Task
B. Julies suggestion to remove the dates you wish to reserve for
non-project related work from your calendar is also a good one.

And note - entering start and finish dates in the Gantt chart table DOES
NOT establish a start and finish date for the task. Entries in those
two columns are ways of setting a Start No Earlier Then and a Finish No
Earlier Than constraint repsectively. If you enter into both columns,
the constraint that is in effect will be the last one entered since a
given task can only have one constraint active. Both of those
constraints establish an early boundary but there's nothing to prevent
Project from pushing the tasks even later if links etc need be.

 

[Steve House]

In a word, yes. Remember that Project is NOT intended to document a
project plan that you or your boss has already devised. You don't tell
it the project schedule you want to work, it tells YOU the project
schedule you CAN work <grin>. In the best of worlds, you give Project
one date and one date only - the project kickoff date. Then you give it
the working time calendar that defines when work can be done, what work
has to be done, what mandatory sequencing the creation of deliverables
requires (you have to build the walls before you build the roof because
Mother Nature doesn't allow you to park an unsupported roof in mid-air
and stuff the walls in under it later), how much work each task is
expected to require, and when the resources you're going to assign to
the task are available. Project's job is massage all that data for you
and come up with a set of start and end dates for all the tasks that
will get the project's work done in the shortest possible time. In a
very real sense, you CAN'T estimate the completion of Project Alpha to
be in 6 weeks because until you have developed the task schedule in
Project you have no quantifiable basis for that estimate - at best it is
merely a statement of a delivery target or management goal and at worst
it is simple wishful thinking, an expression of desire. Neither has any
bearing for planning other than establishing a completion deadline to
attempt to hit as you develop the plan. The finish date of the Project
is 100% driven by the amount of work required to produce all of the
component deliverables, the sequencing of the tasks, and the
availability of the resources to do the work and may come before, on, or
after that target date. It is not something that can be estimated a
priori without taking those factors into account..
--
Steve House
MS Project MVP
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Hi Steve,

If so (and I thoroughly undestand your explanation) my projected
completion date for this project will be trumped by the duration of
each task and its project.

Scenario:
I estimate completion of Project Alpha 6 weeks from the 1st of 07
(putting us at 2/15) but I allow MS Project to progressively track and
manage my hours/days (beginning 1/07) as I assign them to each task.
Result: I will fall short of my estimated completion date of 2/15.

The time it takes to complete a task if I work uninterrupted and
systematically, is far less than what I am estimating, ultimately
allowing MS Project to yield a timeline that reflects days, not (6)
weeks.

I know I am missing the BIG PICTURE here - obviously this logic is
rendered moot when individuals like yourself and JulieS are using this
to track and manage project timelines.

I see the light, but the tunnel is black!

You'll find that if you have set the duration of Task X to some value and
then later indent tasks X1, X2, and X3 as children under it, the original
duration of X that you input will be overridden by a new duration calculated
from the durations of its children. All tasks with tasks indented under
them in the outline structure are summary tasks. The durations of summary
tasks are ALWAYS read-only calculated values. This reflects the fact that
in a properly designed project task list, the children represent the
components of their parent - the summary task Foundation has as its children
Dig Hole, Tie Rebar, Erect Forms, Pour Concrete, Remove Forms, etc -all the
various elements that have to be done to make a completed foundation. It's
logical that the duration of the parent is 100% a consequence of the
durations of all its pieces.
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

JulieS,

Thanks for the quick response... I learned from tinkering with the
hierarchial buttons that I can adjust the time so long as I don't
create a child that's dependent on any task above it or below it.

I simply highlighted my tasks and made them the same rank, at which
point the Duration, Start & End Dates fields were unlocked.

You literally have to assign duration, start and end dates 1 task at a
time (OR do not assign hierarchy till after you've set time
parameters). Which I would imagine is the proper and logical way of
creating tasks. My intentions were to create the tasks by name first
then modify their specs thereafter.

I hope this makes sense.

BTW, I launched the site you recommended and have bookmarked for later
retrieval.

Thanks so much for your help!

All the best,


JulieS wrote:
Hi PMAgony,

I am guessing that you are trying to change the duration of a summary
task. (A task with other task indented underneath it.) The durations of
summary tasks are calculated by Project based upon the amount of working
time from the start of the earliest subtask to the finish of the latest
subtask. If you create links between the subtasks, the duration of the
summary task will automatically change.

As you are new to Project, I suggest taking a read of fellow MVP Mike
Glen's excellent series of articles on MS Project. They can be found
through the following link:

http://project.mvps.org/mike's_tutorials.htm

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional information
about Microsoft Project


Good Day All,

Project Virgin here... I just defined my outline under the tasks list
and unwittingly allowed Project to enter the default estimate time of
1day?. Sweet...

However, now that I am done entering tasks, I'd like to go back and
actually specify the duration of each task from 1day? say to, 2days.
Nothing I can do physically is allowing me to change the estimated
(1day?) alotment.

