Resource Type

[Xia Mei]

Hi,
I need help on these three things:
1. By default, if a user does not specify a resource type to be material or
cost, microsoft project will set the resource type as work.
I need to change the default value from work to material.

2. By default, if in Options -> Schedule -> work is entered in -> is set
into months then Microsoft Project will display 8 mons. I need to remove the
unit, so it will only be displayed as 8.

3. By default, there are 3 task types in Microsoft Project: Fixed duration,
Fixed units and Fixed work. I need to remove or hide the Fixed units and
Fixed work so that in the drop down box there is only Fixed duration.

Can anyone please help me on how to achieve those three things above? Either
by setting or coding.
Thank you

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Xia ,

You are asking for Project to be re-designed to meet your needs. I suggest
you try posting on the microsoft.public.project.developer newsgroup (forum).
Please see FAQ Item: 24. Project Newsgroups. FAQs, companion products and
other useful Project information can be seen at this web address:
http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm

Meanwhile, a few comments.

1. It sounds to me that you want anyone to add tasks to your project in
your default way. This could be courting disaster as it is the project
manager's (or his appointed planner's) task to enter tasks into his project,
and as such he would know all about resource types and which to use. If he
doesn't - send him on a course on how to use Project!

2. You could hide the duration column and customize a Text field to show 8
instead of 8mons. However, if you are even considering planning a project
where a task lasts 8 months you are in for some problems in controlling the
detail. Break down the tasks into their component parts, probably of no
more than 80 hours work, and use the summary 8 months to compute the
duration. In any case, using months is not recommended because of the
different number of days per month.

3. You can set the task type via Tools/Options.../Schedule tab. Anyone who
is required to enter tasks into your project should be trained to know about
tasks types and should not be changing them unless they know the effects of
what they're doing.

It strikes me that paying more attention to train "users" to know how to use
Project would be more effective than spending cash trying to make Project
work in a way it was not designed. However, the development newsgroup is
there for your use - good luck!

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP
See http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc for my free Project Tutorials



Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[Steve House]

Adding to Mike's comments, the changes you're asking to make to the default
behaviors are chanigng them into the LEAST likely options to use in building
a project plan. You want to make the default resource type material yet
only WORK resources actually affect the project schedule - materials only
affect costs but don't drive the schedule at all. Likewise, of the three
task types Fixed Duration is the least likely tpye to model the actual
behavior of a task - tasks build a finite deliverable and that implies a
fixed number of man-hours is required to achieve the goal. When you put a
resourfce onto a task you expect them to work at a constant rate, so the
most common type is Fixed Units, followed by Fixed Work. Fixed Duration,
IMHO, is pretty much limited to testing protocals etc that run for a
specific length of time regardless of the resources assigned.