Resource Assigment Dates Not Matching Task Level Dates

[KGMSP]

Resource Assignment Dates not the same as task level dates.

For Example:

Task: Build Radio - 40 days dur. 1/30/06 to 3/24/06
Resources: John 100hrs & Bill 60hrs.
I want both John and Bill's hours spread evenly across the duration, however
my schedule now in the task usage view shows only John (resource with most
hrs) spread across the duration and Bill's hours are at a much shorter date.

I want them both spread evenly across the entire duration. All of my tasks
are fixed work and they need to stay that way. I can manually go into task
usage and fixed the dates, however once status is taken Project reverts back
to the above.

Is their a setting in project I am missing?
Is it because of fixed work?

Please help!!!!

Thanks,
KG

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

Remember the formula Work = Duration * Units. It will hold true for each
resource independently. Assuming they work an 8 hour day, 40 days duration
is 8*40 or 320 hours. John works 100 hours during that total time. This
corresponds to an assignment units of 100/320 or ~31%. Bill works 60 hours
during the same time period for an assignment units of 60/320 or ~19%. For
Project to calculate the assignments automatically, create the task with a
40 day duration and then split the screen. Mark the task Fixed Duration.
Add John to the resource list, leave units blank, and specify 100 hours.
Likewise, add Bill and specify 60 hours work. Now click the OK button.
You'll find MSP assigns them at 31% and 19% respectively and when you look
at the resource usage view you'll see both of their work is evenly
distributed over the 40 day duration. Note that generally you would want to
assign them 100% and get the task done ASAP but if you want to let them
essentially spend an average of only part of each work day on this task this
is a good way to go about it.

 

[KGMSP]

Thanks for the quick resonse. The only problem I have is with fixed duration
becasue once status is taken and the tasks moves to the right then hours are
added to the tasks. In a 4 thousand line resource loaded schedule I would
have to isolate all those tasks and reduce the work manually because my work
can't change.

Is their any other way?

KG

 

[John Sitka]

I want both John and Bill's hours spread evenly across the duration,

Ask yourself why???

You are trying to configure Bill's downtime. Just let it go. He can spend 40 hours doing nothing with repect to your project.
That's good!!! he could be doing something else, even a vacation. Why can't you just let him contribute his 60 hrs?

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

After you've done the resource assignment, set the task type to fixed work.
There's nothing sacred or immutable about a task type setting. It's merely
a switch to set when editing resource assignments so Project does the
correct calculation in response to *this* edit. Next edit you do on the
same task, a different task type may be more appropriate - it all depends on
the reason your doing the edit in the first place.

I'm not sure why you're so admant about the idea the work can't change.
Work figures are always estimates - and estimates almost always differ from
actuals. There's no way possible for anyone to be so expert an estimator
that you can know ahead of time that task X will take exactly Y man-hours to
complete, no more and no less. Tasks are done when the deliverable the task
creates is completed - they don't just stop in mid-stream because you've
spent your estimated XX man-hours of work. What if you your task was to lay
10 miles of railroad track at a cost of 10,000 man-hours of work and when
you used up those 10,000 hours you found you were still 2 miles short of the
destination. Do you just stop building?

When you say "once the status is taken and the task moves to the right, then
hours are added" just what does that mean? I'm trying to visualize exactly
what you're doing to the schedule before and after "statusing" and not
having much luck. If you explain a bit what you're trying to accomplish,
maybe we can give you some better ideas.

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