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Cost showing on Summary Task but can't edit it

Anonymous
2021-03-05T18:55:46+00:00

Hello my fellow project users.  I am building a high level schedule for one of my clients and have come across something I was hoping one of you could help me understand.

Initially I have built a simple WBS to allow my client to see their different costing areas with their respective sub cost areas added at the sub-task level.  As I detail out the schedule and make the original sub-task a summary task, it keeps the cost attached, but I have no way of editing it.  I understand that the summary task is simply summarizing the information below, but there is no cost on this new sub-task.  I am able to add money on the new sub-task, which then rolls up into the summary task, but in the event my client has to change their budget in the future, I need to make sure I am able to edit the summary tasks.  I have provided pictures below.

As you see in the picture below, activities 2 and 4 looked like 6 & 7, but now that I want to use them as summary tasks, I added a new task below each and indented it in.  By doing that, the cost stayed, which I am fine with, but I am unable to edit it.

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John Project 49,705 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2021-03-06T01:51:54+00:00

ARC21,

You're welcome and thanks for the feedback.

To answer your further questions, if each summary line has only one subtask, then the answer to both questions is yes. However even in a "high level" schedule, it doesn't make much sense to have a single subtask under each summary (i.e. why bother with creating summary lines).. In the more normal scenario wherein summary lines have multiple subtasks, then the answer to both questions is "no". Earned value metrics are based on Performance tasks. Performance tasks are subtasks under summary lines that have resources assigned and those resources can be labor [work type], consumables [material type], or fixed [cost type]. Cost type resources are not the same as fixed cost.

For summary lines the percent complete is calculated by Project as:

Summary line percent complete = (sum of subtask actual durations) / (sum of subtask durations) *100%

However, please take note of Trevor's comments about summary lines. Summary lines are NOT tasks, they are simply a summary of subtask data under the summary.

John

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Anonymous
2021-03-05T22:03:39+00:00

The fixed cost field/column is the first field/column in the cost table.

Actual cost and remaining cost of the tasks, whether from resource costs or from fixed cost, will roll up to the summary. Your theory is easy to test. Note that the % complete of the summary is not simply the sum of all of the % completes of the tasks (they could sum up to more than 100). Ignore % complete of summaries since it has no use and no meaning, or at least no useful meaning. BTW, never assign costs of any sort, or resources, to summaries. If you start with a task which does have resource assignments and cost, and you then want that to become a summary, move all of the assignments and cost to one of the tasks. Here's a link to a discussion. There are plenty of others.

https://groups.google.com/g/microsoft.public.project/c/4s6ejCmGLrw

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-03-08T13:43:07+00:00

    The fixed cost field/column is the first field/column in the cost table.

    Actual cost and remaining cost of the tasks, whether from resource costs or from fixed cost, will roll up to the summary. Your theory is easy to test. Note that the % complete of the summary is not simply the sum of all of the % completes of the tasks (they could sum up to more than 100). Ignore % complete of summaries since it has no use and no meaning, or at least no useful meaning. BTW, never assign costs of any sort, or resources, to summaries. If you start with a task which does have resource assignments and cost, and you then want that to become a summary, move all of the assignments and cost to one of the tasks. Here's a link to a discussion. There are plenty of others.

    https://groups.google.com/g/microsoft.public.project/c/4s6ejCmGLrw

    Trevor, I fully understand the concept of not using summary tasks to assign relationships, resources, etc., but what I found interesting was how it kept the cost. I do agree with you that I would want to spread the cost out over the tasks. I will check the link you sent as well.

    Thank you.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-03-05T20:16:50+00:00

    ARC21,

    The cost you entered when Construction Engineering was NOT a summary line was a fixed cost. When you made Construction Engineering a summary line with a subtask, that summary retained the fixed cost. If you want to edit that cost, add the Fixed Cost field as a column in the view and edit the value there.

    Hope this helps.

    John

    Hello John. I would have never thought to add in this column and yes it did work. Thank you.

    To further this discussion a bit more, when I baseline the schedule so that I am able to review the planned value and earned value as I progress my schedule, this will still be based off of the summary task information, correct? For example, if my % complete from the tasks below equals 50%, theoretically, the summary task would be using 50% of that fixed cost.

    Again thank you!

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  3. John Project 49,705 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2021-03-05T20:05:16+00:00

    ARC21,

    The cost you entered when Construction Engineering was NOT a summary line was a fixed cost. When you made Construction Engineering a summary line with a subtask, that summary retained the fixed cost. If you want to edit that cost, add the Fixed Cost field as a column in the view and edit the value there.

    Hope this helps.

    John

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