Can I have Fixed "work" after recording actuals

[Joe]

I have a resource that I have split between three
different task items that run at the same time. For
planning purposes I allocated the task as follows.

Task A: 50%
Task B: 35%
Task C: 15%.

Lets assume this is one resource and all three tasks have
a duration of 2 weeks. So the allocations are

4 hours for task A
2.8 hours for task B
1.2 hours for task C.

This is the planned allocation of work for this resource.
When I get the actual hours for day 1, 2 and 3. Lets
assume the resource puts in

5 hours for task A
2.8 hours for task B
..2 hours for task C
for all three days.

Is there any way to keep task C (only) from not changing
the "planned" hours of work for the rest of the duration?
I ask this because task C is really a "Support Role"
task. The task does not have a set number of hours, I am
just reserving 1.2 hours for support functions, I only
want to allocate the 1.2 hours a day, regardless of how
much was used the previous day. For task A and B, I want
it to account for what has already been done, so I am okay
with how that works. It's just task C I want to have
fixed "work" no matter what the actual work done was. Is
there any way to do this?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Joe,

As soon as you will enter for C a number of actual hours geater that the
planned load, the latter will change.
Project will adhere to what you solemnly dclare as being the whole truth
(actual work)
HTH

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
Project Management Consultancy
Prom+ade BVBA
32-495-300 620

 

[Joe]

Hi Jan,

Not sure I fully understand. Are you saying it can't be
done?

Thanks

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Sorry I read through your example.
First when you say "the resource inputs" I hope you mean Actual Work, not
Work.
If you put in Timescale work total work will change.

In your example, since C inputs less than the allocated hours, its units
will not change nor will its total work.

Just that, should the figure have been higher than the original, Work WOULD
have changed.
And indeed, you can't stop Project from doing that (Actuals always override
the plan - as they do in the real world)

HTH

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
Project Management Consultancy
Prom+ade BVBA
32-495-300 620

 

[Steve House]

Others may disagree with this approach but IMO, if task C is not
actually work that contributes to the creation of one of the project
deliverabl

 

[Steve House]

Cat hit the keyboard before I was ready to send...

Others may have differing opinions but IMHO if Task C is not work that
contributes to the creation of the project's deliverables it doesn't
belong in the project plan at all. Project is about scheduling and
tracking the specific work directed to the conclusion of a project, not
all of the things done by a resource during his workday. The time
reserved for support activity is not time on the project, it is time
reserved for the resource to be away from the project if needed. This
is best accomplished by setting the allocations for tasks A & B as you
have done and just leaving the 15% unaccounted for, not worrying about
what he's doing during that time. What is relevant to the project is
how much work is accomplished on A & B. If C is non-project activity
the other 15% could be spent either working or smoking and joking, as
far as progress on the project schedule and budget is concerned it just
doesn't matter.

But that doesn't answer your question. When you post in actuals, the
schedule will always change to reflect them. This behavior is
fundamental to Project's tracking role. The reason it's behaving as it
is in your case is that a "task" in a project is time limited - it
always, without exception, has a definite start and a definite finish
and takes a specific, finite amount of work to complete. So if it is
budgeted for 2 hours per day for 10 days and you only did 1 hour on day
1, you have to either make the unworked hour by tacking it on the end or
reduce the total work required by 1 hour. But your support task is an
ongoing activity with no clearly defined end and project simply isn't
designed to track that sort of activity. If you need to preserve the
scheduled values of work for task C and for some reason just can't drop
it from the plan, don't post those actuals at all. Or if you do want to
track actuals, remember the baseline has the original estimates to refer
back to if necessary.

 

[Karl Kill, PMP]

You could use a hammock task to span the entire project. This are tasks that you are not sure when the activity will take place but want to allocate a certain % to the resource. A task such as Admin Activities. The the details, these are specific to our organization but you will get the idea

Hammock tas
To build a hammock task to span the entire project:
1. Enter the Name to the hammock task that span the life of the project. (i.e. Project Management Activities, or Project Admin Activities)
2. Highlight the cell that contains the start date to the Project Start Milestone. (the date that will determine when the hammock task starts).
3. On the Edit menu, click Copy (Cell).
4. Highlight the cell that contains the Start date for the hammock task.
5. On the Edit menu, click Paste Special, and click Paste Link.
6. Highlight the cell that contains the finish date of the Project Completed Milestone task (the date that will determine when the hammock task finishes).
7. On the Edit menu, click Copy (Cell).
8. Click the cell that contains the Finish date for the hammock task.
9. click Edit, click Paste Special, and click Paste Link.
10. When assigning resources to this task use the Task Form.
11. Select Fixed Duration as the Task type, Click OK
12. Using the Task Form, Add the Resource Name, enter the % or Work Hours this resource will be assigned. Click OK
13. Select Fixed Units as Task type, Click OK. This will allow the hammock task start and finish dates to move when actual hours are entered
14. The Hammock task is now ready
Notes and Caution
• Do not specify a predecessor for a hammock task. Only Paste Linked dates will determine start and finish. You may specify predecessors for the tasks from which dates are paste linked into the hammock task.
• A negative duration (finish date is before start) is not allowed. Depending on the source of the dates, the hammock task may turn into a milestone (zero duration) or erroneously calculate duration before the finish date or after the start date.
• An OLE update is different from a calculation. You may not see expected changes in the hammock task after calculating project. From the Edit menu, click Links to edit/update OLE links (Paste Links). Alternatively, press the F9 function key twice.
• Because the hammock task relies on other tasks for start/finish information, anything that affects those other tasks (resource leveling, constraints) will ultimately affect the hammock tasks dates.
• If the hammock task is a child to a summary task, it may inherit predecessor behavior from the summary task that may affect its duration and/or start and finish dates or create a circular relationship

Good Luck