I read many blog entries that are very derogatory about MS Project, but struggle to understand why there seems to be such negativity about this product. It may not be as feature dense as products such Primavera P6 but it is a powerful, effective, planning tool that can be used for monitoring and controlling both large and small projects. I regularly come across criticisms such as:
- It isn't a CPM tool
- You can't track progress or costs
- You can't calculate and report earned value
- The float calculations are inaccurate
- You can't store multiple baselines
- Its grouping and sorting capabilities are poor
- Progress sometimes ends up in the future (beyond the status date) after updates
- Unstarted work remains in the past (behind the status date) after updates
- You can't use it for large complex projects
All of these criticisms are in fact falsehoods and stem from the fact that the users in question do not understand the capabilities of the software, haven't configured it correctly or haven't entered data into it properly in the first place.
In fact it is perfectly possible to create MS Project schedules that accurately determine the critical path and calculate free and total float. All the normal cost control and earned value features that any project would need are catered for and can be reported; in many cases this requirement is irrelevant as cost and earned value calculations are often calculated outside of the scheduling software using Deltek Cobra or similar. Updating progress against tasks can be accurately and efficiently accomplished providing the appropriate calculation settings are selected and proper care is taken when updating the schedule; The key is understanding how the software works and then using it properly. Up to 10 baselines are available, more than enough for most people's needs in my opinion. Projects can be planned with up to 99,999 tasks per file; I don't believe too many people are managing scopes larger than that and schedules become very unwieldy when the file gets that big. If more than 99,999 tasks are needed then multiple files can be linked together. The grouping and sorting activities are now very flexible; using Outline Codes a myriad of different views and summary reports can be created.
I'd be interested in hearing what others think?
Rafael,
The results from the three programs are different. However, I think that it is possible to make arguments about the accuracy and validity of all of the above results. I'm not sure why you'd necessarily believe that the results from Spider are superior. Each program has it's own logic and calculation methods? In any case it is bad practice to create "orphan" tasks without predecessors and successors?
Rafael,
For MS Project , we may think it in this way,
- In Project1, we may split Task A into 3/4,3/7,3/8,3/9 and 3/10; Task B as 3/11,3/14,3/15,3/16,3/17, and so on for Task C and Task D, in mind.
- Task A float is 15 days in Project1 as its last piece of work 3/10 can delay 15 days without delaying piece 3/31 completion (last finish).
- In Project2, we delay piece 3/10 completion to March 25 (last finish) for a test. We can see Task A floats come down from 15 days to 4 days.
- Like building block, we can arrange 25 pieces of resource driven tasks here according to the resource schedule in anyway, and free floats of Task A,B,C,D always determined by its last finish
Anyhow, this is for pure resource driven only. For construction task, we had to logic link activities as process sequences do exist. Early/late dates are driven by resource, logic and duration.
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Your statement, "In fact it is perfectly possible to create MS Project schedules that accurately determine the critical path and calculate free and total float", is in error, perhaps before resource leveling it can yield correct values of float but after resource leveling it is in such error you never know.
Just create a 4 activities schedule with a duration of 5 days each, all loaded with a single resource A, of which there is only one available. Do not link the activities.
After resource leveling it will display wrong float values. Try the same with P6 it will show wrong free float values. Therefore I consider both software pure garbage. How in the world you pretend to call your software true CPM software if the basic computations for float are wrong?
Take the challenge and prepare yourself the sample job as for you to convince there are no hidden trick to make either MS Project or Primavera P6 to look as rubbish. Comparing MS Project to P6 is comparing garbage to garbage.
If you know the very basics about total and free float you shall know on the spot that the total and free float values are all 0. If still you do not believe it, if still too much then try moving a single day any activity and see what happens to the project completion date and to the start of successor activity.
Only Spider Project is displaying 100% correct values of TF and FF for all four activities, 0.0000000000000000000000 In this example P6 got correct values of total float while it misses correct FF values in 3 activities. I know of other sample jobs where P6 misses both Total and Free Float values on some activities after resource leveling, so do not assume their BUG is only with Free Float computations. Someone before suggested that in order to get true float values in P6 you shall uncheck Preserve scheduled early and late dates but the naive did not do his homework as disclosed in the provided sample schedule where the suggestion was applied, still wrong float values.
It is unbelievable the most basic computations for float are wrong in most software and there is a whole industry that does not realize it or do not care or perhaps there are many self proclaimed experts out there unable of realizing it, not to mention to even be honest and recognize it for the good of the hole industry.
I honestly believe if you are a true professional and know the software is in error you have the moral obligation of disclosing the error as wrong values of float can result in misled use of the software with potential negative time and cost implications.
Thorough the years I have become skeptical about software developers and about the honesty of the so called "experts" some call "gurus" perhaps in reference to "prima dona".
Best regards,
Rafael
Hi Donald,
I don't know if the latest version of MSP run from the Data Date when scheduling? Or is there a "Data Date"?
Schedulers usually define logic first and run the schedule.
I also remember that MSP has only "predecessor" and you cannot define "successor" task. Is it 'til now?
cheers!