Predecessors

[SMERTZ]

I am new to project and have been told that each task must have
predecessors, and successors. With the exception of the first and last tasks
in a project. If they don't project will not be able to calculate the end
date of a project. I am just wondering if this is god or bogus information.

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Yes and no.
It is a good thing to link all tasks to each other... but you do not have to
introduce predecessor and succesor information just because Project would
need that.
Predecessor and successor information is supposed to REFLECT REALITY.
If a task can't start before an other task has finished (when the task uses
the result of the other task) there is a relationship between the both and
your MS Project plan should reflect that, no more, no less.

When a task has no relation to any other task (which means it can start
right now and doesn't have to end before the end of the project) it won't
have precdecesors and successors.

But what IS good information is this: YOU SHOULD NOT, NOT AT ALL, calculate
dates yourself and enter these. Let theh scheduling engine of Project do its
work: link tasks, but also enter resoruces and use resource leveling to
avoid overallocations...

And finally... it's quite a task to study Project. Why not take a course
before spending weeks to discover it?

HTH

 

[SMERTZ]

Thank you, this is good information.

I did actually take an online course to get familiar with project standard
2003. I thought the information that all tasks must be linked was bad info,
but did not know why. When I look at the network view, and all tasks are
linked I see a project laid out in a linear fashion. Of course most
projects aren't linear like that. I just wanted to be certain that project
would still calc the end date of the project. This has more to do with my
unfamiliarity with MS Project.

I am glad I found this group, in reading through it I found much good
advice, and I have a place to ask newbie questions.

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi SMERTZ ,

You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft Project in the
TechTrax ezine, at this site: http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc or this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the article before leaving the site,
Thanks.)

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: <http://www.mvps.org/project/>

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

 

[John]

Thank you, this is good information.

I did actually take an online course to get familiar with project standard
2003. I thought the information that all tasks must be linked was bad info,
but did not know why. When I look at the network view, and all tasks are
linked I see a project laid out in a linear fashion. Of course most
projects aren't linear like that. I just wanted to be certain that project
would still calc the end date of the project. This has more to do with my
unfamiliarity with MS Project.

I am glad I found this group, in reading through it I found much good
advice, and I have a place to ask newbie questions.

SMERTZ,
I agree with Jan for the most part but differ in one area. My contention
is that every task in a project MUST have a successor, even if the only
successor is the end milestone. If the end milestone is not dependent on
one or more tasks, then those tasks are superfluous and are not required
for completion of the project. Why work on, (i.e. pay for), something
that is not needed?

John
Project MVP

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

Adding a bit to Jan - *if* you have a start and finish milestone, then you
could say that all tasks except those two will have both a predecessor and a
successor. If a task doesn't have any actual work which must be done as a
pre-condition to its being started, the "start" milestone will be its
predecessor. If a task has no activity as a sucessor, then it has the
finish milestone as a successor.