Activity Durations in MS-Project 2007

Microsoft Project 2007 supports input of Activity durations in a number of formats like Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks and Months.

Under each Category, MS-Project allows the following two formats of entry
1. Duration – entered as hrs, days, wks, mons
2. Elapsed Duration – entered as ehrs, edays, ewks, emons

To understand how MS-Project uses each of these durations for schedule calculations we need to look at the following 2 calendar settings.

A. Project Calendar - To view the Project Calendar setting select Tools ->Change working Time
The settings used in the example case are the default MS-Project Standard Calendar.
Sunday & Saturday - Non working day
Monday to Friday - 8 Hrs [8:00AM to 12:00PM & 1:00PM to 5:00PM]

B. Project Calendar Options Settings - To view the Project Calendar option setting select Tools -> Options ->Calendar Tab. The settings used in the example case are the default MS-Project settings.
Hours per day - 8
Hours per week - 40
Days per months - 20

MS-Project Calculation

Task 1
Entered duration: 24 hrs
Start Date: 02-Mar-2009 8:00AM. Start Date is equal to the “Project Start Date” (02-Mar-2009 8:00AM) since there is no predecessor assigned)
Finish Date: Start Date + 24 Working Hrs = 04-Mar-2009 5:00PM; 8 Hrs (02-Mar 8AM to 5PM) + 8 Hrs (03-Mar 8AM to 5PM) + 8 Hrs (04-Mar 8AM to 5PM)

Task 2
Entered duration: 24 ehrs
Start Date: 02-Mar-2009 8:00AM equal to “Project Start Date”
Finish Date: Start Date + 24 Hrs = 03-Mar-2009 8:00AM; 24 Hrs (02-Mar 8AM to 03-Mar 8AM)

Task 3
Entered duration: 2 days
Start Date: 02-Mar-2009 8:00AM equal to “Project Start Date”
Finish Date: Start Date + 16 Working Hrs (2 x 8 “Hours per day” setting in Options Dialog) = 03-Mar-2009 5:00PM; 8 Hrs (02-Mar 8AM to 5PM) + 8 Hrs (03-Mar 8AM to 5PM)

Task 4
Entered duration: 2 edays
Start Date: 02-Mar-2009 8:00AM equal to “Project Start Date”
Finish Date: Start Date + 48 Hrs (2 x 24 Hours/day) = 04-Mar-2009 8:00AM; 24 Hrs (02-Mar 8AM to 03-Mar 8AM) + 24 Hrs (03-Mar 8AM to 04-Mar 8AM)

Task 5
Entered duration: 2 wks
Start Date: 02-Mar-2009 8:00AM equal to “Project Start Date”
Finish Date: Start Date + 80 Working Hrs (2 x 40 “Hours per week” setting in Options Dialog) = 13-Mar-2009 5:00PM

Task 6
Entered duration: 2 ewks
Start Date: 02-Mar-2009 8:00AM equal to “Project Start Date”
Finish Date: Start Date + 336 Hrs (2 x 7 day/week x 24 Hours/day) = 16-Mar-2009 8:00AM


Task 7
Entered duration: 2 mons
Start Date: 02-Mar-2009 8:00AM equal to “Project Start Date”
Finish Date: Start Date + 320 Working Hrs (2 x 20 “days per month” x 8 “Hours per day” setting in Options Dialog) = 24-Apr-2009 5:00PM

Task 8
Entered duration: 2 emons
Start Date: 02-Mar-2009 8:00AM equal to “Project Start Date”
Finish Date: Start Date + 1440 Hrs (2 x 30 day per month* x 24 Hours per day) = 01-May-2009 8:00AM
* MS-Project calculation engine assumes a fixed 30days per month factor for calculating durations entered as “emons”, hence verify whether the schedule output is in line with real life situation when using emons.

Event 10016, Microsoft-Windows-DistributedCOM, The application-specific permission settings do not grant Local Activation permission for the COM Serve

First I found the following DCOM error in the Server Manager -> Application Server -> Summary
Source: Microsoft-Windows-DistributedCOM
Event ID: 10016
Keywords: Classic
User: NETWORK SERVICE
Description: The application-specific permission settings do not grant Local Activation permission for the COM Server application with CLSID
{629DA12E-9AD5-4FEC-B886-42C5982C5109} to the user NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE SID (S-1-5-20) from address LocalHost (Using LRPC). This security permission can be modified using the Component Services administrative tool.

After searching various blogs, got a simple procedure to correct this error

Step 1 (Identify Application causing the error):
Run “regedit” from the start menu. Find (Edit -> Find) the CLSID mentioned in the error message. “In my case {629DA12E-9AD5-4FEC-B886-42C5982C5109}” This Key should be in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT -> CLSID. Against this, there would be a AppID (Key Value). Note down this value, which is the Application which has caused the error. “In my case {6002D29F-1366-4523-88C1-56D59BFEF8CB}”

Step 2 (Locate the Application causing the error):
Run “dcomconfig” from the start menu. Go to Component Services -> Computers -> My Computer -> DCOM Config. Search for the Application with “Application ID” matching the earlier noted AppID

Step 3 (Correct the error):
Go to the security configuration of the Application “Right click -> Properties -> Security Tab -> Launch and Activation Permissions -> Edit”. Add the user name mentioned in the Original error log (In my case NETWORK SERVICE), and select the options allow Local Launch and Local Activiation. Now the error is rectified, what is overall effect of this additional authorizations, or why this error has occurred, I have no clue, but the fact is Error in Server manager is resolved.

Project Web Access - Trial Period Expired –Troubleshoot issues with Windows Sharepoint Services

The “Project Web Access” website which was fully functional for the past few weeks, suddenly showed up a blank screen saying “Trial Period Expired”

Even though I had all trial versions downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/, I had only spent 35 days out of the total granted 120/180 days trial period. After overcoming the temptation to re-install the trial versions of Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2005 and Office Server 2007, did some searching around. Thanks to all the infinite number of blogs, and people willing to take time to share their problems and solutions, I found from the following blog that I needed to download and Install StandaloneDCworkaround.msi, since I had all softwares running on a single server. The link to the file was also provided in the same blog

http://blogs.msdn.com/markarend/archive/2007/11/08/trial-period-evaluation-period-for-this-product-has-expired.aspx
http://download.microsoft.com/download/b/1/a/b1a6dceb-92a3-4808-8dac-b4e40c90ce00/StandaloneDCWorkaround.msi.

Installing the softwared a Folder C:\Program Files \DCWorkaround containing a batch file and text file. While installation the program asks for the default path for Project Server, and also mentions how to find it in the registry. Double clicking the batch file creates a workaround.reg registry file. Double clicking the registry file adds the entry to windows registry. Now the Project web access site is functioning normally and i no longer get the "Trial period expired" error message.