MS Project as Staffing Tool

[BrianCF]

We've been using MS Project as a staff / project management tool for our
architectural firm of 20 people and 40 active projects. Is there any way to
set it up so that each week the start date moves to the next week and "chops
off" or deletes the previous week? Right now I have to "zero out" the hourly
allocations manually to reflect project changes and keep the hourly
projections in their designated week. (Deleting the previous week moves all
the projected allocations up.)

 

[Jim Aksel]

No. However, you could write code to do it. It really isn't worth the
effort.
First, when you move from week to week - you need to manually adjust the
schedule for %Complete, Remaining Work, Remaining Duration, etc. Project
cannot make these decisions for you -- it could only assume that you are 100%
on schedule 100% of the time.

Second - if you have to manually update the progress, then why automate the
movement. You could write code to automatically assume a status date but are
things really that well oiled?
--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for FAQs and more information
about Microsoft Project

 

[Steve House]

It sounds like you're trying to use Project to manage the on-going
activities of your firm rather than as a project scheduling application per
se. Projects are by definition closed-ended - there comes a time in their
life when all the required work is done for all time, everybody goes home,
and the last person out the door locks up. Project planning software is
designed to calculate the most effective work schedule that will get to that
point as soon as possible. It sounds as if you're trying to use it on a
week by week basis to manage employee schedules instead of having a file for
each project treating it as a cohesive whole, covering its work in toto from
start to finish. Reorganize the logic and I think a lot of your issues will
disappear. As far as keeping allocations within their designated week, why
should you? If changes to a project means that a certain task has to be
delayed from one week to the next - digging the hole for a swimming pool
finishing a week late means that pouring the concrete for the pool also has
to be delayed a week - doesn't that mean that the hours allocated to that
delayed task have to move into the week when you now expect to be able to do
that work? Let the schedule requirements of the task drive when hours are
allocated, not the other way around. Beyond that, it's hard to offer any
suggestions because you're trying to force a square peg down a round hole to
a certain extent.

 

[davegb]

It sounds like you're trying to use Project to manage the on-going
activities of your firm rather than as a project scheduling application per
se. Projects are by definition closed-ended - there comes a time in their
life when all the required work is done for all time, everybody goes home,
and the last person out the door locks up. Project planning software is
designed to calculate the most effective work schedule that will get to that
point as soon as possible. It sounds as if you're trying to use it on a
week by week basis to manage employee schedules instead of having a file for
each project treating it as a cohesive whole, covering its work in toto from
start to finish. Reorganize the logic and I think a lot of your issues will
disappear. As far as keeping allocations within their designated week, why
should you? If changes to a project means that a certain task has to be
delayed from one week to the next - digging the hole for a swimming pool
finishing a week late means that pouring the concrete for the pool also has
to be delayed a week - doesn't that mean that the hours allocated to that
delayed task have to move into the week when you now expect to be able to do
that work? Let the schedule requirements of the task drive when hours are
allocated, not the other way around. Beyond that, it's hard to offer any
suggestions because you're trying to force a square peg down a round hole to
a certain extent.
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visithttp://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htmfor the FAQs

We've been using MS Project as a staff / project management tool for our
architectural firm of 20 people and 40 active projects. Is there any way
to
set it up so that each week the start date moves to the next week and
"chops
off" or deletes the previous week? Right now I have to "zero out" the
hourly
allocations manually to reflect project changes and keep the hourly
projections in their designated week. (Deleting the previous week moves
all
the projected allocations up.)

Well said, Steve!