Forum Discussion
Combining 2 duration columns to get one Finish date
Well, it will report that plumbing was starting 10 days later but that's Start Variance, not Duration Variance.
Sorry but you can't add something to the finish date without increasing the Duration field, unless you also change the Start field. Duration is the difference in working days between the start of a task and the finish of a task, unless there is a split, then task duration only tracks the scheduled working days where the span of the split is excluded. For example, in the screen shot below, framing for building one was going along swimmingly for the first three days, then over the weekend a storm blew in and delayed further framing for 3 days. That 3 days is entered into a custom Duration field (Duration1 renamed as "Delays") and a split is applied to the framing task. Note the task Duration field still shows the original 20 days but the split delay shifted the schedule to the right by those 3 long rainy wet days (yuck). If other delays occur, additional splits can be applied. The advantage here is the the delay is graphically very apparent but you could, as Dale suggested, make an entry in the Task Notes field why the split occurred.
So how do you do a split? It can be done manually via Task > Schedule group > Split task icon and then hovering your mouse over the start of the split and pulling it over the 3 days. Or, it could be done programmatically with VBA, enter the delay, run the macro and boom! there it is.
Is you head spinning yet?
John
OK on the project above we will say framing has been going on for 5 days, then they hit a 10 day working delay. What I want to show is that framing, since they have started their task, is now 10 days past they're original duration after they had started. So instead of finishing on 6-28-22 they will now be finishing on 7-12-22(12 days+10 days). This in turn will bump back all successors back 10 days as well. However, since "Doors and Windows" haven't started yet this task technically doesn't have any weather and/or material delays so they should still be able to complete their task in 2 days still (+ 10 day adjustment to start date due to framing delay.)
So my ultimate goal is to only track individual task items that are going to be affected by delays, as they happen, not track the overall project delays like the Duration Variance does.
MSprojecthelpme,
Keep in mind that what you want to do is probably all very clear in your mind but we can't read your mind so you have to think like you are explaining it to a third party because that's what we are.
Your latest example of the 10 day delay on a started framing task seems to play with your latest stated goal of tracking individual tasks that are delayed. But what happened to your previous example of the 60 day delay on framing? And what about the framing where the framers finished two days early? You only want to track the bad things and not track good things?
I don't understand your comment about tracking delays "as they happen" and not track overall project delays like duration variance. The Duration Variance field tracks delays as they happen. When a user becomes aware of a delay and needs to change a task duration, as soon as the user enters a new Duration, the Duration Variance field is updated. Are you saying your intended manual entry of a delay into the Duration1 field is more of a "as it happens"?
Just curious, what are you going to do with the "delay" metric (i.e.. the big picture)?
John
- MSprojecthelpme,
Wait a minute, you never told me if your head was spinning.....I gotta know.
If you want to learn Project VBA, I recommend the Project VBA book by Rod Gill, a former Project MVP. You can find out more at:
http://www.project-systems.co.nz/project-vba-book
However, today only, I'll offer to write the macro for you but you'll have to contact me directly at the address below. I will ask some questions.
John
jmacprojataticlouddotdotcom
(remove obvious redundancies) - Well it wasn't easy but i got my answer haha!! Wish it would have been able to work but this split solution should be able to accomplish what I need. Do you have any resources on the VBAs that I can follow up on?
Thanks again for the help Well, it will report that plumbing was starting 10 days later but that's Start Variance, not Duration Variance.
Sorry but you can't add something to the finish date without increasing the Duration field, unless you also change the Start field. Duration is the difference in working days between the start of a task and the finish of a task, unless there is a split, then task duration only tracks the scheduled working days where the span of the split is excluded. For example, in the screen shot below, framing for building one was going along swimmingly for the first three days, then over the weekend a storm blew in and delayed further framing for 3 days. That 3 days is entered into a custom Duration field (Duration1 renamed as "Delays") and a split is applied to the framing task. Note the task Duration field still shows the original 20 days but the split delay shifted the schedule to the right by those 3 long rainy wet days (yuck). If other delays occur, additional splits can be applied. The advantage here is the the delay is graphically very apparent but you could, as Dale suggested, make an entry in the Task Notes field why the split occurred.
So how do you do a split? It can be done manually via Task > Schedule group > Split task icon and then hovering your mouse over the start of the split and pulling it over the 3 days. Or, it could be done programmatically with VBA, enter the delay, run the macro and boom! there it is.
Is you head spinning yet?
John
Ok so I was confused on Duration Variance(dont use that function very often.), I thought if you had a 5 day delay on framing and plumbing it would add those 2 durations together. Then it would report that plumbing was starting 10 days later than it should have.
So I guess I want a Duration Variance that translates into the finish date of a task, without adding days to my Duration column. Instead I would be adding days to a "Delay" tab. Then both of those columns combined would push the finish date back for that task.
It may seem like Dale and I are giving you a hard time about your approach and in a way perhaps we are. Our suggestions are based on a whole lot of years of using Project, (20+ for each of us), and fielding a array of questions and misunderstanding by users. Back in 2020 I helped a user, also in the construction industry, who asked for help with translating the dollars associated with their cost codes for each type of construction activity. We went round and round trying to get on common ground but eventually I wrote a set of procedures (VBA macros) for him that interfaced from Excel to Project and back to Excel, one of which was a customized Excel cash flow report for all their properties under construction.
Back to the topic at hand. I don't quite see where you 60 day delay is coming from unless your plan shows all the framing tasks as a single task. Here is an example of 3 buildings with framing followed by rough in plumbing. A baseline is set.
It's raining so the framers are delayed 5 days on building 1 so that 5 days is added to the duration and entered into the Duration field. Note the framing delay shows in the Duration Variance for framing but even though that shifted the overall schedule to the right, rough in plumbing has no delay.
On to building 2, the framers pick up some time so they finish 2 days early but the plumbers run into a material delay so they lose a day. Again, no framing delay on building 2, (actually they get an "attaboy" for finishing early), but there is a plumbing delay on building 2.
Now, what part of that doesn't work for you?
John
My overall goal is to go to each individual trade (framer) and show them the schedule and show them how many days they are behind on their contractual days for each of their individual task items. If I use the Duration Variance to do that it will show them the amount of days the entire project is behind from the baseline that got saved at the beginning of the project. Which lets say is 60 days by the time the framers get to the last building in the sequence. If they haven't started that last building how could they already be 60 days behind on their work? So I need to show a running total of delays for each task individually and not an overall project delay(Like the Duration Variance does). And yes as you stated the variance does track delays as they happen but then those delays affect every successor even if they haven't started their task yet.
Again if framers end up pushing back the entire building schedule due to weather the Duration Variance will automatically show a delay for MEP rough ins/roofers/siders/painters. My goal is to show individual task delays as the delays happen. For another example, if the framers frame the building without a hitch but then the plumbers have a delay but the HVAC, Electrical, and Sprinkler guys don't, I want to be able to add 2 days to the plumbers duration in my "Delays" column for only them. Thus, allowing me to go to the plumbers and say hey you're 2 days behind I need you to pick it up.
For our projects we only save a baseline when an initial schedule has been agreed upon, and then when framing starts on the first building. If my framers get to the last building and it shows a 60 day delay from the "Framing Baseline" mentioned above, I cant say "Here is your back charge for being behind by 60 days." I have to hold them accountable for each building individually. When they start framing a new building that is when the clock starts on their duration.