2 questions about task type

[Jack]

1. For two different tasks - one with four resources, task type of 'fixed
work', and effort-driven unchecked for a task and one with four resources,
task type of 'fixed duration', and effort-driven unchecked - would Microsoft
Project handle each of those task differently?
2. Does the effort-driven checkbox have any real affect with the task type
'fixed duration'?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Jack,

1. Fixed Work tasks are always effort driven.
2. Of course. When a resource is added WORK IS REDISTRIBUTED among the
resources and since the task is fixed duration, units will change.
HTH

 

[Jack]

1. Even if you have the Effort-driven checkbox in MSProject2000 unchecked?
2. Fixed duration tasks are not effort-driven. Because of that, I was
wondering what the purpose was of the Effort-driven checkbox.

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi again,

1.You CANNOT uncheck that. Did you try?
2. Can't think of life examples but I remember somebody asking for it a few
months ago.
HTH

 

[Steve House]

I tend to think of the task type setting and the effort driven setting as
switches the PM uses to supply the intellegence about what should happen
when a task is edited that Project itself lacks. If I have one guy assigned
to paint a room and add a second guy, the duration should get shorter since
the work is divided between them - effort driven. If I have a meeting and
am adding attendees, the meeting length won't change depending on the number
of people, it certainly won't get shorter at any rate!, so it's non-effort
driven.

Task type - I'm changing Joe from 100% to 50% on a 5 day task he's been
assigned to. Why? Is it because I need him elsewhere 4 hours a day and can
live with the first task taking longer? Fixed work. Or is it because it's
really only 20 man-hours instead of 40 but I don't need it done earlier than
originally planned - fixed duration. In each case, only you know what the
outcome SHOULD be, Project doesn't and can't know. The task type and effort
driven setting let you make sure it does the calculations the way they're
supposed to be.

Steve House [MVP]