Microsoft Project for the Web not calculating dates correctly

Question

I am working on a schedule with many tasks including dependencies and the program is not calculating dates correctly based on the durations I'm inputting. I'm working on the web version because I'm on a Mac and the desktop app is not available. I've already tried messing with the work week to add in weekends and confirmed that in my settings that I'm using the correct time zone, but the dates are just rounding or otherwise not calculating correctly.

Here's my example: Task #1 "100% Occupancy" is dependent on Task #2 "Lease-up begins" and is set as a finish-start occurring 8 months after Task #2 finishes. Task #2 starts and ends on 1/12/2029, so Task #1 should occur on 9/12/2029, however Project is calculating the 8 months to occur on 8/24/2029 which is very obviously not 8 months. There are no other dependencies for Task #1 that could be impacting the start time.

This is just one simple example but this has been happening throughout the schedule and is making the program seem unreliable.

Answer 1

It looks like you're experiencing some issues with Microsoft Project's date calculations. I understand how frustrating that can be!

Let's break down the issue you're facing:

1. Task #1 ("100% Occupancy") is dependent on Task #2 ("Lease-up begins") with a finish-start relationship, meaning Task #1 starts 8 months after Task #2 finishes.
2. Task #2 starts and ends on 1/12/2029, so you expect Task #1 to start on 9/12/2029 (8 months later).
3. However, Microsoft Project is calculating the start date of Task #1 as 8/24/2029, which is incorrect.

You've already checked the work week settings and time zone, which is great! Here are a few more things to consider:

• Ensure that the task durations are set correctly. Double-check that Task #2 has a duration of 0 days (since it starts and ends on the same day).
• Verify that the dependency between Task #1 and Task #2 is set correctly. Make sure it's a finish-start relationship and that the lag is set to 8 months.
• Check for any other dependencies or constraints that might be affecting Task #1's start date.
• Try recalculating the project schedule by going to "Project" > "Calculate" > "Calculate Project".
• If none of the above works, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for further assistance.

I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns!