Logic in relating multiple predecessors?

[Benjamin M.]

Here's what I want to do:

I have a set calendar of City Council dates that I have entered as
milestones in Project. I want Project to look at those dates and choose the
next available City Council date given the current timeline... for example,
if the schedule moves us so the next scheduled meeting is the 3rd meeting of
the year, how do I make that meeting the predecessor of a task?

I'm imagining an "or" statement or something similar which relates
predecessors.

Is this possible??

Thanks,
Benjamin

 

[JackD]

1) Create a calendar which contains only the dates of the city council
meetings.
2) create a dummy task (one minute or so long)
3) Assign the calendar as a task calendar to your dummy task.
4) set the dummy task as a predecessor to your task.

A set of hard dependencies will not work as project will always choose the
latest.
I have a macro which lets you set the earliest one as the driving one, see
the followearliestpredecessor macro at:
http://masamiki.com/project/macros.htm
But for what you describe, using a calendar which constrains when the task
can happen will be better.

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

I'd set up a calendar that says the work hours are the dates and times of
the Council meetings and use that as the task calendar for the task you are
trying to schedule. Forget using milestones to represent those dates -
milestones are not dates, they are events. They occur on a date, true, but
the milestone is the event itself and not the date it occurs. Task links
from predecessors designate the earliest the task can occur but it will obey
the working time calendar that governs it as far as when it's actually
scheduled.

Let's say the Council meets every Friday at 9am and the usually ends at 3pm.
We're going to make a presentation at the meeting that occurs after we
complete work on the slide show. I create a calendar that shows
hours-of-work as being 9am-3pm on Fridays as the only work hours during the
week and assign that as the task calendar to the "Deliver Presentation"
task. Its predecessor is "Prepare Slides." We fininished preparing the
slides yesterday, the presentation will be schedule for this Friday. We
inish the slides tomorrow (Thur) - the presentation will be scheduled for
Friday. We finish the slides Friday afternoon, too late for the meeting,
the presentation will get scheduled for a week from Friday because that's
the first date its calendar allows it to occur after the completion of its
predecessor.

 

[Benjamin M.]

Thank you!!!!!!!! Your explanation was SO clear and easy to follow!

 

[Benjamin M.]

Thanks so much!!

1) Create a calendar which contains only the dates of the city council
meetings.
2) create a dummy task (one minute or so long)
3) Assign the calendar as a task calendar to your dummy task.
4) set the dummy task as a predecessor to your task.

A set of hard dependencies will not work as project will always choose the
latest.
I have a macro which lets you set the earliest one as the driving one, see
the followearliestpredecessor macro at:
http://masamiki.com/project/macros.htm
But for what you describe, using a calendar which constrains when the task
can happen will be better.

--
-Jack ... For project information and macro examples visit
http://masamiki.com/project

..

 

[Captain Canada]

Hi,

I have a related question about which predecessor determines the date of
a task. In my case, let's say I have task A that needs to be done before
tasks B, C and D can proceed. That's easy if you just want B-D to flow from
A. In my case, there are established times for B, C and D, so really what I
want to do is set start-to-finish dependencies for B, C and D on A, *EXCEPT*
that Project assumes that A need merely finish before the *latest* one
starts. Can the logic be changed with a task setting so that it will satisfy
all its predecessors? Does anybody have a macro/bit of VBA code that would
do the trick?

I looked at your description, Jack, haven't installed it yet, probably
will try, though by your description, it's close but not really what I want.
Help!

Thanks,
Captain Canada
_____________________

 

[Rob Schneider]

<--Task A-->+
|
+<--Task B-->
+<--Task C-->
+<--Task D-->

Is the above what you have?

Project does not assume anything, actually. It will do what you tell it.
The above says that B, C, and D start after A is complete.

Can you please elaborate on what you mean "changed with a task setting
so that it will satisfy all it's predecessors?" What do you mean
"satisfy".

I'm a little puzzled by this because tasks don't "satisfy" predecessors.
Predecessors need to be complete to the extent defined how that
relationship is setup (with + or - lag based on time or %, for example).

--rms

www.rmschneider.com