Create tasks in a project plan that won't affect the project condition

[sflege]

We have large project plans and have some specific tasks that run the entire lenght of the project to allow users to log time to. Trying to find a way for those specific tasks not to affect the project condition. As those tasks are really place holders for time and don't get updated that often. But they fall into "at risk" and when where are mutliple ones of those, it will make the project "at risk" . Even though they really don't have any impact on the project. 

[Kurt_Jones · Accepted solution]

sflege, there is a setting under Setup->Project Preferences->Projects where you can "turn off" the condition being set automatically based on progress status of the project.  That would allow that field to be set manually without it being calculated automatically.  I think by default its usually turned on.

[Lyndsy-Denk]

Short of flipping the project condition to manual as @Kurt_Jones suggests, I personally would avoid tasks like you describe. Have you considered having people log time at the project level? Or use a different time category to differentiate project time versus meeting or admin time?

[TammyWe]

We have a similar situation in that we have "general creative" tasks and "general project management" tasks on all projects that run the length of the project. They are basically bucket tasks for anything that falls outside of the specific project tasks. They're there if needed -- some use them and some don't. They sit at the top of the project and have a duration that matches the project duration. When the PMs set up the project, they set the completion for these bucket tasks at 90% so they don't impact project condition. We don't want to turn off project condition as our PMs are held accountable on their performance reviews for keeping a minimum of 80% of their projects "on target" each week. We just did performance reviews and for the past  year, all 4 of our PMs had a weekly average of 94%-96% of their projects  "on target."

[Kurt_Jones]

Tammy, that is inspiring how your folks and process provide true accountability on projects...we hope to aspire to that level some day 

[Madalyn_Destafney]

Hi! I've had this need to have a couple tasks in a template that are for the PMs to check off a couple things before the project is closed. What I did to avoid what you're saying is to have them in the template(s) with a predecessor to always fall as due on the date the last 'real' task of the project is due. Perhaps this can work for you too!