Need help clarifying my understanding of overdue tasks.

When a task is overdue it turns red. Can someone explain what is
happening behind the scene for MS Project to make this determination?
I have almost two identical tasks and one is red while the other is not
and the differential seems to be the predecessor of one over the other.

Thank You,

aww91@yahoo.com wrote:
> Need help clarifying my understanding of overdue tasks.
>
> When a task is overdue it turns red. Can someone explain what is
> happening behind the scene for MS Project to make this determination?
> I have almost two identical tasks and one is red while the other is not
> and the differential seems to be the predecessor of one over the other.
>
> Thank You,

I think you are misinterpreting Project. The red tasks are not
neccessarily overdue, though they can be. They are your "Critical"
tasks. Project tries to identify what is called the "Critical Path"
through your schedule. This is the longest path, and determines the
duration of the project. This only works if your project is properly
linked (Google in this NG for "Schedule Continuity" and "linking
Summary tasks" (don't) and you'll get some good information on this.
In your situation, the path through the red task is longer than the
path through the blue task. Once you know your critical path, it can be
used to prioritize and to better manage the schedule. It would
definitely help if you did a little reading on "Critical Path Method"
scheduling. A basic understanding of this can help you avoid most of
the major pitfalls of using Project, or any other CPM scheduling
software. Or take a class where the instructor understands and is
willing to explain this basic concept.
Hope this helps in your world.

Hi AWW91,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup :-)

Please see FAQ Item: 42. Guide to Network Analysis

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

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

Mike Glen
Project MVP

davegb wrote:
> aww91@yahoo.com wrote:
>> Need help clarifying my understanding of overdue tasks.
>>
>> When a task is overdue it turns red. Can someone explain what is
>> happening behind the scene for MS Project to make this determination?
>> I have almost two identical tasks and one is red while the other is
>> not and the differential seems to be the predecessor of one over the
>> other.
>>
>> Thank You,
>
> I think you are misinterpreting Project. The red tasks are not
> neccessarily overdue, though they can be. They are your "Critical"
> tasks. Project tries to identify what is called the "Critical Path"
> through your schedule. This is the longest path, and determines the
> duration of the project. This only works if your project is properly
> linked (Google in this NG for "Schedule Continuity" and "linking
> Summary tasks" (don't) and you'll get some good information on this.
> In your situation, the path through the red task is longer than the
> path through the blue task. Once you know your critical path, it can
> be used to prioritize and to better manage the schedule. It would
> definitely help if you did a little reading on "Critical Path Method"
> scheduling. A basic understanding of this can help you avoid most of
> the major pitfalls of using Project, or any other CPM scheduling
> software. Or take a class where the instructor understands and is
> willing to explain this basic concept.
> Hope this helps in your world.