Auto-generation duration using start AND end-date predecessors

zamftb

Hello everyone!

Is there any way to define start AND end-date predecessors (e.g. 2FS, 3SS) and thereby have the duration calculation auto-generated?

Yes, i did put the exact example above into my predecessors column, but it doesn't work.

The easiest example I could give of why one would want to do this is: let's say you have someone on a termed appointment that ends on Oct. 5 (line 2), and you have a new body of work that starts on Jan 3 (line 3). It would be nice to make a "HIRE SOMEONE!" task with 2FS, 3SS predecessors (or better, 2FS-4w, 3SS).

Any help?

J. Craig Williams

This is not possible in Smartsheet. 

All predecessors will either impact the start date or the end date, but the duration is always fixed. The best I can come up with is forcing a start no earlier or finish no earlier constraint, but still the duration remains fixed.

...

Related to your question phrasing:

Both 2FS and 3SS impact the "HIRE SOMEONE!" (4) start date:

- can start to hire someone when the (2) contract is terminated

- can start to hire someone when the (3) work commences.

In effect, this task could begin on Jan 3.

What you really have is a Finish No Later Than criteria, which I have been unable to reproduce. 

There's a couple of ways to look at these, and Smartsheet can't do them:

(3) can not start until someone is hired without risk to the task/project. It can, but it  shouldn't. That implies (4) is the predecessor to (3), kind of.

No matter how (4) is tied to (2), on Oct 4th, it is satisfied - (2) has started, (2) has finished, so any of the four predecessor types are OK, and (3) therefore becomes the only pred.

...

The best option is to have a task "begin hiring process" with a reminder and manually enter the dates for that task.

I hope that helps.

Craig

zamftb

Yea, that's what I've done - "begin hiring process" with a reminder and manually enter the dates for that task.

It's just unfortunate and, if any smartsheet's admin people are listening, would be a nice feature. To be clear:

IF start date is set by a predecessor, and duration is set, automatically set end date (currently possible)

Else-if end date is set by a predecessor and duration is set, automatically set start date (currently possible)

Elsei-if end date and start date are both set by predecessors, automatically set duration (currently not possible)

Thanks for the reply.

Brad

J. Craig Williams

You are welcome.

To submit a request, this is the link:

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/739aa75f30ca43a8a22eb53e4da7d409?_ga=2.252030409.1366352181.1537654263-457748321.1537654263

(it is also on the right side of this page)

Craig

Michael Dillenberger

+1. This would be a great feature.