How to schedule backward AND forward from one date

[dcatt]

In MS Project Professional 2003, I am trying to set up a schedule based on a
'go live' date. How do I schedule backwards from that 'go live' date for
tasks that need to happen before it AND to schedule forward for tasks that
happen after the go live date?

Also, I want to be able to use this schedule over again monthly by just
changing that go live date.

(This may be documented somewhere but I don't know the terms to use to find
the information...)

Thank you!

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Project calculates ALL dates at the earliest (forward) and at the latest
(backward)
Set your go life date with a Must start on constraint to fix it
Insert Late Start and Late Finish Columns
For tasks before Go Life read Late Start/Finish
For tasks after it read start/finish
Hope this helps

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

dcatt --

In addition to Jan's good advice, here's a technique I have used to predict
when a project needs to begin to hit a target date in the middle of the
plan:

1. Enter all of the project tasks with both Durations and dependencies
2. Set a Must Start On constraint on the "go live" task with the date that
you plan to go live
3. Click Project - Project Information
4. Set the Schedule From value to Project Finish Date and then click OK
5. Click Project - Project Information
6. Set the Schedule From value to Project Start Date and then click OK

The project will now be scheduled using the latest possible date that the
project can start and still make the "go live" date. For the sake of risk
management planning, you might want to start the project earlier than the
projected Start Date just in case you have delays. Just a thought. Hope
this helps.

 

[dcatt]

Hi Dale,
Thanks to both you and Jan!! It works great!

I have a couple of follow up questions that I hope you will help with:
--Can you explain what steps 3-6 did in a nutshell? I am trying to grasp
the concept. It seems that step 4 ensured all predecessors adjusted based on
the finish date. Then step 6 reset the date to be the start date so that the
tasks will schedule forward and backward from it...

--As Jan pointed out, I need to read the dates before the go live date in
the Late Start and Late Finish columns, and read the dates after the go live
date in the Start and Finish columns. Is there some way to hide the dates
that my group shouldn't refer to? It could get confusing see two sets of
dates.

--It seems the Gantt chart is build from the Start Finish dates. If I want
to use that for the visual people in the group, do I just adjust the start
and finish dates to make it look ok? Or should it have adjusted to the Late
Start and Late Finish dates?

Thank you so much!
Diane

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

dcatt --

Steps 3-6 simply calculated the Start and Finish dates for the project based
on the go live date. Regarding your second question, two task Tables
contain the information you seek. If you apply the Entry table in the Gantt
Chart view, this shows the Start and Finish dates. If you click View -
Table - Schedule while in the Gantt Chart view, you can see the Late Start
and Late Finish fields. You would probably want to leave the Entry table
applied in the Gantt Chart view so that your group won't become confused.
Good luck!

 

[dcatt]

Thank you again! This is great.

D

dcatt --

Steps 3-6 simply calculated the Start and Finish dates for the project based
on the go live date. Regarding your second question, two task Tables
contain the information you seek. If you apply the Entry table in the Gantt
Chart view, this shows the Start and Finish dates. If you click View -
Table - Schedule while in the Gantt Chart view, you can see the Late Start
and Late Finish fields. You would probably want to leave the Entry table
applied in the Gantt Chart view so that your group won't become confused.
Good luck!

 

[dcatt]

Thanks for your quick reply! It helped.

D

Hi,

Project calculates ALL dates at the earliest (forward) and at the latest
(backward)
Set your go life date with a Must start on constraint to fix it
Insert Late Start and Late Finish Columns
For tasks before Go Life read Late Start/Finish
For tasks after it read start/finish
Hope this helps


--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/
+32-495-300 620

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

dcatt --

You are welcome, my friend!

Thank you again! This is great.

D

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Dale,

This certainly works, but IMHO it's not even necessary, the latest dates are
there even without going through Project Infomation.
Greetings,

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

Just to throw in a contrarian view, I don't like the idea of scheduling
backwards from any date except when you do it as an academic exercise
motivated by curiosity to see the latest date you might start. When you
schedule backwards, Project schedules the tasks to run as late as they can
be and still meet the end date or in your case the go-live date. But
because they are already as late as possible, if anything goes wrong and a
task is delayed (and you can absolutely count on something ALWAYS going
wrong!) you will definitely miss your deadline or at the very least have to
go through an expensive last-minute scramble in order to make it. You are
far safer scheduling forward from the earliest practical start date, aiming
to get the project done in the shortest possible time consistent with your
budget and the resource's other obligations - if that results in being ready
to go-live a few weeks before you really have to, so much the better. Now
you have a cushion to absorb the inevitable glitches and still make your
required deadlines.
--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Agree.
That's why I never recommend to use the option "from finish date" but to
satisfy curiosity (yes, it may be important to know) by showing the late
start/late finish fields that Project calculates anyhow.