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Auto-generation duration using start AND end-date predecessors

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?

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Comments

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.

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