More help for a New User...

[bamamac_1]

I'm trying to create relationships between tasks and am a bit confused. I
have one task that runs a total of 8 months. When it is 4 months in, I can
start another task...but I can't start that task any earlier than 4 months
in. Can anyone help me with this type relationship. Is it Finish-to-Start
or what?

Also, when working with dependencies, is it acceptable to just link roll-up
tasks rather than each individual sub-task? I'm basically asking for the
pros and cons with such a scenario....being a new user to Project, I don't
really understand the implications of such a process.

One more question. If I have a task that I know begins on a certain
day....but is also dependant on another task finishing......but the
difference between the one task finishing and the other starting is 2 months.
And that's ok. What happens when I link them?

Thanks in advance. And I apologize in advance if my questions are vague.
I'm afraid my lack of experience and knowledge prevent me from asking more
sepcific questions.

 

[Trevor Rabey]

The link that you want is SS link with 4 months positive lag.
Best to specify the lag in the same units as duration, days, rather than
months.
The question arises, "days according to which calendar?" if the two tasks
have different calendars which are both different from the project standard
calendar.
This is easy to check with a little experiment.

Linking to or from Summaries is usually considered bad form, if only because
Summaries are not actually Tasks, just a way of organising Tasks.
However, it can be useful in the roughing out stage to link them, but with
the intention of ending up with no Summary links.
Also, at worst case you run a risk that you can create a circular link which
prevents your project from calculating.

If your Task starts on a certain day with a constraint, then the link from
the predecessor is redundant, unless the finish of the predecessor gets
delayed beyond the constraint date, when it has used up all of its free
slack and continues to push the Successor to the right, if it hasn't already
started. Many Predecessors are redundant in the same way, but it is still
necessary to make the link.

Generally avoid date constraints. Few Tasks or events depend on dates, but
rather on other Tasks.

Trevor

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

What's wrong with a task?
You make an 8 month task (!!!) that clearly consists of several tasks;
definitely obne that ends fter 4 months since it will "free up" another one.
So the answer is split the task in elementary tasks (that produce a
deliverable) then you will have "clean" FS links (from the finsih if the
task producing the deliverable to the start of the one going to use it).

About the linking of summary tasks, there are schools of thought. I advise
reading of our FAQ 48 (URL of the faqs in my signature)

Third question: nothing... unless the early task will shift and shift and
shift till it will end later than the fixed start; Project will then warn
you of the scheduling conflict.

HTH