my duratio,start date and finsh date dont show

[Idong]

Pls i need help. I am learning MS project. I am working on a project now.
when i indent a task to show sub tass, the duration, start date and finsih
dats become inactive, hence i cant edit them.

Also, when i change the start dates, the duration does not change
automatically as i expect, and the finish date remains same.

Pls i will appreciate your assistance.

Idong

 

[JulieS]

Hello Idong,

It sounds from your post that you are manually entering start and
finish dates for tasks. You should be using predecessors and
successors to drive the dates in the project, not entering them in
manually. Enter task name and duration and let Project calculate
the start and finish dates.

You cannot edit summary task duration, start or finish dates. They
are calculated through the subtasks.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

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

 

[Jim Aksel]

Since you are new to Project, you may want to consider fellow MVP Mike
Glenn's free tutorials on Project:
http://project.mvps.org/mike's_tutorials.htm

As a start, in Project you should almost never key a date. Instead, let
predecessor relationships drive the start and end dates of tasks. Each
detail (not summary) level task should have both a predecessor and a
successor.

Do directly address your questions. If you have keyed a date, establishing
predecessors may not change the start or finish dates. Keying a date creates
a constraint. To remove the constraint, you can click on the date and press
delete.

Also, try Tools/Options... pull the calculations tab and set calculations to
automatic. You may also press F9 to manually calculate.

On summary tasks, the dates and durations can not be changed. In Project
2007 and earlier, the dates are calculated by the software based on the dates
and durations of the subtasks indented below them.
--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim Aksel, MVP

Check out my blog for more information:
http://www.msprojectblog.com

 

[Aravind G]

Hi Idong,

It is always a best practice to play with duration than directly trying to
chang dates.