For me ambitious - for you probably a snap: OLE-linkage vs. MSO/MFOconstraints

[Michael.Tarnowski]

Hi
I have to set up a schedule in MSP where some dates are already
contractually agreed with customer and sub-cos and the tasks have to
be planned backward in line with these cornerstones.

For this I setup on top of the task list all contractually agreed
dates as milestones, for brevity sake I call them "external dates".

In the schedule I dispersed "internal" milestones on certain stages/
events when progress or a work product is achieved. All tasks are ALAP
and FS linked ones.

Now the idea: I want to link the start / end date of an external
deadline to it's counterpart inside the schedule, thus when shifting
the external one, the internal shifts as well and all tasks are
rescheduled in line with the new constraint.
On the other hand when an internal deadline is achieved earlier than
the external states, the external should not be affected (we have a
great slack).

Now my questions:
a) should I put the deadline dates in the Deadline field of the
external milestones?
b) should I use an OLE-linkage between start/end dates of external and
internal milestones or an MSO/MFO constraint?
c) I read by Eric Uyttewaal that each task should have at least one
predecessor and one successor; Jim Aksel wrote here in one post,
milestones should have either a predecessor OR one successor, but not
both. - Should I specify for the internal milestones successors since
they are gates for proceeding to the next stage/phase?

What will give me the most flexible schedule?
Thanks for your answers & have a nice day
Michael

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Others may advise differently but this is what I would do:

If you use ALAP on the tasks, and you link them to the external milestone
which is MFO or MSO, then delaying the external milestone will also shift
all the alap tasks (thius the linked internal milestones). When you put an
actual date on tasks and milestones when achieved the external will not move
as you ask.
So Qa) No
Qb) No
Qc) One must put the relationships which reflect reality. No absolute
recommendations here.

Hope this helps,
--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[vanita]

Hi Michael

As I understand you have some dates finalised with the external agencies.
But, you don't need to stack those decided milestones at the top of your
schedule. These milestones should be dispersed or placed appropriately within
the schedule wherever they fit in the sequence of activities.

These predecided milestones could be given the constraint of 'Finish no
earlier than' the scheduled date and linked logically with other activites
through appropriate dependency links. Now, even if the predecessor activites
will finish early, these milestones will not be affected, but yes if due to
some problem, the predecessors get delayed, these milestones can be taken
ahead. On projects we should always keep some flexibility for such
contingencies.

Milestones can have predecessors as well as successors and logically if a
milestone is in between a schedule it should have a predecessor as well as a
successor otherwise it would be open ended. Only first activity of the
schedule won't have a predecessor and the last activity won't have a
successor, whether these are milestones or duration activties.

I hope it helps.
Vanita