linking SPI from one MSProject '03 file to another

[Lelaina Pierce]

I have a series of MS Project 2003 schedules that all calculate SPI.
I have linked entire schedules into a master summary schedule and the
SPI rolls up and calcualtes fine (I do this to report top-level SPI to
management.)

My issue is that I need to link an individual task (w/ SPI) from
within a schedule to my master summary schedule. I tried adding a
Predecossors task by pointing to the specific file and row I'm trying
to link from but when I do this, the SPI value does not come across.

How do I get SPI value from one schedule into another AND have that
value roll up into the top, summary SPI value?

 

[Andrew Lavinsky]

This may not be optimal, but you could do the Paste Special Link hack to
accomplish this:

1) Copy the field you want in one file
2) Open the other file
3) Right click and paste special in a custom field. Paste a link, and you
will have a dynamic link.
4) Repeat as needed

Note that this only copies a single field, and not a row.

-A

 

[Jim Aksel]

I think you are going to have some trouble. Essentially you are saying you
want to use a task and its baseline from another file.

SPI is derived from baseline data and your "new" file will have it's own
baseline. By the way, that is also true for your Master Files.

About the best I can offer is this (now watch, one of my peers is going to
post and offer a simple solution). Set a flag field such as Flag1=yes in your
source file. You now insert the the entire file as a project into your new
"reporting file". You can filter to the Flag1 as long as all the other tasks
you want in the reporting file also have their flag1 set as well.

You are going to have to play with the baselines as well. Keep in mind that
each file, including the master, maintains its own status date and baseline.

Another solution involves a VBA solution. I am sure it can be done that
way, but again you are jamming the task into another file and you need to
move the baseline data with it (and roll it up) to get the SPI you want.
--
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Jim Aksel, MVP

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