not counting clean up tasks in finished date

[DreadkiailiWork]

We have some templates that have some clean up tasks that don't matter in reporting when the project was complete. For example, we have an email template that includes tasks to build and send the emails. Then some tasks to gather metrics about the emails. The due date we are given by the requestor is the send email date. The metrics dates don't matter when we are measuring if the project completed on time. Anyone have any suggestions on how you indicate the real last task to measure against? Kristine Ross

[SkyeHa]

Well, everything's a comparison of that date, either as a straight date or as a calculated field. For us it starts with being able to have a real, unique way to filter on that task, so whether that is a unique name ("Send email" becomes a phrase that no other tasks can use) or some other identifier (a milestone iD, a template task ID, a unique assignment), we can pull a list of that task. (so that's the basic answer to your question) Next step is setting up any peripherals you need. If you look to see whether the project is completed on time, then you're looking at actual completion date of that task vs planned completion date of that task. However if your PMs have been coached to tweak their dates you might actually want to compare actual completion date or planned completion date of the task against the default baseline planned completion date. If you're trying to figure out durations, it might be difference in time between the project actual start date and the task actual completion date, and this might be a calculated field on the custom form tied to the task. If you're working on showing this in the perspective of a project deadline report, you might be running a project list with a collection report that is tied to looking for that task based on the unique identifier and reporting on the planned completion date. And so on. -skye

[BarryBu2]

My first thought would be Skye's approach - most likely defining a milestone then pulling that in reports and views. An alternative would be two create a 'core' project and a 'cleanup' project and have cross project dependencies. Then you can use the built in fields of the core projects for executive reporting. Barry Buchanan - WMA Work Management Australia

[HelenMc1]

HI Kristine If your final email task comes just before your cleanup tasks -- try setting Duration and Hours for clean up tasks to 0. Also - to help identify projects when the deliverable has been completed but close out tasks remain -- create a new project status = current -- with a label something like Complete-pending close out. Good Luck! Helen McLaughlin Rego Consulting