Seeing tasks that have least amount of free slack

The tasks that show the least amount of free slack. How can you see it on
Microsoft Project? How can you create an Autoformat on the bar so it
automatically changes color when a task has free slack or becomes critical
without using the format wizard? How does the computer know which tasks are
on the critical path?

John
Wed Jan 16 20:15:39 CST 2008

In article <2AFB8857-C30A-4873-AC5F-9ACA5C4EECAC@microsoft.com>,
Té <T@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> The tasks that show the least amount of free slack. How can you see it on
> Microsoft Project? How can you create an Autoformat on the bar so it
> automatically changes color when a task has free slack or becomes critical
> without using the format wizard? How does the computer know which tasks are
> on the critical path?

Te,
The easiest way to see slack is to add the Total Slack field as a column
in the view. If you want to see free slack you can also display the Free
Slack field, however, total slack gives a better overall picture of how
each task fits into the total plan.

As far as having a separate bar color, try the Tracking Gantt view. It
is already set up to show critical tasks with a red Gantt bar. You can
use the formatting of that view as a template if you want to further
define bars based on slack.

Project calculates the critical path based on the setting for days of
slack as found under Tools/Options/Calculation tab.

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

Trevor
Wed Jan 16 20:35:44 CST 2008

The critical path calculation is done automatically by MSP as you model the
project.
In brief (very brief), this is a forward pass and a backwards pass to to
calculate early start, early finish, late start and late finish, and
consequently the Free Slack and Total Slack, and therefore whether a Task is
critical or not, ie usually those tasks which have zero total slack.
This is really all there is to it.
This calculation is described in more detail in many other places in this
newsgroup and other places easily searched for.

Use Format, Gantt Chart Wizard to format the critical Task bars in red.

Let us know if these are the answers you were looking for.

Trevor Rabey 0407213955 61 8 92727485 PERFECT PROJECT PLANNING
www.perfectproject.com.au
"Té" <T@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2AFB8857-C30A-4873-AC5F-9ACA5C4EECAC@microsoft.com...
> The tasks that show the least amount of free slack. How can you see it on
> Microsoft Project? How can you create an Autoformat on the bar so it
> automatically changes color when a task has free slack or becomes critical
> without using the format wizard? How does the computer know which tasks
> are
> on the critical path?

Jan
Thu Jan 17 00:52:34 CST 2008

Hi,

Just to complete John's and Jim's excellent replies:
If you want to format Gantt bars without the wizard (which i< indeed
recommend) read all about it in
http://www.mvps.org/project.faqs.htm

Faq 31. Customizing Gantt Bars

HTH

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf
"Té" <T@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2AFB8857-C30A-4873-AC5F-9ACA5C4EECAC@microsoft.com...
> The tasks that show the least amount of free slack. How can you see it on
> Microsoft Project? How can you create an Autoformat on the bar so it
> automatically changes color when a task has free slack or becomes critical
> without using the format wizard? How does the computer know which tasks
> are
> on the critical path?

Mike
Thu Jan 17 04:09:55 CST 2008

Hi Té,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup :)

As for the critical path, it is based on the Critical Path Method that I
explain in my series on Microsoft Project in the TechTrax ezine,
particularly #1, at this site: http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc or this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the article before leaving the site, :)
Thanks.)

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: <http://www.mvps.org/project/>

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on :)

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP


"Té" <T@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2AFB8857-C30A-4873-AC5F-9ACA5C4EECAC@microsoft.com...
> The tasks that show the least amount of free slack. How can you see it on
> Microsoft Project? How can you create an Autoformat on the bar so it
> automatically changes color when a task has free slack or becomes critical
> without using the format wizard? How does the computer know which tasks
> are
> on the critical path?