tasks start time

[Ionut]

How can I use the 24 hours calendar and set a default starting time for tasks
(with length expressed in hours)? For example I want that all activities
start at 5:00 am instead of 8:00 (or other time) that MS Project use

 

[John]

How can I use the 24 hours calendar and set a default starting time for tasks
(with length expressed in hours)? For example I want that all activities
start at 5:00 am instead of 8:00 (or other time) that MS Project use

Ionut,
Go to Tools/Options/Calendar tab and set the default start time to 5:00
am. Then hit the button "set as default" before hitting "OK". You
probably also want to go to Tools/Options/Schedule tab and set the
"Duration is entered in" as "Hours". That will allow you to use hours
for the "length" (i.e. Duration).

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

 

[Steve House]

FYI John, changing the default start time only affects the assumed time
included in a manually entered date field. The working time calendar
and the predecessor's end time together determine the calculated start
time for a task, Regardless of the default start time setting, on the
24 hour calendar if a task ends at 10am its successor will start at 10am
while if it ends at 3am its successor will start at 3 am. Just another
reason NOT to use the 24 hour calendar as the Project calendar IMO.
Setting the default start time on the calendar page to 5am will only
effect the time portion of the constraint date that is set if one types
in a start date without typing the time.

 

[John]

FYI John, changing the default start time only affects the assumed time
included in a manually entered date field. The working time calendar
and the predecessor's end time together determine the calculated start
time for a task, Regardless of the default start time setting, on the
24 hour calendar if a task ends at 10am its successor will start at 10am
while if it ends at 3am its successor will start at 3 am. Just another
reason NOT to use the 24 hour calendar as the Project calendar IMO.
Setting the default start time on the calendar page to 5am will only
effect the time portion of the constraint date that is set if one types
in a start date without typing the time.

Steve,
I understand what you are saying but I interpreted the poster's question
as the following. In the presence of a 24 hour Project calendar
(Project/Project Information), all new tasks entered, (prior to or in
the absence of predecessors), by default will still start at 8:00 am
even though the Working Time calendar is set to start at 12:00 am.
Changing the default setting under Tools/Options/Calendar to 5:00 am as
I suggested will cause all new tasks entered to start at 5:00 am. I
think that is what the poster was asking.

John

 

[Steve House]

But changing the default start time does NOT cause new tasks to start at
5am - that's my point. The Default Start field only applies to designate
the assumed time when a date is manually typed into a start field without
typing the time and does not otherwise affect the times tasks will be
scheduled to start. The only time it will appear to set a start is if a
date is typed into the Start field thereby setting a SNET constraint. When
you examine the constraint it will in fact show the typed date plus the
default field time as the constraint date.

I'm betting that something like this has happened ... the reason the
existing tasks start at 8am is probably because when he set the project
start date the working time calendar said hours were 8 to 5. So this was
carried over into project start field and it probably says the project
starts on "mm/dd/yy 08:00am." Now sometime later he's changed the working
time calendar to the 24 hour calendar but has neglected to change the
project start date TIME component to reflect an earlier hour. So now
although according to the calendar tasks could start as early as 12:01am
they don't because the project kickoff, the time the first task should
begin, is still defined as 8am, 8 hours later. Because the project doesn't
offically start until 8am, the first tasks don't begin until 8am, and all
subsequent tasks key off of them.

The only way to get it to work as you suggest is to set the default start
to, say 5am, and click "set as default" as you suggested BUT that will not
set back the project start to 5am. After making the default start time 5am
he has to start a brand new project file for it to be picked up as the
project start time. It's simpler simply to go in and edit the project start
to show the kickoff time to be the time he wishes the first tasks to begin.

 

[John]

But changing the default start time does NOT cause new tasks to start at
5am - that's my point. The Default Start field only applies to designate
the assumed time when a date is manually typed into a start field without
typing the time and does not otherwise affect the times tasks will be
scheduled to start. The only time it will appear to set a start is if a
date is typed into the Start field thereby setting a SNET constraint. When
you examine the constraint it will in fact show the typed date plus the
default field time as the constraint date.

I'm betting that something like this has happened ... the reason the
existing tasks start at 8am is probably because when he set the project
start date the working time calendar said hours were 8 to 5. So this was
carried over into project start field and it probably says the project
starts on "mm/dd/yy 08:00am." Now sometime later he's changed the working
time calendar to the 24 hour calendar but has neglected to change the
project start date TIME component to reflect an earlier hour. So now
although according to the calendar tasks could start as early as 12:01am
they don't because the project kickoff, the time the first task should
begin, is still defined as 8am, 8 hours later. Because the project doesn't
offically start until 8am, the first tasks don't begin until 8am, and all
subsequent tasks key off of them.

The only way to get it to work as you suggest is to set the default start
to, say 5am, and click "set as default" as you suggested BUT that will not
set back the project start to 5am. After making the default start time 5am
he has to start a brand new project file for it to be picked up as the
project start time. It's simpler simply to go in and edit the project start
to show the kickoff time to be the time he wishes the first tasks to begin.

Steve,
You are probably correct on what he did and yes, my suggestion only
works with a new project file with the default start time already set
for 5:00 am.

I concede that your explanation is more complete and fills in the blanks
that my response did not. At any rate, I hope the poster benefitted from
all our dialogue.

John

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

Steve,
I understand what you are saying but I interpreted the poster's question
as the following. In the presence of a 24 hour Project calendar
(Project/Project Information), all new tasks entered, (prior to or in
the absence of predecessors), by default will still start at 8:00 am
even though the Working Time calendar is set to start at 12:00 am.
Changing the default setting under Tools/Options/Calendar to 5:00 am as
I suggested will cause all new tasks entered to start at 5:00 am. I
think that is what the poster was asking.

John