How to create a Critical Path

[SteveLP]

Using Project Server 2007
I’m trying to create a Critical Path for a Project Plan. I understand that
the default for Project is that all tasks are critical tasks when they are
created. Most of my tasks are predecessors of the tasks above and all my
tasks have Constraint Type of “As Soon As Possibleâ€.
How do I create Total Slack value to be positive on certain tasks while
keeping Total Slack of 0 for the Critical Path Tasks?

I don’t have a Deadline set for any of my tasks nor a Constraint date.
I’m trying to understand how the Total Slack field is affected when
selecting a Deadline, Constraint Date or Constraint Type.
Thanks in advance,
SteveLP

 

[Rod Gill]

Hi,

The default is not actually a default. If you create 10 new tasks in a new
project they default to 1d duration so all of them are critical. Make your
first task 2d and the other 9 as they are created are not critical.

Total slack is automatically calculated as you go. You need to update all
durations and links. Obviously a constraint of any type other than ASAP
affects the calculation. If a task has total slack of 10d and you add a
deadline date 5d into this slack period, Total Slack becomes 5d which I feel
is the desirable result.

--

Rod Gill
Microsoft MVP for Project

Author of the only book on Project VBA, see:
http://www.projectvbabook.com

 

[Marc Soester [MVP]]

Check out htis link which will explain everthing in detail:

http://blogs.msdn.com/project/archive/2008/08/11/new-help-content-july-august.aspx

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi SteveLP,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft Project in the
TechTrax ezine, particularly #1 with an introduction to network analysis and
the formation of the critical path, 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