An example of recalculation to numbers.

[neostar77]

I have a task or tasks that recalculates the number of hours which I don't
want to. It means it then re-calculates the total number of project hours and
that's not what I want.

I'll give you an example of what I mean:

I set a task to 44 hrs.
I then have a % complete column at 70%. Then I change the status to 100% for
that task and it re-calculates the hours to something like 46.8 or 47.54
hours or something like that.

Also, if I add another resource, it re-calculates like that too for that
specific task.

I tried to change the task from "fixed units" to "fixed duration" but I
don't know what I'm doing with it as it re-calculates another task or two.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

As I stated in a previous post, it would help us very much to understand
your questions if you did not use ambiguous expressions such as "hours" or
"project hours" but tell us whether you mean duration or work instead.
Lots of people will be ready to help you - as soon as you clarify your
problem.
Greetings,

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

It may be that you're not doing anything wrong. Project is first and
foremost a scheduling calculator - its entire reason for existance is to do
exactly those sorts of calculations you're seeing. For example, if you have
a task that will take 1 person a week to do and you add a second person to
help him, isn't it logical that the nature of most tasks is such that it
will get done in half the time? Calculating that sort of thing is why you
use scheduling software like Project in the first place. You don't tell it
the schedule you want, it tells you the schedule you'll get. But for us to
help you sort it out, as Jan has said several times, you first need to
define your issue in industry standard terminology so we can figure out the
best way to help you. The biggest hurdle is when you use the terms "hours"
as in "I set a task to 44 hours" exactly what are you talking about? Are
you referring to duration - the time between when the task begins and when
it ends, minus intervening non-working time? Or are you referring to work -
the actual man-hours of physical labour the task entails?

A task starting at 8am Monday and ending at 5pm (using the standard
calendar) is 9 hours elapsed time but 8 hours duration. (Lunch doesn't count
in the duration because it's non-working time.)

1 person working all day exclusively on that task does 8 man-hours of work.

1 person working all day on that task and some other things as well, and the
amount of work required is such that if he wasn't distracted by the other
things he would have gotten that task done in 4 hours instead of the 8 it
takes, does 4 man-hours worth of work on the task in question.

2 people working together all day exclusively on that task do 16 man-hours
of work.