Auto-scheduling a recurring task to depend on another task

[piedpiper11]

Hi, I suspect this may not be possible from the reading I've done, but I thought I'd ask if anyone has any ideas. I have a construction project and the construction period starts at some point about 6 months from now, after a series of lead-up tasks are complete. During that construction period (let's say it's 12 weeks long), I also want to hold a bi-weekly construction conference call with a few of the subcontractors. I know how to create a recurring task, and find that it requires a Start Date to be defined. But at this point in the planning process, the start of the construction period can still shift as the lead-up tasks are still moving around. I'd like the recurring construction conference call to shift around as that construction period moves, always starting at the same time. It appears that the recurring task function in MS Project is useless here, unless I want to manually change the start date. If it were just one recurring series, I'd probably just shut up and deal with it. But this project also has half-dozen or more other period reporting requirements that can shift around based on predecessor tasks; and I don't want to have to manually move everything. Kinda defeats the purpose of Auto-Scheduling.

I realize I can create the first task of a periodic series, and then copy it with some kind of lag as many times as needed. But that also seems inelegant, particularly for a $1000 piece of software that has a nice recurring task function, which currently appears unable to "float".

Any ideas? (I'm using MS Project 2013 Pro on a Win7 system)

Scott

 

[JulieInMaine]

Recurring tasks are constrained with Start No Earlier Than (SNET) constraints and will not adjust automatically based upon changes in the start date of the Project. If the construction period tasks are in a separate file, you can move the tasks (with constraints) using the Move Project command. It will adjust the recurring tasks relative to the new project start date.

 

[piedpiper11]

Maybe I'm too new at this, but I don't see why I would keep a series of bi-weekly construction calls in a separate file from the rest of the overall project.

Am I right to think that it's a mistake for MSP not to allow conditioning the start of a recurring task series on a predecessor task?

I'm not trying to be obstinate, just trying to understand hows and whys for MSP.

Scott

 

[JulieInMaine]

The issue is the constraints that are created and necessary for the tasks to be spread weekly without predecessors. If the tasks were not constrained - they would be scheduled for the start date of the project. Fairly easy to change all recurring task start dates - just alter the summary recurring task.

I was not suggesting the calls be in a separate file that all of the construction tasks, including the calls are in a separate file - and that the start date of the project can be altered and thereby alter all tasks in the project.

 

[piedpiper11]

Great thanks for the insight

Scott