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Critical path for subprojects

4 replies [Last post]
Nozar Naghani
User offline. Last seen 2 days 19 hours ago. Offline
Joined: 11 Jul 2004
Posts: 22
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Dear all,
We have a master project consisting of 10 (sub)projects. We believe that MSP recognizes only one critical path for the master project (i.e. whole group of sub projects). Whenever a subproject is opened independently, critical activities (that are shown in red) are just critical for Master project. They dont give us valuable information for that subproject & team.
How may we distinguish critical tasks for only one subproject (excluding all external tasks/links)?

If any of you had ever faced this dilemma, please drop a line. I have a couple of scenarios to be shared and discussed.
Any reference to other sources will be appreciated.


Thanks
Nozar Naghani

Replies

Ravi Potwar
User offline. Last seen 3 years 25 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 7 Mar 2005
Posts: 30
Groups: None
Hello Nazer,
Please do the following to find what is the wrong.
1)Open sub project Check the Project Overview & sse that completion of Sub project will not be same as Master project.
2)Take filter for Float Less than 2 & check the Link for Crtical path Where are brocken in sub project. if You using different calender for some activity they also Crtical Path not shown from Begining.

Good Luck
Raj Maurya
User offline. Last seen 2 years 38 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Posts: 132
Nozar,
Sorry to replying late as I was very busy. I had my one master schedule with different subproject and a common resource library. In that fortunately the critical paths of subproject and Master project was same and that was needed to.
For your case to see the different critical path, I guess if you impose subprojects finish date constraint then you would be able to find the CP for subprojects.
Multiple critical path check box works to show CP more than one if you have different path open ended with different finish dates. Then It will show CP based on defined slack.
Nozar Naghani
User offline. Last seen 2 days 19 hours ago. Offline
Joined: 11 Jul 2004
Posts: 22
Groups: None
Hello Raj and thanks for your reply.

1- What exactly I need: A critical path for a subproject, when I need to work with it independent from the master project. Imagine its being done with a different group and in a different location than other subprojects. The critical activities shown are just same as master project. It doesn’t recognize critical path/tasks for each subproject, when we need to consider it independnetly.

Why I need it separately? Because the team/location of each subproject is totally independent. They are not interested in other subprojects (Program manager is responsible for that). They need to see relational float within their own project. e.g. what can delay their colleagues’ jobs (same team).

2- When I open a sub-project independently, the critical path/activities shown is just Master Project’s critical path. It doesnt show the subproject critical activities. Please give it a try and let me know if you experience differently. To MSP, the whole master project has just one goal and one critical path (which passes through some/all subprojects). It cant understand an independent character for a subproject and doesnt calculate a critical path for a subproject. In an independently opened subproject, MSP only shows critical tasks which are critical for the master project!

3- Multi-critical path checkbox in calculation tab is for a different purpose, although its name sounds to be more useful. It just pushes (makes critical) successor-less tasks to the latest possible time. It never helps anything about sub-project critical path. To be honest, I never found a real use for it! Maybe for resource leveling.

Thanks
Nozar

PS: Does my request from MSP make sense? Anybody struggled it before?
Raj Maurya
User offline. Last seen 2 years 38 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Posts: 132
What you exactly wants? To show critical path in subproject while it’s opened alone? or when it opened with Master project? I think you can try with Option then click calculation tab and then Multiple crical paths.