Strange Behavior

[Karen]

Project - Version 2003
I'm in the middle of creating a template for my future
projects. When I enter a duration, my finish date does
not change. There's a "NA" in every date field. Does
anyone know what is happening? When I open a new project
and enter a duration, the finish date adjusts itself.

Thank you

 

[Sarah]

First, it is the Finish field and not the Actual Finish field, correct?
Next step is to be sure that calculation is set to Automatic
(Tools>Options>Calculation tab).

SarahK

 

[JulieS]

Hi Karen,
In addition to SarahK's comments is the "Finish" really the Baseline Finish
date?
Julie

 

[Karen]

Thank you for your help - I have 4 date fields Actual
Start, Projected Start, Actual Finish, and Projected
Finish - as soon as I enter a task name, an "NA"
polulates all 4 date fields. Note: Calculation is set to
Automatic.
HELP!

 

[JulieS]

Hi Karen,
The Actual Start and Actual Finish fields are populated when you track
progress on your project. In a template file, you wouldn't want to see data
in the Actual Start or Actual Finish fields as the user of the template will
supply that data when they are tracking their project .

I am going to guess that the "Projected Start" and "Projected Finish" fields
are really the Baseline Start and Finish Fields. Again, in a template file
you wouldn't want to save a baseline (and therefore have data in those
fields) until you are ready to start tracking progress.

If you view the [Start] and [Finish] fields (Insert>Column), you will see
the dates for Start and Finish.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

 

[Karen]

Yes - the "Projected Finish" is really the "Baseline
Finish" - Is that a problem?
Thank you

 

[Karen]

Actually, I was just plugging in dates to see if my
template worked. As you can probably notice, I am new to
this application. My boss wants to see the following
fields:
Task Name
Duration
Projected Start
Actual Start
Projected Finish
Actual Finish
% Complete
Resources

What do you suggest I use for the Projected Start and
Projected Finish? Not the Baseline Start or Baseline
Finish?

Thank you

-----Original Message-----
Hi Karen,
The Actual Start and Actual Finish fields are populated when you track
progress on your project. In a template file, you wouldn't want to see data
in the Actual Start or Actual Finish fields as the user of the template will
supply that data when they are tracking their project .

I am going to guess that the "Projected Start" and "Projected Finish" fields
are really the Baseline Start and Finish Fields. Again, in a template file
you wouldn't want to save a baseline (and therefore have data in those
fields) until you are ready to start tracking progress.

If you view the [Start] and [Finish] fields (Insert>Column), you will see
the dates for Start and Finish.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Thank you for your help - I have 4 date fields Actual
Start, Projected Start, Actual Finish, and Projected
Finish - as soon as I enter a task name, an "NA"
polulates all 4 date fields. Note: Calculation is set to
Automatic.
HELP!
Finish
field, correct?

.

 

[JackD]

No, go ahead and use baseline for your original projection.
The usual sequence is:
1) build your project plan by inputing activities, dependencies, resource
assignments etc.
2) Confirm that the schedule is the way you want.
3) Go to the tools menu / select tracking and click save baseline.

As you have seen, you can enter baseline information directly, but it is not
a recommended practice (as there is no guarantee it matches your plan)
Until you save a baseline all of the baseline fields will be N/A.

--
-Jack ... For project information and macro examples visit
http://masamiki.com/project

..

Actually, I was just plugging in dates to see if my
template worked. As you can probably notice, I am new to
this application. My boss wants to see the following
fields:
Task Name
Duration
Projected Start
Actual Start
Projected Finish
Actual Finish
% Complete
Resources

What do you suggest I use for the Projected Start and
Projected Finish? Not the Baseline Start or Baseline
Finish?

Thank you

-----Original Message-----
Hi Karen,
The Actual Start and Actual Finish fields are populated when you track
progress on your project. In a template file, you wouldn't want to see data
in the Actual Start or Actual Finish fields as the user of the template will
supply that data when they are tracking their project .

