First of all, fixed duration and fixed number of days means the same
thing. Secondly, the task type settings of fixed work, fixed duration,
and fixed effort only have relevance when you're editing the resource
assignments following the initial one. Just where are you running into
the problem? Is it when you add resources initially or is it when you
adjust them later?
Are you trying to say that this task will be X staff-hours of work
spread out over Y days when you assign the resource to it? There are a
couple ways you accomplish that. One is to split the screen, formatting
the bottom window to show any of the views that have resource
assignments on them and add your resources there - enter the resource
name and the total hours of work the resource will put on the task and
click the OK button, Project will calculate the assignment percentage
accordingly. Or if you prefer to use the resource assignment toolbar
button you can look at it and say "I need Joe to put in 20 man-hours on
this over a 10 day period - that's 2 hours per day. Since he works 8
hours a day that means he'll put in 25% of his day on it." and then
assign him to the task at a 25% level. To allow you to subsequently
edit Joes work or assignment percentage without the duration, simply
mark the task as fixed duration before making the edits. To add other
people to it, mark it as non-effort driven before adding them and again,
the duration won't change (thought total work will - it has to).
Why not have the resources work their full availability on their tasks
once they start them and get them done and over with, letting the
duration be determined by how ever long it takes to get the required
work done given the hours a day they can put in on it? If Joe is
otherwise available for 4 hours a day and has to get a 20 man-hour task
done, I don't see any point in pacing him to only 2 hours a day for 10
days - go ahead and direct him to work on it all 4 hours each day, get
it done in 5 days instead of 10 and move the project forward to finish
ASAP. You're far from alone in your approach but I must confess I don't
understand this love affair so many people seem to have with fixed
duration tasks. Get it done and out the door and move on to something
else in the shortest possible time frame. It's good to finish the
project on time but it's even better to finish it early if you've got
the available manpower to pull it off <grin>.
