Lost by Global.MPT, and my settings

[Michael Zenner]

This is one of those 'set once and it is forgotten'. Well, I forgot, and need
to have, after a hard drive crash.

I use Project to import a text file, that is the previous night's activity
on our mainframe computer. I am monitoring for specific jobs and critical
paths each morning, week, and month, for problems, and Project works well for
me, with it's filters.

The import file, tab delimited, and contains:
* ID
* Name
* Text1
* Note
* Start (date and time)
* Finish (date and time)
* Duration (in minutes, and identified with "MINS")
* % Complete
* Predecessor
* Date1

Set my calendar option to default start and end times to "0:00", my hours in
a day to 24, 168 hours in a week, and 20 days in a month. I have my date
display for date and time, and Windows 2K is set to have a 24 hour clock
display.

I used to import the file, then set to 24 calender, and everything was fine.

Now, I import, and the Finish is recalculated to the elapsed and 8 AM, if
the task runs after 5 PM. So I job that started at 7 AM, ran 1 minute of
Duration, has a Finish of 8:01 AM, instead of the 7:01 AM the file has.

I know there is some option that I am missing, and as soon as someone tells
me, I will slap my forehead and say "Yes, that is it".

Thank you in advance for your help,

Michael Zenner

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Michael,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

Probably the working hours settings. You might like to see FAQ Item: 5.
Default Working Hours

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
Project MVP

 

[Michael Zenner]

Thanks for your response, Mike, however, that doesn't appear to solve my
problem.

My Tools/Options/Calender is set as follows:
Week starts on: Sunday
Fiscal year starts in: January
Default start time: 00:00
Default end time: 00:00
Hours per day: 24.00
Hours per week: 168:00
Days per month: 20

These were from a Project chart I had on the network drive, and made the
defaults on my Global.MPT.

The 24 calender settings are as follows:
All days are marked as "Nondefault working time", and my "From:" and "To:"
times are set to 00:00.

I have charts I created from an import, before my drive crashed, that still
come up correctly with the duration and finish date and time. Importing my
text file, it still treats the finish as having the time of 8:00 plus
duration, but the duration is left to the correct amount. After I change the
properties of the Project, to the 24 calender, the duration is changed to the
amount of time between the start and finish.

At issue is to get MS Project to accept the Start, Finish, and Duration,
leaving them unaltered.

When I did this a couple years ago, it was a setting that isn't saved in an
individual Project, and at a loss to find the setting.

Thanks again,

Michael Zenner

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Michael,

Have you got the Project Start Date set to 00:00?


Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[Michael Zenner]

Mike,

I usually set the Project Start Time as the earliest date of the import file
and 6:00. I did set it to the earliest date and 0:00 and tried 0:00 without
a date, and still have it processing the odd finish date and time, based on
the following day at 8:00 and duration.

I seem to remember (a couple years ago) that the setting isn't in the
calendar, it's another option. Is it a setting on Tools/Options/Schedule?

Michael

 

[bushman]

Hi,

Try 12:00 AM TO 12:00 AM. This give a 24 hr working day

 

[Michael Zenner]

Bushman,

Tried that on Tools/Option/Calendar for the 24 hour, and on the Tools/Change
Working Times, and it had no impact.

I remember that I did make this change, but it isn't in the Calender or
Working Times. It was a different tab, maybe scheduling.

My charts are task activity only, with no resources, because I am only
looking at the jobs that are running in the system, which can have 12 or more
running concurrently.

I am not sure if I should have Project restore the defaults, and try again.