Project assign less than 100% units for tasks that are shorter than 8hours

[Gil]

Hi all,

I will describe my problem with an example:
I create 3 tasks (A,B,C) and enter in the work column the man-hours
needed (2,8,20, respectively). I call the assign resources dialogue
box, and assign DEV (Max units 100%) to all tasks at once.
Why Project assign DEV to task A (2 hours) at 25% units and not at
100% like the other two tasks?
Now task A takes the whole day at 25%, when I intended it to take 2
hours, at 100%.

This behavior occurs only with tasks that are shorter than 8 hours.
How can I prevent this?

Thanks,
Gil

 

[JulieS]

Hi Gil,

To avoid the issue of project spreading the 2 hours of work over 1
day duration, I suggest using the Task Form to assign the 2 hours of
work for the resource. Split the screen to show the task form and
enter the 2 hours there not in the work field showing in the task
table.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project



"Gil" wrote in message
news:f2410016-c158-42e4-9fc5-6ed8625f1600@l64g2000hse.googlegroups.com...

 

[Steve House]

When you enter the task Project assumes it has a 1 day duration. In your
example, notice the duration column in the entry table is populated with
"1d?" as soon as you enter the task name. 2 hours of work over a 1 day
duration is 25%. If you want it to take 2 hours, edit the duration
accordingly. It is perhaps unfortunate that duration and work are both
commonly thought of in hours when in fact they are totally different
measurments. Duration is the passage of time but work is resource effort
expended. Allocation Units is a measure of the rate at which the resource is
able to convert time to work and it is not accurate to think of it as the
percentage of the resource's work schedule he is able to work on the
project. We commonly think of it that way, but in reality when the the
assignment units figure is less than 100% it is actually an indication of
how his efficiency is being reduced by conflicting demands on his time that
are happening simultaneously with the task at question.

 

[Gil]

When you enter the task Project assumes it has a 1 day duration.  In your
example, notice the duration column in the entry table is populated with
"1d?" as soon as you enter the task name.  2 hours of work over a 1 day
duration is 25%.  If you want it to take 2 hours, edit the duration
accordingly.  It is perhaps unfortunate that duration and work are both
commonly thought of in hours when in fact they are totally different
measurments.  Duration is the passage of time but work is resource effort
expended. Allocation Units is a measure of the rate at which the resourceis
able to convert time to work and it is not accurate to think of it as the
percentage of the resource's work schedule he is able to work on the
project.  We commonly think of it that way, but in reality when the the
assignment units figure is less than 100% it is actually an indication of
how his efficiency is being reduced by conflicting demands on his time that
are happening simultaneously with the task at question.
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visithttp://project.mvps.org/faqs.htmfor the FAQs

Hi all,

I will describe my problem with an example:
I create 3 tasks (A,B,C) and enter in the work column the man-hours
needed (2,8,20, respectively). I call the assign resources dialogue
box, and assign DEV (Max units 100%) to all tasks at once.
Why Project assign DEV to task A (2 hours) at 25% units and not at
100% like the other two tasks?
Now task A takes the whole day at 25%, when I intended it to take 2
hours, at 100%.

This behavior occurs only with tasks that are shorter than 8 hours.
How can I prevent this?

Thanks,
Gil- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks Julie and Steve for trying to help.
There are disadvantages to either solution you offered:

Using the Task Form to assign the work for the resource conflicts with
the process of first listing the tasks, then applying a work-value for
each one, then assigning a resource. In the task form I have to assign
the resource together with the work, and we don't always know who will
perform the work when building the plan. Assigning the resource in a
latter stage will put him to work at 25% even through the task form.

Adjusting the Duration won't do any good as well.. After applying the
work (2 hours), Project will assign the resource at 25%. If then I
will adjust the duration for 2h, the work will change, not the units,
because we work with fixed-units tasks. So either I will change all
task type to fixed-work (not always my choice) or I will ask project
managers to enter duration instead of work to begin with, but this is
not the process I want. I want Project to calculate duration for me,
based on work and units..

I guess I will have no choice but to look for these miss-allocations
and fix them to 100% before continuing. I truly think this is a
problem in system design, and I hope the right person reads it..

Gil.

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

I meant adjust the duration BEFORE assigning resouces. Remember Project is
only a glorfied calculator - it's up to you to inusre it does the right
calculation.

