Task for parts and material delivery dates

[tbone]

This is a "best practices" type of question by a novice Project user.

I'm help a machine shop get started with project management using
standalone Project 2003. This question involves planning for ordering
parts and materials (e.g. aluminum) and the associated lead times and
delivery dates.

In some cases, a very long lead time for a part will have a "delivery
date" associated with it; e.g. we can't get that part until the first
week of the second quarter. I think this example would also help me in
the case where projects are already underway and material has already
been ordered but not yet delivered.

In other cases, I'd want to add a task that essentially means "we need
to order this by this date because it takes 3 weeks to get it".

I'm reading the Project Inside and Out book, but I'm not sure I have
the luxury of reading the whole thing before I need to show some real
progress in creating these project plans, so I'd appreciate any
guidance that I can experiment with in Project.

Thanks
tbone

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi tbone,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

Enter a task for Order and give it a duration of 1 hour or so. Make a new task Delivery and give it a Duration of zero to make a milestone. Link the two FS + 3w to push the delivery out 3 weeks. Link the task that uses the material to the milestone.

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



This is a "best practices" type of question by a novice Project user.

I'm help a machine shop get started with project management using
standalone Project 2003. This question involves planning for ordering
parts and materials (e.g. aluminum) and the associated lead times and
delivery dates.

In some cases, a very long lead time for a part will have a "delivery
date" associated with it; e.g. we can't get that part until the first
week of the second quarter. I think this example would also help me in
the case where projects are already underway and material has already
been ordered but not yet delivered.

In other cases, I'd want to add a task that essentially means "we need
to order this by this date because it takes 3 weeks to get it".

I'm reading the Project Inside and Out book, but I'm not sure I have
the luxury of reading the whole thing before I need to show some real
progress in creating these project plans, so I'd appreciate any
guidance that I can experiment with in Project.

Thanks
tbone

 

[tbone]

Mike,

Thanks for the welcome and the very quick response. I really like the
separation of the Order and the Delivery; the Order can be marked as
100% complete while we're waiting on delivery.

In my second example, I'm thinking that I'd like to have Project tell
me the latest date something can be ordered, perhaps due to cash flow
or the price is expected to decline.

Could I somehow set up the tasks so that task B, the start of which is
calculated from other predecessors and which needs material X, can be
used to peg the delivery date of X and then work back by the expected
lead time for placing the order for X? I'd also be happy to know if
I'm overcomplicating it.

tbone

 

[Mike Glen]

Yes you can, though I'm being lazy tonight and suggesting you try yourself! Experiment with lag, try negative lag (lead) as well as positive and see what you can do. Whether it's overcomplicating things - that depends on the sort of detail you want to manage. How exact is the 3 weeks? Why not put a note in your diary to remind you to do the ordering?


Mike Glen
Project MVP

Mike,

Thanks for the welcome and the very quick response. I really like the
separation of the Order and the Delivery; the Order can be marked as
100% complete while we're waiting on delivery.

In my second example, I'm thinking that I'd like to have Project tell
me the latest date something can be ordered, perhaps due to cash flow
or the price is expected to decline.

Could I somehow set up the tasks so that task B, the start of which is
calculated from other predecessors and which needs material X, can be
used to peg the delivery date of X and then work back by the expected
lead time for placing the order for X? I'd also be happy to know if
I'm overcomplicating it.

tbone