Re: Dependencies and out of sequence scenario.

John,
Just tried it with the 3 tasks. Calculation is automatic. I did not enter
either dates. Confirmed that the constraint type is "as soon as possible" for
all 3 tasks.
When I mark task2 as complete. Nothing happened. I went to
Tools/options/calculation tab and clicked on "calculate now". Still nothing.
(I'm testing this on Project 2007 Beta).

This behaviour is what I expected and actually helps me with the current
plan. But I'm wondering why the dates won't move and how to let project
optimize the utilization by itself.
I guess my question is .. What is that 1 day that we now have, considered
as? To me, it means that the project has come to a stop for that period. May
or maynot be a good thing.

Thanks!

"John" wrote:

In article <BA848446-F0D3-4B61-BA8C-69F05A003EFF@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Manis <Manis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Sorry guys, that was a typo. All the dependencies are Finish to Start. That's
what I meant to say. (I am little bit confused by the earlier answers.)
My concern with this scenario is just one.
Eg:
Task1 - 1 day - 11/01 to 11/01
Task2 - 1 day - 11/02 to 11/02
Task3 - 1 day - 11/03 to 11/03.

They are in the correct sequence and that's their dependency.
If Task2 is complete on let's say, 10/25 and I mark it as complete. In what
situation would Task3 start on 11/02? Because now there's nothing happening
on 11/02.
For simplicity sake, let's assume just 3 tasks and 1 resource.
Would the Task3 dates change to 11/02? In my experiments, it didn't do that
automatically. If this does not happen, how can I make this happen? (not that
I would want to. just curious).

Thanks,
Manis.

Manis,
Yeah, I wondered if it was a typo but I think both Mike and I took you
literally.

OK, about your scenario. If task 2 is completed early, task 3 will still
show as starting on 11/3 (not 11/2) if one of two things are true -
either calculation is set to manual (Tools/Options/Calculation tab), or
there is a start-no-earlier-than constraint on task 3. This constraint
will automatically be set by Project if you manually entered task start
dates.

One more comment. You may or may not want task 3 to automatically move
back to 10/26 as a start date. It depends on how valid your links were
in the first place. Clearly the link between task 1 and 2 was not
necessary since task 2 finished ahead of task 1. However, it may still
be true that task 3 cannot start until task 1 is complete. In that case,
the link should be changed accordingly.

John
Project MVP

"Mike Glen" wrote:

Hi Manis,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup :)

There should be no direct relationship between resources and dependencies.
The logic should be set irrespective of the resource requirements. Logic
dictates that you have to have the walls built before you put on the roof.
This is a Finish (of the walls)-to-Start (starting the roof) relationship
and is generally the norm for most projects. This is the way you should
build your project. If you are unsure of this, have a read of my Guide to
Network Analysis in Article 1 referenced below. When you have defined the
logic to your satisfaction, you can then begin to assign resources. Then
you can let Project sort out overallocations by levelling. Thus, I would
begin by changing all the precedence links to be Finish-to-Start.

You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft Project in the
TechTrax ezine, particularly #1, at this site: http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc or
this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AU
TH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the article before leaving the site, :)
Thanks.)

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

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

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

Manis wrote:
This is a problem that I'm having in my project.
The project plan was complete and we had all the dependencies set.
Many of them were start to finish. Now during the project, I'm
finding that many of the successor tasks are actually complete before
the predecessor!
I understand that the dependencies were setup wrong. The users say
that the dependencies are actually resource dependent instead of task
dependencies. For eg:- if a task is being executed by an experienced
resource, he has the required knowledge and does not have to wait for
the predecessor to be complete. Valid argument. The problem is that
the task has a generic resource against it. So, at the time of
planning, I don't know what kind of dependency to set. I elected to
use "start to finish". (Don't ask why.)
Question : If a successor is set as complete before the predecessor,
what happens to the dates?
if Task1, Task2 & Task3 are to be executed in that sequence and I
mark Task2 as complete before Task1, what happens to the plan for
Task1 and Task3?





.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Dependencies and out of sequence scenario.
    ... Project can do is to calculate a schedule based on inputs provided by ... let's assume just 3 tasks and 1 resource. ... there is a start-no-earlier-than constraint on task 3. ... The project plan was complete and we had all the dependencies set. ...
    (microsoft.public.project)
  • Re: Resource vs. Task Dependency
    ... but I'm still trying to grasp the advantage of a>> resource "dependency" the functions like a task dependency does. ... >> Obviously they must be sequenced but the kicker in my mind is WHAT> sequence? ... >> You say one would be able to see timelines driven by task dependencies>> versus on driven by resource dependencies but I don't see how it could be>> possible that they are different. ... Critical path scheduling got it's big break from>>> the ...
    (microsoft.public.project)
  • Re: "Start no earlier than" always the same as "Start date"
    ... In your original post you say that you enter a start no earlier than constraint and then seem surprised that's where Project places the task. ... MSP does not allocate resource A, or any other resource, to tasks. ... Now I look at the schedule and see if the computed dates meet the business objectives of the project - finishing on deadline or coming in late. ... Project does not replace your knowledge of the resources and their qualifications or your expertise on how the project needs to be organized. ...
    (microsoft.public.project)
  • Re: Trying to understand MSP 2003/2000 behavior
    ... "start not earlier than" constraint on Task 2- the constraint is Start As ... The tasks are fixed duration, I understand that the duration can not change, ... and assigned a standard calendar resource it works all week, ...
    (microsoft.public.project)
  • Re: Why few of my tasks were pushed too far during levelling
    ... Of course I'm just guessing here, but if I'm right, in your example, task 1.2 needs to be delayed but 1.3 has a FNLT constraint on it. ... Depending on what else the resource was assigned to and the priorities of the tasks, 1.2 could be moved way out into the future until the plan shows your resource has nothing else booked, even if it mean it's delayed for years, all the while 1.3 stays put because the constraint prevents it moving. ... Or maybe it's because of choosing Priority,Standard levelling method? ... > branches within a tree. ...
    (microsoft.public.project)