Gantt opens 2 years before project start

[AndyB]

Hi all,

I know this has been asked before but I haven't been in here for a while and
can't find the appropriate thread so apologies to start.

I have a set of plans used as templates (as opposed to stored templates), my
problem is that when I open the plan the Gantt is bare and seems to open in
2004 even though the project start date is current. This seems to be generic
as all the template plans do the same thing.

Is this a known problem and if so how do I get them to open at the project
start date?

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Andy,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

I don't understand how Project can know the strart date of your project
before it opens the template. You have to enter this into the opened
template via Project/Project Information. Or run the Adjust Dates macro
from the Analysis toolbar.

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

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

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP
See http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc for Project Tutorials

 

[AndyB]

Hi Mike, thanks for the swift response.

I think it's my lack of description that's confusing, sorry about that. I'll
try again.
Forget that it's a template, it is essentially just a plan.

When I open the plan, the Gantt chart is empty and the date range visible is
in 2004.
The project start date in project info is a current date i.e. 1st July 2006.
Usually project plans open with the Gantt chart at the current date (which I
assumed was reading from the project start date).

So my issue is how can I get the plan to open showing the current date range
rather than showing a couple of months in 2004?

I hope that helps describe the problem.

Andy

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Andy,

Try saving immediately after entering the start date and then re-open. This
might do what you want. Alternatively, add a Start Project milestone at the
start date and save that. Project tends to open a project in the view as it
was saved.

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP
See http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc for Project Tutorials

 

[AndyB]

Thanks Mike but none of those worked. I'm going to re-write them in the hope
that it's a glitch in the files themselves that won't be repeated in new
files.

Thanks for your help,
Andy

 

[Mike Glen]

You're welcome, Andy, let us know how you get on.

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

 

[AndyB]

Well, I re-wrote the templates in new files with the initial set-up date Aug
06 in Project Info. This was fine and as expected the file opens up at this
date.

I then changed the Project Start date for a new project starting in October.

I naturally saved the plan with the gantt chart's date range beginning in
October.

I then open it again and the gantt opens at Aug and the october actual start
is mostly off the page.

Saving the plan immediately after opening didn't work. Setting an initial
'Project Start' milestone didn't work either.

I am at a loss as to what's happening and why the gantt won't open where it
was saved.

So I'm afraid I have nothing positive to report back.

AndyB.

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the feedback - sorry you haven't resolved your problem. I've
just tried again on my laptop. When I set the new date to 1 Oct 06, I saved
and then shut down Project. As I have Project set up to open last file on
start-up, upon opening Project, it loaded my new project showing 1 Oct 06.

Did you shut down Project after saving?

We need to discover whether your project is at fault, whether it is Project
at fault, or whether it's your PC. Does the symptom occur with other
projects on this PC? Does it occur with this project on other PCs? Does it
occur with other projects on other PCs?

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

 

[AndyB]

Hi Glen,

firstly yes, I have closed project completely and re-opened - no good.
The projects are used by all PM's in my dept, on different machines and this
happens every time no matter which pc it is opened on. New blank projects do
not do this, they open where they were saved.

STOP PRESS.
I just had a flash of inspiration and thought it may be the resource pool
that is effecting it. I disconnected the plan from the resource pool and it
behaves normally i.e. it opens exactly where it was saved.

So this could mean it is picking up a setting from the resource pool? maybe?

I think we're getting a little closer now Glen, I'll keep looking but I am
new to resource pools in that this is the first time I have tried to
incorporate a stand alone resource pool.

Andy

 

[Mike Glen]

OK - good luck!

Mike Glen
Project MVP

Hi Glen,

firstly yes, I have closed project completely and re-opened - no good.
The projects are used by all PM's in my dept, on different machines and
this
happens every time no matter which pc it is opened on. New blank projects
do
not do this, they open where they were saved.

STOP PRESS.
I just had a flash of inspiration and thought it may be the resource pool
that is effecting it. I disconnected the plan from the resource pool and
it
behaves normally i.e. it opens exactly where it was saved.

So this could mean it is picking up a setting from the resource pool?
maybe?

I think we're getting a little closer now Glen, I'll keep looking but I am
new to resource pools in that this is the first time I have tried to
incorporate a stand alone resource pool.

Andy

 

[mrcpuhead]

Mr. Glen - I'm having the same problem under somewhat different conditions:

In MS Project Pro 2003

1. Created a project ("Project1") that starts in Mar 2006 and ends Nov 2007.

2. Created a new project ("Master"), and inserted "Project1" read-only,
linked into "Master".

3. Turned on view of project summary task.

4. In Project Information, set start date to 8/20/2007 for "Master"

5. Set Gantt chart to show Quarter, Month, Week on the timeline, and
scrolled to show Aug, Sep, Oct 2007 on screen (where most task activity
appears).

6. Saved "Master" and closed MS Project.

7. Reopened "Master", and it defaults to show Gantt timeline starting in
Aug 2003 instead of Aug 2007.

Appreciate your help.

-Joe

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Joe,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

I don't know what's wrong, but you might be confusing Project by having a
master that starts after the inserted project. Try again with a new master
and then insert the project. Leave the master's project start date alone.
If that doesn't work, try again with a different or new project - make one
up with a single task. Experiment along these lines. (The Gantt Chart
timeline settings are irrelevant to this.)

When you say "August 2003" is that a relevant actual date? Like the date
Project was installed, or the date Project1 was created - maybe its start
date was changed? Does Project1 show the Gantt Bars starting in Mar 2006?

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

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

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP
See http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc for Project Tutorials

 

[mrcpuhead]

Mike - I found out why I was getting the Aug 2003 dates while trying some of
your suggested steps. It comes down to how I create the initial master
project file. When I right-clicked in a folder and chose 'New', 'Microsoft
Project Document', then opened that new project, it always starts up showing
a Aug 2003 project start date.

However, if I open Project first, then create a new project, it starts with
the current date as the project start date.

Strange behavior indeed!

Note that my machine is only a few months old, so my Project installation is
also only a few months old.

-Joe