When you enter the task Project assumes it has a 1 day duration. In your
example, notice the duration column in the entry table is populated with
"1d?" as soon as you enter the task name. 2 hours of work over a 1 day
duration is 25%. If you want it to take 2 hours, edit the duration
accordingly. It is perhaps unfortunate that duration and work are both
commonly thought of in hours when in fact they are totally different
measurments. Duration is the passage of time but work is resource effort
expended. Allocation Units is a measure of the rate at which the resource
is
able to convert time to work and it is not accurate to think of it as the
percentage of the resource's work schedule he is able to work on the
project. We commonly think of it that way, but in reality when the the
assignment units figure is less than 100% it is actually an indication of
how his efficiency is being reduced by conflicting demands on his time
that
are happening simultaneously with the task at question.
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visithttp://project.mvps.org/faqs.htmfor the FAQs

Hi all,

I will describe my problem with an example:
I create 3 tasks (A,B,C) and enter in the work column the man-hours
needed (2,8,20, respectively). I call the assign resources dialogue
box, and assign DEV (Max units 100%) to all tasks at once.
Why Project assign DEV to task A (2 hours) at 25% units and not at
100% like the other two tasks?
Now task A takes the whole day at 25%, when I intended it to take 2
hours, at 100%.

This behavior occurs only with tasks that are shorter than 8 hours.
How can I prevent this?

Thanks,
Gil- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks Julie and Steve for trying to help.
There are disadvantages to either solution you offered:

Using the Task Form to assign the work for the resource conflicts with
the process of first listing the tasks, then applying a work-value for
each one, then assigning a resource. In the task form I have to assign
the resource together with the work, and we don't always know who will
perform the work when building the plan. Assigning the resource in a
latter stage will put him to work at 25% even through the task form.

Adjusting the Duration won't do any good as well.. After applying the
work (2 hours), Project will assign the resource at 25%. If then I
will adjust the duration for 2h, the work will change, not the units,
because we work with fixed-units tasks. So either I will change all
task type to fixed-work (not always my choice) or I will ask project
managers to enter duration instead of work to begin with, but this is
not the process I want. I want Project to calculate duration for me,
based on work and units..

I guess I will have no choice but to look for these miss-allocations
and fix them to 100% before continuing. I truly think this is a
problem in system design, and I hope the right person reads it..

Gil.

 

[JulieS]

in message

Thanks Julie and Steve for trying to help.
There are disadvantages to either solution you offered:

Using the Task Form to assign the work for the resource conflicts
with
the process of first listing the tasks, then applying a work-value
for
each one, then assigning a resource. In the task form I have to
assign
the resource together with the work, and we don't always know who
will
perform the work when building the plan. Assigning the resource in
a
latter stage will put him to work at 25% even through the task
form.

Adjusting the Duration won't do any good as well.. After applying
the
work (2 hours), Project will assign the resource at 25%. If then I
will adjust the duration for 2h, the work will change, not the
units,
because we work with fixed-units tasks. So either I will change all
task type to fixed-work (not always my choice) or I will ask
project
managers to enter duration instead of work to begin with, but this
is
not the process I want. I want Project to calculate duration for
me,
based on work and units..

I guess I will have no choice but to look for these
miss-allocations
and fix them to 100% before continuing. I truly think this is a
problem in system design, and I hope the right person reads it..

Gil.

Hi Gil,

I understand completely. What I recommend and have found works for
me, is I record the work estimate in a spare number field (Number1
for example) added to the table. Until you assign resources, the
work and duration fields are disconnected any way so you aren't
losing anything. The I assign the resources (I do use the task
form) and after I've assigned resources, I copy/paste the value in
the spare number field into the work field. I still capture work
estimates in the number field during plan creation and specifying
work after the resource is assigned does recalculate the duration
based upon work/units.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project

 

[Steve House]

Why force yourself to work with only one task type? The settings of "fixed
units" "fixed work" or "fixed duration" are not policy statements and only
rarely determined by something inherent within the nature of the task per
se. They are switch settings that you should consider on a case by case
basis each and every time you make any edit to the task assignment
parameters once resources have been assigned. Project has no idea why
you're making an edit or what should happen when you do - that's information
that only you posses. You're changing the duration - should Project
recalculate work or allocation? If it's work make the task fixed units
before making the edit. If it's allocation, change the task to fixed work
before making the edit. Depending on the exact reason you're making the
edit, it could actually legitimately go either way and which way it ought to
go this time is something only you can know. The switch is there so you can
make sure it does the right calculation. It is absolutely NOT something
that is a "set and forget" or something to be established by policy.

Task type settings have no effect on the INITIAL resource assignment, only
on subsequent EDITS to the resource assignment. Change the duration from "1
day" to "2 hours" BEFORE assigning the resource, not after. When you have
manually set the duration to 2 hours, input the work as 2 hours, and THEN
assign the resource, Project will set the allocation to 100% just as you
desire.

