How do I resolve summary task dates

[graham]

I've created a 610 line project in 2003, using manual entry, and all dates
and durations that I have entered and constrained, are correct.

Problem: This is revision (or attempt), oh, 200, of this schedule, and I
have yet to find a way for the Summary Tasks to indicate correct
dates/durations without allowing Project to 'calculate' the project. When
Project calculates what I have entered all my tasks go to 'h***'. Is there a
way to block Project from trying to 'correct' over allocations, etc...

Hope to achieve: I would prefer keeping the schedule as manual entry and
have it roll up accurate durations in summaries, as I have not found a fool
proof way to show accurate results using any of Projects' automated features.

Background: I have purchased, digested and applied Wileys's Project 2003
Bible, and 'for Dummies'. Hundreds of hours in, and no solution, other than
a conclusion that Project is 50% entry and 50% fight with software for
correct results.

Help!!!

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Graham,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

Oh Dear! Project is designed to calculate the scheduled dates for you.
You should not enter dates at all (other than the project start date). You
should enter Durations and the Precedence logic as required by your network
analysis. The Critical Path Method is the basis of Project's scheduling and
works out the dates for you. You might need to start again

As to Durations, the summary Duration is a measure of the working time
between the start of the first sub-task to the end of the last. Let project
go free do the calculations.

You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft Project in the
TechTrax ezine, at this site: http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc or this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the article before leaving the site,
Thanks.)

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
MS Project MVP

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Project's results are correct.
If you want it to show other results you indeed have a fight on your hand
)

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

Adding to the other comments. Project's job is to tell you the dates you
can expect to obtain, NOT to document the dates that you want or that pie in
the sky has led you to come up with. If you input dates for a bunch of
tasks and Project insists on changing them to something else, it's giving
you some very valuable information - it's telling you that there's not a
snowball's chance in H*** you're going to be able to actually deliver the
dates you've input and it's not going to be a career enhancing move on your
part to try. You keep using the term "correct dates" but that's what
Project is giving you - it's the dates you're trying to force it to retain
that are the incorrect dates. What you are doing is akin to insisting that
you be able to force Excel to cooperate in your desire for 2+2 to equal 5 in
order to make the yearend financials look good to the stockholders.