Creating a recurring task

S

Seena

Hello,

I am currently working in the Food Service business and I am trying to use
MS Project 2007 to create multiple food preparation tasks that occur
everyday, including the weekends from early in the morning to late in the
evening. What I am trying to do is optimize my employee work schedule based
on these tasks, so that I can optimize my cost vs. revenue. What I would
like to accomplish is create a recurring task that goes for several months
and I can adjust the start time on the Gantt chart and have the change
reflect on the rest. So that I may arrange the tasks more efficiently.

For example, I have a task called "Chop Lettuce" with a duration of 45 mins.
And this occurs every day for 3 months. I may want this task to occur from
6:00 AM to 6:45 AM but I later find that it would be better to have this task
done at 8:00 AM to 8:45 AM. How would I be able to make this change apply
throughout the 3 months without creating/modifying a calendar? Basically, I
want to move the Gantt Bar from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM on one and have it change
for the rest.

Thank you for your help!!
 
J

Jim Aksel

When you create recurring tasks, MS Project automatically places a "Start No
Earlier Than" (SNET) constraint on them. As such, if you move the first
"Chop Lettuce" task, the remainder do not cascade (they are locked by the
SNET constraint and have no predecessors or successors).

Instead, I suggest you make a template of the entire day. Instead of a
summary task for "Chop Lettuce" with 90 days of chopping under it, make a
template that includes all the activities of one day (or one project). This
can be copied to additional days as necessary. So you would have a whole
grouping of tasks: "Prepare for Corporate Picnic Event" which includes:
Contract signed, buy chicken, firewood, buns, chop lettuce, bake cakes...
These can all be collapsed down to one summary task "Picnic" and then copied
many times.

To allow proper cascade of the tasks, you need to have appropriate links
between the tasks. Now if you want to make "Picnic" into "Picnic #2" all you
have do do is copy and change the first date in the chain and it should work.

--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim Aksel, MVP

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

Seena

Is there a way to where I can remove/modify the "Start No Earlier Than"
constraint to allow me move the first and have it cascade?

Or is creating a template/project my only alternative?

Thank you!
 
S

Seena

I have considered creating a Task Calendar but it would be very annoying to
have to modify several task calendars especially when you have to go in and
change the time for the 7 days of the week. I would much rather be able to
move the Gantt bar of the task to the time I want it to start and have it
cascade down through the 90 days.
 

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