Maintaining dates in WBS

[Former Member]

I have created a separate WBS with 2 to 3 subordinates with no relevance to maintain dates or network activity or completion date. Yet the system required maintaining actual start and finish date in all WBS's down the line otherwise Main WBS of the Project does not accept enter finish date manually and required us enter finish dates in all subordinate WBS after which to enter finish date in main WBS manually.. Is there a method i can maintain a WBS without the need to maintain dates?

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Iqbal,

Check this-

1. select project->control data->

     a. Check Sched. scenario and choose appropriate one.

     b. Check WBS scheduling profile,view its detail in SPRO->Project system->dates->date planning in WBS-> Define parameter for WBS scheduling.

Make changes accordingly.

Regards,

Pranav

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Further to Pranav's answer, choose 'free scheduling' for WBS. This will suffice the requirement.

regards,

Mahendra

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hello Mahendra and Pranav

I'm not an expert in PS but in the standard settings of the WBS scheduling profile it's possible to set mandatory fields? Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the standard settings you are only able to change settings like scheduling type, scheduling method or thelike.

and Iqbal. were you able to solve the problem?

Best regards

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

hi thanks. I have tried it out with different sch scenarios and it all end up insisting to write  finish dates in all subordinate WBS. If its a customizing issue , configuration issue , do please guide me in the road to resolve. Why must be it be mandatory to write dates in all WBS especially when some WBS have not relevance to dates and time.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Dear Pranav

Changing scheduling profile did not change the status differently. When I tried to write finish date in the parent WBS directly or in the main WBS, the message pops out saying finish date cannot be maintained unless finish dates are entered in subordinate WBS.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hello

so I was right with the assumption that scheduling profile has no affect on mandatory fields. So again, I think that this is a customizing issue and I'm not the right person to answer to this. All that I can say is that in the customizing you have the possibilities to specify mandatory fields. That means that the project profile indicates which fields are mandatory and when you are not filling this fields, you have no chance to save a project. You could try to copy this project with another project profile and hope that there are no mandatory fields. But this is not the way you should handle SAP. Somebody did a process study before for sure and set up the system like this with a good reason.

Sorry that I'm not able to answer your question

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Dear Iqbal,

Choose appropriate scheduling scenario.

• In Top-Down Scenario the scheduling dates are defined by top hierarchy elements, that is the project definition or the WBS elements, and limit the dates of the activities. The dates of the activities must lie within the basic dates of the WBS  elements to which the activities are assigned. Similarly the basic dates of a WBS element must be within the basic dates of its superior WBS element.

You may choose Top-down scenario. But in case if you do not want to take care of dates then choose Free scheduling.

I guess currently it is set to Bottom-up scheduling.

Regards,

Pranav

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi

In both bottom up and free scheduling scenario, finish date should appear in subordinate WBS otherwise Main WBS and Parent WBS does not accept finish date entry. Only start date is taken up automatically and waits to accept finish date only after I feed finish dates in rest of the subordinate WBS. I wish to maintain Bottom up or free scheduling in both case problem remains. My Question: Why must it be mandatory to feed dates in all WBS? Is this mandatory because of a configuration settings if so what is the approach to resolve. Appreciate your guidance. Thanks

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

as I said above, in NO standard SAP scheduliing scenario you MUST maintain fields. As I know when enterting a BASIC start date of a WBS with the top-down scenario, that is NOT within the project definition start and end date you get a warning message. This is only a warning message, and by confirming you can enter even a date that is not in the range of the project definition dates. But as you explained in your first post

- you have to enter ACTUAL dates

- and you MUST enter a date

I suppose that this comes from your CUSTOMIZING and NOT from any standard scheduling scenario. Why your system is set up like this, this you have to ask to the implementation team.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Dear Iqbal,

Check the settings of selected scheduling profile in path SPRO->Project system->dates->date planning in WBS-> Define parameter for WBS scheduling. Select profile which you have chosen in project and view its details. Change scheduling type as per your convenience.

Regards,

Pranav

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi,

What Pranav has suggested is right.

Adding to it if you have activities created then all those activities should have been confirmed before you can enter the actual dates for the superior WBS elements if you are using bottom up scheduling.

In case of free scheduling as Pranav have already mentioned this prob wont happen.

The system error itself is self explanatory when you try to enter actual dates to superior WBS without doing the same in child WBS while using bottom up scheduling.

Rgds

Saurabh

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

hi all

Im just trying to find the possibility of not maintaining dates in a particular set of WBS i dont desire to maintain dates. If parameters can be set like that for these WBS's , I believe the rest of the superior WBS will not call for entering finish dates in those lower WBS range. This is currently not possible in both scenario's; Bottom up and free scheduling.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

hi,

Thanks. This is a Project without any Network activity.  All dates are maintained manually. In Bottom up or Free scheduling scenario. I can feed dates actual dates in lower WBS and after which superior WBS but if i dont confirm even one single WBS of any other WBS, the most superior WBS of the Project does not allow enter actual finish dates.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hello Iqbal,

Either you have to follow date planning for all or for none. A part of WBS cannot be configured in different manner as profile is applied to project.

You can change in config for making date planning not mendatory.

For this follow above specified config(Path already specified) and choose

1. scheduling type- Only capacity planning

2. Uncheck automatic scheduling box.

Now you should assign points.

Regards,

Pranav

[Former Member]

Hi Iqbal,

I have seen all your 4 posted Questions.

You haven't assigned points to anyone or appraised them for their effort and precious time. Despite this you expect 100% of required effort from one.

If you want to use this forum then follow the rules else don't post questions.

Bring some professionalism.

Thanks,

Pranav

[Former Member]

Hello Iqbal

I think that the scenario you have described comes from your customizing. As a standard you don't have to maintain any dates for WBS elements, not to mention actual dates. When you set up the system that you have to maintain actual finish dates before saving a project, you have no other possibility to enter the required dates.

I hope that this helps