Getting Inconsistent and unreliable total float values that do not make sense.
Good evening,
Whilst working on a specific project, we experienced several dissimilarirteis in Total Float in Gannt View and Grid view.
I have highlighted Row#10, Row#17, and Row#19.
If you look at Row#10 under Gant view we have 11 days of total float. however, in the grid view it shows 0.
In Row 17, it shows 2 days of float in the grid view but in gantt view, we can see that we have 16 days of total float.
In Row 19, grid view shows 2 days of float but in reality we only have 1 as you can see in the gantt chart.
We are also getting -1 float for Row 29 and Row 31.
The formula we have been using is - TOTALFLOAT([Task Name]@row)
Any leads are appreciated. Thank you.
Answers
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Hello @Tariq H
I've looked over your screenshot and it looks like you have 2 tasks dependent on the completion of row 10.
The first task is row 11 and the second is your float of 11 days.
The float should change when the first task, that is scheduled at the exact same time as the predecessor, is completed. If the only dependent was your task of Installation of doors & frames, it would probably be the correct value.
It looks like there are some other values that should be 0 in that section of the hierarchy as well.
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Thank you very much for your response. It is still unclear to me why Smartsheet functions the way it does. In order to provide a comparison, I have created another schedule using P6. For P6, I have kept all the relationship DITTO that I have used in Smartsheet the same.
In comparison to Smartsheet, P6 in the total float column provides me with the right amount of slack. I'd really appreciate your advice.
Tariq H
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In the community last week, I posted a comment regarding the comparison of Total Float calculations in Smartsheet and P6. In spite of the fact that I find working with Smartsheet quite intuitive, I still have some doubts regarding the total float generated by this application.
I have, however, simultaneously worked on P6 in order to identify where the problem lies. P6 provides me with the appropriate amount of slack. It would be helpful if someone could offer me some advice in this regard. Thank you.
Tariq H
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The lines you have circled in your initial screenshot are not showing float. They are simply showing the path to the next task. Example would be row 10.
The total float is saying that the task on row 10 has zero room for schedule changes without impacting the overall finish date (because of how your predecessors are set up). The line on the Gantt chart that you circled on row 10 is not representative of the float but simply a visual that row 10 is tied to row 24.
Those lines have nothing to do with the float.
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Hi Paul,
P6 shows the right amount of total float whereas smartsheet does not (even if we ignore the gantt chart and just look at the columns). I am not sure if you understood my concern correctly. Please go over both the PDFs and you will see what i am trying to understand.
Tariq H
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No. I understand your concern. The total float in SS looks accurate to me. It shows the number of days that the task can shift without impacting the overall end date. I'm not sure you understand the total float. If row 10 is delayed by even 1 day, it will impact the overall end date based on the way you have your predecessors set up.
The difference between your P6 results and your SS results are the differences in your predecessors.
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