Can someone please tell me how I can make a manual change. I've tried
right-clicking the cell for options but its greyed out. Nothing in
the
menus that indicates where to adjust the duration either.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

All the best,

 

[pmAgony]

In a word, yes. Remember that Project is NOT intended to document a
project plan that you or your boss has already devised. You don't tell
it the project schedule you want to work, it tells YOU the project
schedule you CAN work <grin>. In the best of worlds, you give Project
one date and one date only - the project kickoff date. Then you give it
the working time calendar that defines when work can be done, what work
has to be done, what mandatory sequencing the creation of deliverables
requires (you have to build the walls before you build the roof because
Mother Nature doesn't allow you to park an unsupported roof in mid-air
and stuff the walls in under it later), how much work each task is
expected to require, and when the resources you're going to assign to
the task are available. Project's job is massage all that data for you
and come up with a set of start and end dates for all the tasks that
will get the project's work done in the shortest possible time. In a
very real sense, you CAN'T estimate the completion of Project Alpha to
be in 6 weeks because until you have developed the task schedule in
Project you have no quantifiable basis for that estimate - at best it is
merely a statement of a delivery target or management goal and at worst
it is simple wishful thinking, an expression of desire. Neither has any
bearing for planning other than establishing a completion deadline to
attempt to hit as you develop the plan. The finish date of the Project
is 100% driven by the amount of work required to produce all of the
component deliverables, the sequencing of the tasks, and the
availability of the resources to do the work and may come before, on, or
after that target date. It is not something that can be estimated a
priori without taking those factors into account..
--
Steve House
MS Project MVP
Visithttp://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htmfor the FAQs

Hi Steve,

If so (and I thoroughly undestand your explanation) my projected
completion date for this project will be trumped by the duration of
each task and its project.

Scenario:
I estimate completion of Project Alpha 6 weeks from the 1st of 07
(putting us at 2/15) but I allow MS Project to progressively track and
manage my hours/days (beginning 1/07) as I assign them to each task.
Result: I will fall short of my estimated completion date of 2/15.

The time it takes to complete a task if I work uninterrupted and
systematically, is far less than what I am estimating, ultimately
allowing MS Project to yield a timeline that reflects days, not (6)
weeks.

I know I am missing the BIG PICTURE here - obviously this logic is
rendered moot when individuals like yourself and JulieS are using this
to track and manage project timelines.

I see the light, but the tunnel is black!

You'll find that if you have set the duration of Task X to some value and
then later indent tasks X1, X2, and X3 as children under it, the original
duration of X that you input will be overridden by a new duration calculated
from the durations of its children. All tasks with tasks indented under
them in the outline structure are summary tasks. The durations of summary
tasks are ALWAYS read-only calculated values. This reflects the fact that
in a properly designed project task list, the children represent the
components of their parent - the summary task Foundation has as its children
Dig Hole, Tie Rebar, Erect Forms, Pour Concrete, Remove Forms, etc -all the
various elements that have to be done to make a completed foundation. It's
logical that the duration of the parent is 100% a consequence of the
durations of all its pieces.
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visithttp://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htmfor the FAQs
JulieS,
Thanks for the quick response... I learned from tinkering with the
hierarchial buttons that I can adjust the time so long as I don't
create a child that's dependent on any task above it or below it.
I simply highlighted my tasks and made them the same rank, at which
point the Duration, Start & End Dates fields were unlocked.
You literally have to assign duration, start and end dates 1 task at a
time (OR do not assign hierarchy till after you've set time
parameters). Which I would imagine is the proper and logical way of
creating tasks. My intentions were to create the tasks by name first
then modify their specs thereafter.
I hope this makes sense.
BTW, I launched the site you recommended and have bookmarked for later
retrieval.
Thanks so much for your help!
All the best,
JulieS wrote:
Hi PMAgony,
I am guessing that you are trying to change the duration of a summary
task. (A task with other task indented underneath it.) The durations of
summary tasks are calculated by Project based upon the amount of working
time from the start of the earliest subtask to the finish of the latest
subtask. If you create links between the subtasks, the duration of the
summary task will automatically change.
As you are new to Project, I suggest taking a read of fellow MVP Mike
Glen's excellent series of articles on MS Project. They can be found
through the following link:
http://project.mvps.org/mike's_tutorials.htm
I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.
Julie
Project MVP
Visithttp://project.mvps.org/for the FAQs and additional information
about Microsoft Project
Good Day All,
Project Virgin here... I just defined my outline under the tasks list
and unwittingly allowed Project to enter the default estimate time of
1day?. Sweet...
However, now that I am done entering tasks, I'd like to go back and
actually specify the duration of each task from 1day? say to, 2days.
Nothing I can do physically is allowing me to change the estimated
(1day?) alotment.
Can someone please tell me how I can make a manual change. I've tried
right-clicking the cell for options but its greyed out. Nothing in
the
menus that indicates where to adjust the duration either.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
All the best,- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I wanted to extend a warm thank you to all who participated in
answering my original post.

Thank you-

 

[JulieS]

PMAgony ~

You're welcome and I hope the agony is lessened. Thanks for the
feedback.

Julie
Project MVP