I am going to guess that the "Projected Start" and "Projected Finish" fields
are really the Baseline Start and Finish Fields. Again, in a template file
you wouldn't want to save a baseline (and therefore have data in those
fields) until you are ready to start tracking progress.

If you view the [Start] and [Finish] fields (Insert>Column), you will see
the dates for Start and Finish.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Thank you for your help - I have 4 date fields Actual
Start, Projected Start, Actual Finish, and Projected
Finish - as soon as I enter a task name, an "NA"
polulates all 4 date fields. Note: Calculation is set to
Automatic.
HELP!

-----Original Message-----
First, it is the Finish field and not the Actual Finish
field, correct?
Next step is to be sure that calculation is set to
Automatic
(Tools>Options>Calculation tab).

SarahK

.

.

 

[JulieS]

Hi Karen,

The Projected Start [Baseline Start] and Projected Finish [Baseline Finish]
are automatically saved when you save a baseline for the project.
(Tools>Tracking> Save baseline.). I assume you are testing a project based
upon the template, not playing in the template file? In other words, you
saved your template as a template file by selecting Template from the file
type drop-down in the Save As dialog box. You then went to File>New and
selected the template from the list.

When you are first building the project (entering in task, durations,
linking tasks, and assigning resources) I suggest looking at the Entry table
applied to the left side of the Gantt chart. The Entry table is the default
table in the Gantt chart view, but as you have discovered, can be modified.
The default fields in the Entry table are:
ID (row number)
Indicator column
Task Name (the [Name] field)
Duration
Start
Finish
Predecessors
Resources

When you save the baseline, the Start is copied into the Baseline Start and
the Finish is copied into the Baseline Finish. (Other baseline fields are
also populated when you save a baseline.)
I understand your boss wanting to see the "Projected Start and Finish" and
Actual Start and Finish but I assume those are for projects that are past the
planning phase and actually beginning the implimentation or execution phase
of the project.

I suggest having a look at Mike Glen's series of article on MS Project at:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23

They are a great way to understand more about how project works and I think
will help you greatly in your learning curve.

Hope this helps. Please let us know if we can assist again.

Julie

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

I have to disagree with Jack here. I'd suggest that your Projected Start
and Projected Finish fields are probably closest to Project's plain Start
and Finish fields. Here's why.

I have a small project starting Monday consisting of 3 tasks, linked
finish-to-start A->B->C, each of which is expected to take 5 days. I
designated Monday 21 Mar as the project start. Project places the first
task starting there. Based on my duration estimate, it calculates that task
A is predicted to end Fri 25 Mar. Based on that, in turn it projects that
task B can start on Mon 28 Mar and will end 01 Apr and then in turn it
predicts task C will start the 4th and end the 8th of April. I've set just
one date, the project start. Everything else is a prediction based on my
duration estimates. Now we start work and we find that we finish task A in
4 days, one day earlier. I enter that fact in by putting in an Actual
Finish of 24 Mar. Immediately Project revises the starts and finishes of
the rest of the tasks - it now projects that we can start task B on the 25th
and that it will finish on the 31st while task C is now projected to start
on 01 Apr and finish the 7th. Before we began work I saved a baseline for
comparison. My original projection of the finish of the project was 08 Apr
but now, after doing part of it, we have a revised projection of 07 Apr.

Maybe a solution is to differentiate between "projected plan" and "forecast
plan." Then...
Projected Start == [Baseline Start] (the orignal plan)
Forecast Start == [Start] (actuals for things done, forecast based on
prior actuals for things still to do)
Actual Start == [Actual Start] (what really happened)

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Actually, I was just plugging in dates to see if my
template worked. As you can probably notice, I am new to
this application. My boss wants to see the following
fields:
Task Name
Duration
Projected Start
Actual Start
Projected Finish
Actual Finish
% Complete
Resources

What do you suggest I use for the Projected Start and
Projected Finish? Not the Baseline Start or Baseline
Finish?

Thank you

-----Original Message-----
Hi Karen,
The Actual Start and Actual Finish fields are populated when you track
progress on your project. In a template file, you wouldn't want to see data
in the Actual Start or Actual Finish fields as the user of the template will
supply that data when they are tracking their project .

