Circular Reference - cannot locate

[Steve Scott]

I have a Circular Reference being reported on the last task in my plan, the
task has no successors so I cannot see how it is leading back to itself in a
chain? Is there something significant about the last task in a plan and
circular references? How can I best locate the offending links?

 

[John]

I have a Circular Reference being reported on the last task in my plan, the
task has no successors so I cannot see how it is leading back to itself in a
chain? Is there something significant about the last task in a plan and
circular references? How can I best locate the offending links?

Steve,
Oh you lucky guy - circular relationships - what fun

If there are no predecessors or successors on that task I think your
best bet is to first turn off automatic calculation. That may allow you
to actually open the file if you haven't been able to open it. Then look
at all your summary lines. My bet is that there are links to one or more
of them. Remove those links and then go to our MVP website at:
http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm, and read FAQ 28 - Summary Task
Linking.

John
Project MVP

 

[Microsoft Project]

Steve,

Is this problem occuring with Project 2000 - 2003 or 2007? Also, is it
occuring with an MPP based project or one opened from a server? If an
earlier version, then if the task in question has no successors, it's likely
the outline structure (internally in the project) is messed up.

You can fix this by doing the following:

1. Open the project.
2. Save As to a database format such as Access or MPD.
3. In the database, go to the MSP_PROJECTS table and for the given project,
set the PROJ_EXT_EDITED field = true. For example, set it to either a 1 or
a -1 depending on the database system.
4. Open the project in Project.
5. Save As back to the MPP format.

At this point, if the task in question still says it has problems, try
manipulating it by indenting and outdenting it.

If your project is stored on Project Server, then perform steps 3 and 4
above. Then, Save Offline (from the File menu), Save Online and then work
with the project.

Regards,

Adrian Jenkins
Microsoft Project

 

[Steve Scott]

Hi, didnt work unfoutunately - is there any other way/tool to "audit" the
file to find the problem areas? It is a 2000 file non-server based.

thanks

Steve

 

[John]

Hi, didnt work unfoutunately - is there any other way/tool to "audit" the
file to find the problem areas? It is a 2000 file non-server based.

thanks

Steve

Steve,
You are definitely having more fun than the average Project user -
unfortunately. I assume this is still with your master file, correct?
Can you open the file at all? Does the message tell you anything about
which task is involved in the circular relationship? Did you try
re-building the master? Will each of the individual subprojects open
without a problem (auto-calculation on)?

Depending on the answers to the above, we may or may not be able to help
guide you to a solution.

John
Project MVP

 

[Steve Scott]

Hi,

To summarise I have 3 issues which may or may not be related:-

a. Within several Master plans, Finish to Start links have appeared
connecting the Inserted Project Summary lines. The sub-projects were
inserted individually and were never linked so how has this happened?

b. Several of the sub projects appear to have circular references
reported within them starting at the last task which doesn't seem logical?

c. Finally some tasks within some of the sub-project plans and indeed
some master tasks within some of the Master plans are defaulting to certain
dates which cannot be brought forard. the tasks are not constrained; do not
have predecessors/successors and do not fit under any summary headings. The
only way to rectify this is to completely rebuild the plan from scratch - I
am at a loss to udnerstand why this is happening?

thanks in advance for any advice.

Steve

 

[John]

Hi,

To summarise I have 3 issues which may or may not be related:-

a. Within several Master plans, Finish to Start links have appeared
connecting the Inserted Project Summary lines. The sub-projects were
inserted individually and were never linked so how has this happened?

b. Several of the sub projects appear to have circular references
reported within them starting at the last task which doesn't seem logical?

c. Finally some tasks within some of the sub-project plans and indeed
some master tasks within some of the Master plans are defaulting to certain
dates which cannot be brought forard. the tasks are not constrained; do not
have predecessors/successors and do not fit under any summary headings. The
only way to rectify this is to completely rebuild the plan from scratch - I
am at a loss to udnerstand why this is happening?

thanks in advance for any advice.

Steve

Steve,
Boy, it just gets funner and funner, doesn't it. Let's see if I can
address each of your issues.

a. You mention several master plans. What does that mean? I was under
the impression that you had one master with 191 subprojects.
Perhaps that was a bad assumption on my part. It also sounds like you
have tasks in the master itself. is that true?

If subproject are inserted individually one at a time, what often
happens is that the newly inserted subproject ends up as a subtask under
an existing subproject. Normally this is not the user's intent so the
new subproject has to be outdented and as I recall, Project is often
reluctant to do that. Whether or not this "insertion indenture" is
relevant to rogue links, I don't know. I have to understand your file
structure.

b. OK, so there are problems in individual subprojects. Those should be
relatively easy to troubleshoot. How many of the 191 subprojects have
circular relationship problems? Can you send me one or two? I'd like to
take a look at them (see my address below).

c. It sounds like the tasks that refuse to move may have something other
than "NA" in the Actual Start field. If that's not the case, then I'd
like to see one of those files also.

John
Project MVP
jensenj6atatcomcastdotdotnet
(remove obvious redundancies)

 

[Steve Scott]

Thanks, will send you some of the files on Monday afternoon as I am away on
long weekend now