Summary Tasks Totals in a Master Plan

[Todd]

We are using a master plan (schedule) as a way of tracking several smaller
plans on a large project. Since we really want the master schedule to be
more of an overview, we created tasks that were linked to a summary tasks in
the subplans. We then made the subplan tasks subordinate to the master plan
task so we could get reflect only the totals from the subplans.

The dates are working correctly now and the user is prompted of any changes
when the master is open to be accepted or ignored. However, only the dates
are being shown. The work total from the subplan is not being captured in
the master summary task. Project is putting a frozen 0 for the hours of
work. The field is gray and can't even be edited.

Anyone know a way to have all of the information rollup from the external
linked task into the summary in the master.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Todd,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

I don't think I fully understand your situation. However, linking summaries is not good practice. Why not use the master plan system as it was intended by Project's designers? That is, create a resource pool file. Open each project and share resources with the pool. Create a Master file and Insert all the projects into it. Now use Projects filtering abilities to show, for example, just the summaries.

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

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP
See http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc for my free Project Tutorials



We are using a master plan (schedule) as a way of tracking several smaller
plans on a large project. Since we really want the master schedule to be
more of an overview, we created tasks that were linked to a summary tasks in
the subplans. We then made the subplan tasks subordinate to the master plan
task so we could get reflect only the totals from the subplans.

The dates are working correctly now and the user is prompted of any changes
when the master is open to be accepted or ignored. However, only the dates
are being shown. The work total from the subplan is not being captured in
the master summary task. Project is putting a frozen 0 for the hours of
work. The field is gray and can't even be edited.

Anyone know a way to have all of the information rollup from the external
linked task into the summary in the master.

Thanks in advance.