I am going to guess that the "Projected Start" and "Projected Finish" fields
are really the Baseline Start and Finish Fields. Again, in a template file
you wouldn't want to save a baseline (and therefore have data in those
fields) until you are ready to start tracking progress.

If you view the [Start] and [Finish] fields (Insert>Column), you will see
the dates for Start and Finish.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Thank you for your help - I have 4 date fields Actual
Start, Projected Start, Actual Finish, and Projected
Finish - as soon as I enter a task name, an "NA"
polulates all 4 date fields. Note: Calculation is set to
Automatic.
HELP!

-----Original Message-----
First, it is the Finish field and not the Actual Finish
field, correct?
Next step is to be sure that calculation is set to
Automatic
(Tools>Options>Calculation tab).

SarahK

.

.

 

[JackD]

I was simply treating projected as "original".
I'd agree that you need baseline, actual and "forecast" where forecast would
be the start of tasks in the future. As you pointed out, actual is =
forecast for completed tasks. Better to just skip the term projected and use
baseline when baseline is what is meant.

--
-Jack ... For project information and macro examples visit
http://masamiki.com/project

..

I have to disagree with Jack here. I'd suggest that your Projected Start
and Projected Finish fields are probably closest to Project's plain Start
and Finish fields. Here's why.

I have a small project starting Monday consisting of 3 tasks, linked
finish-to-start A->B->C, each of which is expected to take 5 days. I
designated Monday 21 Mar as the project start. Project places the first
task starting there. Based on my duration estimate, it calculates that task
A is predicted to end Fri 25 Mar. Based on that, in turn it projects that
task B can start on Mon 28 Mar and will end 01 Apr and then in turn it
predicts task C will start the 4th and end the 8th of April. I've set just
one date, the project start. Everything else is a prediction based on my
duration estimates. Now we start work and we find that we finish task A in
4 days, one day earlier. I enter that fact in by putting in an Actual
Finish of 24 Mar. Immediately Project revises the starts and finishes of
the rest of the tasks - it now projects that we can start task B on the 25th
and that it will finish on the 31st while task C is now projected to start
on 01 Apr and finish the 7th. Before we began work I saved a baseline for
comparison. My original projection of the finish of the project was 08 Apr
but now, after doing part of it, we have a revised projection of 07 Apr.

Maybe a solution is to differentiate between "projected plan" and "forecast
plan." Then...
Projected Start == [Baseline Start] (the orignal plan)
Forecast Start == [Start] (actuals for things done, forecast based on
prior actuals for things still to do)
Actual Start == [Actual Start] (what really happened)

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Actually, I was just plugging in dates to see if my
template worked. As you can probably notice, I am new to
this application. My boss wants to see the following
fields:
Task Name
Duration
Projected Start
Actual Start
Projected Finish
Actual Finish
% Complete
Resources

What do you suggest I use for the Projected Start and
Projected Finish? Not the Baseline Start or Baseline
Finish?

Thank you

-----Original Message-----
Hi Karen,
The Actual Start and Actual Finish fields are populated when you track
progress on your project. In a template file, you wouldn't want to see data
in the Actual Start or Actual Finish fields as the user of the template will
supply that data when they are tracking their project .

I am going to guess that the "Projected Start" and "Projected Finish" fields
are really the Baseline Start and Finish Fields. Again, in a template file
you wouldn't want to save a baseline (and therefore have data in those
fields) until you are ready to start tracking progress.

If you view the [Start] and [Finish] fields (Insert>Column), you will see
the dates for Start and Finish.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

:

Thank you for your help - I have 4 date fields Actual
Start, Projected Start, Actual Finish, and Projected
Finish - as soon as I enter a task name, an "NA"
polulates all 4 date fields. Note: Calculation is set to
Automatic.
HELP!

-----Original Message-----
First, it is the Finish field and not the Actual Finish
field, correct?
Next step is to be sure that calculation is set to
Automatic
(Tools>Options>Calculation tab).

SarahK

.


.