Start or finish dates change

[Janet]

I am just starting a very basic task list with start and finish dates letting
the duration calculate itself. When I change the start date the finsih date
changes by 1 day and visa versa.

Why does it do that?

Thanks

 

[Jim Aksel]

More than likely the task type is fixed duration.

Advice: Do not key in dates.

Set a project start date (Project/Project Information...)
Type in your task names.
Key in durations (default is days but this can be changed).

Establish relationships between the tasks by linking tasks, that is "What
must be done before I can start this task?" Tasks can be linked by
highlighting the the tasks involved and clicking the link icon (looks like a
chain link). As an alternative (this is what I do), key in the task ID
number into the predecessor column.

If you type in dates, you set constraints in the software that force the
program to honor the dates. Gernerally, a keyed date overrides schedule
logic for the linking. Therefore, a keyed date ruins the schedule logic and
defeats the entire purpose of the program.
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Jim

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

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

The problem is you're keying in start and end dates. Don't do that.
Project is not designed to document a schedule you have already created.
Instead, its task is to take the date you'll kick off the process, your
estimate of the length of time it will take to complete each task, and the
link relationships between the tasks, and process that into a schedule for
you. You don't tell IT the dates you've planned, it tells YOU the dates you
SHOULD plan.