I am getting inconsistent results when I try to use MSProject with both forward scheduling, and I am not sure how MSProject works in this mode to understand how to resolve the issue.
I have a project plan where I am doing normal forward scheduling for may primary tasks. I have other tasks were I need to know when those tasks need to start by to support my primary tasks and am using backward scheduling by creating those tasks as linked tasks that have a constraint type of "Start as late as possible".
Here is an example:
If I have a simple project plan of design, install, test, and deploy, where the install includes installing software and hardware. These tasks are all linked using forward scheduling to tell me when the project will complete. The hardware installation needs to happen at a specific time in the project. In order to do that I have to issue a PO, and receive the equipment to meet the installation date. These are backward scheduled from the install date to see where I would need to issue my PO in order to meet my installation date.
When I set this up I can usually get it to work after much effort and it is often unstable. When it goes unstable the backward scheduled tasks seem to be driving the forward schedule dates. The as "late as possible" constraint is picking a task further down the plan as the date to anchor off of. It seems like the order of linking and assigning constraint type makes a difference. Sometimes temporarily anchoring the plan with a "must start" constraint allows it to work.
Can some one tell me how to achieve my example, or how MSProject treats the "Start as late as possible" constraint in this case.
Thanks
I have a project plan where I am doing normal forward scheduling for may primary tasks. I have other tasks were I need to know when those tasks need to start by to support my primary tasks and am using backward scheduling by creating those tasks as linked tasks that have a constraint type of "Start as late as possible".
Here is an example:
If I have a simple project plan of design, install, test, and deploy, where the install includes installing software and hardware. These tasks are all linked using forward scheduling to tell me when the project will complete. The hardware installation needs to happen at a specific time in the project. In order to do that I have to issue a PO, and receive the equipment to meet the installation date. These are backward scheduled from the install date to see where I would need to issue my PO in order to meet my installation date.
When I set this up I can usually get it to work after much effort and it is often unstable. When it goes unstable the backward scheduled tasks seem to be driving the forward schedule dates. The as "late as possible" constraint is picking a task further down the plan as the date to anchor off of. It seems like the order of linking and assigning constraint type makes a difference. Sometimes temporarily anchoring the plan with a "must start" constraint allows it to work.
Can some one tell me how to achieve my example, or how MSProject treats the "Start as late as possible" constraint in this case.
Thanks