Consolidating Primavera and MSP plans

Hi Oliver

I also get frustrated when sub contractors do not give a correct programme.

I would ask the sub to re-issue a programme which will give you forecast dates. How do they know they can achieve their finish dates?

I currently use MSP and it can give the output that you require.

Regards

Colin

Oliver,

Grow some and give your subby a kick.

If they can’t demonstrate that their programme holds together and has been updated properly, they’re not doing their job.

Gord,

I have some, but nobody wants to see them!

For some reason, many people in the IT industry still believe that MSP is a good planning tool!?

How did Everton do last weekend?;)

I understand that MSP 2007 has the ability to define correctly a "status date/ timenow, so that activities are correctly progressed, if that "toggle" is switched on. This would mean that activities to the left of timenow are progressed and those to the right have no progress on them, instead of the current progressing issues that the use of MSP 2003 presents us all with.
I have not seen this functionality, but heard about it, so if you are luckier enough to get your hands onto MSP 2007 it would certainly be worth checking out.

Oliver,
It is not the fault of the tool but the failure of the people who are using it to recognise common sense from nonsense.

It should be plain obvious even to people working in IT that actual progress cannot be in the future, and also that planned tasks cannot be in the past.

Why not just show them why their results are ludicrous and show them how to do it properly. MSP is quite capable of being ised properly.

Guy, it is not necessary to get MSP2007, since MSP2003 can be readily be used to track progress.
You just need a straightforward procedure and stick to it.
Surely it should be considered a possibility that if you struggle with it then maybe you are missing something, rather than "the software is broken". Would be happy to discuss further.

Guy,

I understand the issues caused by what you would call the ’9-bar rule’ as i have been a CSI at your company. I hope that over time the ’toggle’ will become a normally on one for MSP.

Trevor,

I agree it is more the fault of the user than the tool, but my arguement is why give them the option. MSP allows what other tools disallow as a rule. When the status date changes it allows the forecast dates to remain, even if no progress has been made.

Thank you.

It agree it is nonsense to have tasks in the future progressed and those in the past incomplete, unfortunately I get very tired of explaining this illogical method that many follow with MSP. Good planning knowledge, in fact plain ordinary common sense should say it is illogical to progress schedules in the way that many do. Unfortunately many do though. This is where I see what I am told is new functionality in MSP 2007 should help to try and enforce common sense.

IMO procedures allow for mistakes, whereas hard-wired rules built-into the software force people to plan better.

Oliver, "if wishes were fishes..". whining about the software won’t address the problem or give you any possibility of a solution. Better to deal with reality and the here and now as it is.

Garbage in is not just a mistake, but a complete misunderstanding of what the tool is for and how it works.
It can be quickly remedied.

Just explain that tasks cannot be planned to be done in the past and progress cannot be made in the future (be sensitive because it will be embarrassing for them when they realise this), and they are updating progress incorrectly, and refer them to me for a quick explanation about how to do it.

Either that, or, if it is within your power, force them all to adopt whatever software you prefer. But even then, without the education they will produce a ghastly mess.

Trevor,

don’t forget modelling or is it simulating? in this case progress can be done in the future (progress as planned - not actual progress).

cheers

Oliver,

Sounds like a case of sloppy planning as well as scheduling engine differences between the two tools. With MS Project you can uniformly progress to Status Date (Drop Date in Primavera??), but I tend to consider this planning without consequence… surely you need an accurate cost to completion?

If the schedule is resource loaded, MS Project has the ability to forecast Duration and Work (Effort) so you should be getting your subs to update the actual as well as the remaining Duration / Work.

Trevor et all are indeed correct, tasks shown in the schedule that should have started or finished in the past need to be progressed or re-scheduled, however, if you are planning with MS Project I don’t think that’s necessarily the case with Work.

Regards,

Darren

I think the best course of action is to plan the work for them, even though they are off-shore.
Getting a periodoc progress sheet that gives actual start/finish, physical % complete and remaining duration from them and using it update a master plan in Primavera should give more reliable forecast dates.

Oliver,

Have you got P6? Get those tightwads you work for to give the subbies web licences, and just send them reflections of the programme, they update them, you can challenge them, and it all goes into P6.

am off to the home game against Utd tomorrow, but will try to respond next week if i can see through the tears.