Grouping Tasks in Schedule-- Probably Very basic Question

[a.Phoenicis]

I'm sorry to pose such a basic question, but I'm still learning both PM
and MP. I've searched the groups, but I can't find an answer to this...
perhaps I don't know how to phrase the question.

I have filled in my tasks & resources, and have set up the dependencies
and have a rudimentary schedule. I now need to tweak it for some
real-world constraints:

I have two similar specialized construction tasks that will occurr in
two different rooms but be done by the same sub-contractor. The tasks'
schedules are dependent upon the other tasks occuring in each room. The
two rooms are not dependent upon each other in any other respect.

Project wants to schedule the two tasks two weeks apart. I need to have
the sub-contractors come out only one time, even if that means that
other tasks are waiting.

I can force the issue by setting constraints on either end of those two
tasks to force them together, but I want to minimize the impact on the
overall project... is there a way to tell Project that these tasks must
occur consecutively? Please help!

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi ?,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

Set up a start and a finish milestone to each of the batches of tasks. Then
link the finish milestone of the first group to the start milestone of the
following group.

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

 

[a.Phoenicis]

Thanks for the welcome and the help, Mike.

I'm not quite sure I understand... I tried as you suggested, and
Project simply moved the milestones around, leaving the tasks where
they were.

I can see an obvious answer would be to simply make them one task and
be done, but I like to avoid taking shortcuts when I'm learning.

GAHHH.... I just realized what I was doing wrong... I had the
dependencies set up on the subtasks, instead of the task groups.
Working great now!

Thanks!

--Karim

 

[Mike Glen]

Hmmmmmmmmm. You might like to see FAQ Item: 48 on Summary Task Linking.
FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: http://www.mvps.org/project/

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

Mike Glen
Project MVP