Project's basic workflow assumes you will estimate duration, not work, and
generally I think that's a valid assumption. You ask a subject matter
expert how long it will take to wax a batch of widgets and he's going to be
thinking how much time it will take using the amount of resources he has at
hand with which to get the job done, not how many man-hours of work will be
required and we're going to have to pay for. It also assumes you've given
some thought to resource assignments when you're come up with the task
breakdown - should "paint the room" be listed as a single task with all of
the individual activities of move the furniture, take down the wall
fixtures, apply the paint, etc to be done by the painter and his assistant
or should it be a summary task broken down into all its component activities
so you can schedule laborers, carpenters, painters, etc to their respective
individual tasks? That way you can estimate based on a thought process of
"I think it will take Joe and his apprentice 2 days to get it done" rather
than "Painting a 10x20 foot room should take 47 man-hours of work." I just
don't believe that the latter method can be done reliably and operationally
when it's carried to its extreme you get the final scene in "THX1138" (or
is it "Logan's Run"?) where the security forces break off their pursuit of
the escapees just as they literally come within touching distance of making
the capture because the budget allocated for the capture has run out! LOL

--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm for the FAQs


-----------------------------------------------


Thanks Julie and Steve for trying to help.
There are disadvantages to either solution you offered:

Using the Task Form to assign the work for the resource conflicts with
the process of first listing the tasks, then applying a work-value for
each one, then assigning a resource. In the task form I have to assign
the resource together with the work, and we don't always know who will
perform the work when building the plan. Assigning the resource in a
latter stage will put him to work at 25% even through the task form.

Adjusting the Duration won't do any good as well.. After applying the
work (2 hours), Project will assign the resource at 25%. If then I
will adjust the duration for 2h, the work will change, not the units,
because we work with fixed-units tasks. So either I will change all
task type to fixed-work (not always my choice) or I will ask project
managers to enter duration instead of work to begin with, but this is
not the process I want. I want Project to calculate duration for me,
based on work and units..

I guess I will have no choice but to look for these miss-allocations
and fix them to 100% before continuing. I truly think this is a
problem in system design, and I hope the right person reads it..

Gil.

 

[Gil]

Why force yourself to work with only one task type?  The settings of "fixed
units" "fixed work" or "fixed duration" are not policy statements and only
rarely determined by something inherent within the nature of the task per
se.  They are switch settings that you should consider on a case by case
basis each and every time you make any edit to the task assignment
parameters once resources have been assigned.  Project has no idea why
you're making an edit or what should happen when you do - that's information
that only you posses.  You're changing the duration - should Project
recalculate work or allocation?  If it's work make the task fixed units
before making the edit.  If it's allocation, change the task to fixed work
before making the edit. Depending on the exact reason you're making the
edit, it could actually legitimately go either way and which way it oughtto
go this time is something only you can know.  The switch is there so you can
make sure it does the right calculation.  It is absolutely NOT something
that is a "set and forget" or something to be established by policy.

Task type settings have no effect on the INITIAL resource assignment, only
on subsequent EDITS to the resource assignment.  Change the duration from "1
day" to "2 hours" BEFORE assigning the resource, not after.  When you have
manually set the duration to 2 hours, input the work as 2 hours, and THEN
assign the resource, Project will set the allocation to 100% just as you
desire.

Project's basic workflow assumes you will estimate duration, not work, and
generally I think that's a valid assumption.  You ask a subject matter
expert how long it will take to wax a batch of widgets and he's going to be
thinking how much time it will take using the amount of resources he has at
hand with which to get the job done, not how many man-hours of work will be
required and we're going to have to pay for.  It also assumes you've given
some thought to resource assignments when you're come up with the task
breakdown - should "paint the room" be listed as a single task with all of
the individual activities of move the furniture, take down the wall
fixtures, apply the paint, etc to be done by the painter and his assistant
or should it be a summary task broken down into all its component activities
so you can schedule laborers, carpenters, painters, etc to their respective
individual tasks?  That way you can estimate based on a thought processof
"I think it will take Joe and his apprentice 2 days to get it done" rather
than "Painting a 10x20 foot room should take 47 man-hours of work."  I just
don't believe that the latter method can be done reliably and operationally
when it's carried to its extreme you get the final scene in "THX1138"  (or
is it "Logan's Run"?) where the security forces break off their pursuit of
the escapees just as they literally come within touching distance of making
the capture because the budget allocated for the capture has run out! LOL

--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visithttp://project.mvps.org/faqs.htmfor the FAQs

-----------------------------------------------



Thanks Julie and Steve for trying to help.
There are disadvantages to either solution you offered:

Using the Task Form to assign the work for the resource conflicts with
the process of first listing the tasks, then applying a work-value for
each one, then assigning a resource. In the task form I have to assign
the resource together with the work, and we don't always know who will
perform the work when building the plan. Assigning the resource in a
latter stage will put him to work at 25% even through the task form.

Adjusting the Duration won't do any good as well.. After applying the
work (2 hours), Project will assign the resource at 25%. If then I
will adjust the duration for 2h, the work will change, not the units,
because we work with fixed-units tasks. So either I will change all
task type to fixed-work (not always my choice) or I will ask project
managers to enter duration instead of work to begin with, but this is
not the process I want. I want Project to calculate duration for me,
based on work and units..

I guess I will have no choice but to look for these miss-allocations
and fix them to 100% before continuing. I truly think this is a
problem in system design, and I hope the right person reads it..

Gil.

Thanks a lot for your answers!

 

[JulieS]

in message

Thanks a lot for your answers!

You're welcome Gil.

Julie