Problem with resource percentages and actual work

[Petar]

I would greatly appreciate it if somebody could help me with the
following problem:
- Create a task "Task 01", assign "Resource 01" at 50%, set "Work" to
5 days (resulting in 10 day "Duration")
- Go to "Resource Usage" view and add "Actual Work" line
- Update "Actual Work" so that the first two days are spent 100% (1d)
on the task (instead of working planned 50%)
- Go back to Gantt view
- The resource has now changed to 100% (why?), "Work" is at 5 days
(ok), "Remaining Work" is at 3 days (ok), but the "Duration" is 8 days
(why?). If resource went to 100% (not sure why but it did) then the
duration should go to 5 days (2 completed days plus remaining 3 days
of work at 100%)

Even if I go and edit the resource to be at 50% again NOTHING changes.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Petar

 

[Rod Gill]

The units displayed are Peak Units. When you do 8h in an 8h day, that's
100%, 16h actual work, 24h remaining. The entered 50% units is used to
calculate remaining duration, so remaining duration is 48h or 6d. Actual
Duration is 2d so total duration is 8d. Easy!!

Your trip point is that timephased units are MAX units.

--

Rod Gill
Microsoft MVP for Project

Author of the only book on Project VBA, see:
http://www.projectvbabook.com

 

[Petar]

Rod, thank you for your reply. The math makes perfect sense to me.
No problem there. The problem is that after I enter the actual work
and go back to gantt chart my resource is shown at 100% and NOT at the
original 50%. There is a mismatch between the math (work remaining
and duration) and resources allocation (50% vs. 100%). The math is
accurate if you assume 50% resource allocation for the remaining work
but the act of entering actual work changed my resource to 100%. I
try to edit resource percentages (100% or 50%) but nothing changes.
Basically something got messed up. By the way, even though my
resource is shown at 100% I can schedule another 50% task in parallel.

Any further help would be greatly appreciated.

Petar

 

[Rod Gill]

There is no problem with the math. Units is actually displayed as Peak
units. When you enter 8h for a day, the units for that day is 100% so Peak
units for the task is now 100%. Edits to assignments still use the original
50% however.

--

Rod Gill
Microsoft MVP for Project

Author of the only book on Project VBA, see:
http://www.projectvbabook.com

 

[Petar]

I agree that there is no problem with the math but the gantt chart and
the resource assignment is wrong. Resource shows as assigned to the
remaing of the task at 100% which is not the case. If I am to print
the gantt and give it to employees to follow they would assume that
they need to work on that task at 100% instead of 50%. Is there a way
not to show "peak" units but the current "actual" units?

 

[Rod Gill]

Unfortunately no. However you can print the Task or Resource usage view to
show the hours required for the next week.

--

Rod Gill
Microsoft MVP for Project

Author of the only book on Project VBA, see:
http://www.projectvbabook.com

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Gantt Chart is not the appropriate view to interpret duration, work and
units I'm afraid.
Your example only confirms that.
It is much worse whan there are several resources on a task, who do not
work simultaneously.
HTH

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

 

[Crook]

Hi Petar,

FWIW, we usually use either the task usage view or the resource usage view
and display "Percent Allocation" in the right hand, time-phased section.
Right click in the time-phased view select "Detail Styles", pick Percent
Allocation from available fields in the left hand box, click show to place
the field in the "show these fields" box, then click OK.

HTH,
Crook