How to use relative period instead of actual dates?

[edwlee.hk]

Hi,

We need to plan for 8-10 small project per months, and the start date
are always not available (and not important) in the planning stage.
Thus, our typical plan looks like this:

Task # Planned End Date
1 xxx Week 1
2 xxx Week 3
3 xxx Week 6

I tried to use MS project but it insists on using an actual date for
Start and Finish. Is there a way to use relative periods (days, weeks
or months) in the Finish date and still get the MS project to draw the
Grantt Chart automatically?

I tried to google search and can't find anything, so thanks in advance
in your help.

Eddie

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Eddie,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

Tools/Options.../View tab, set the Date format to 1/WO5. Then
Format/Timescale... and in the dialog, set the Label accordingly.

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

 

[Gérard Ducouret]

Hi Eddie,

If you need to use *relative* weeks for Start or Finish, you have to use
some formulas in custom fields:
I assume that you want the project Start date as Week#1.
Insert a date field such as Date1 and enter a fictitious date such as
DateSerial(2006;10;4) DateSerial(year, month, day)
Insert a Text field such as Text1 and enter the following formula : Right
click the header Text1 / Customize field / Rename it as you want /
Formula... :"Week " & DateDiff("ww";[Date1];[Finish])

Hope this helps,

Gérard Ducouret

 

[edwlee.hk]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your quick response. However, the Date Format still show
the day of week and the week # starting from Jan 1. So it isn't
exactly what I'm looking for.

Thanks anyway.

 

[edwlee.hk]

Hi Gérard,

Thanks, it kinda worked for me. Based on your suggestion, I changed
the way a bit:

1. Set the Project Start Date as one day before the current week
2. Plan the duration of each task with absolute dates
3. Insert a Text Column as you suggested using the following formula:
"Week " & DateDiff("ww",[Project Start],[Finish])

Just for curiousity sake, is there a way I can do the following? The
reason I asked is that we have many small projects to plan, and
entering only the "Work Duration in weeks" required for each task would
be much easier than entering absolute dates.

1. create a column [text 1] and enter the start week number for each
task
2. create a second column [text2] and enter the end week number for
each task
3. MS project calculate my [Start] based on: [Project Start] + [Text
1], and
calculate my [Finish] based on: [Start] + [Text2]
4. and hopefully MS Project will show a proper Grantt Chart?

Do you think it's possible? I'm not sure about whether the formula
will work for each row.

Thanks a lot again.

Eddie

Hi Eddie,

If you need to use *relative* weeks for Start or Finish, you have to use
some formulas in custom fields:
I assume that you want the project Start date as Week#1.
Insert a date field such as Date1 and enter a fictitious date such as
DateSerial(2006;10;4) DateSerial(year, month, day)
Insert a Text field such as Text1 and enter the following formula : Right
click the header Text1 / Customize field / Rename it as you want /
Formula... :"Week " & DateDiff("ww";[Date1];[Finish])

Hope this helps,

Gérard Ducouret

Hi,

We need to plan for 8-10 small project per months, and the start date
are always not available (and not important) in the planning stage.
Thus, our typical plan looks like this:

Task # Planned End Date
1 xxx Week 1
2 xxx Week 3
3 xxx Week 6

I tried to use MS project but it insists on using an actual date for
Start and Finish. Is there a way to use relative periods (days, weeks
or months) in the Finish date and still get the MS project to draw the
Grantt Chart automatically?

I tried to google search and can't find anything, so thanks in advance
in your help.

Eddie

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Eddie,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

I hope you're not entering dates! Enter Tasks, Durations and Precedence
links and let Project do what it is designed to do - calculate the dates for
you.

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