Task question

[jp]

Hi,

I have ms project 2003 and there are various tasks but I'll take one to show
example:

Task1a really takes only 30 minutes to accomplish.
However, the policy is that request take at least 3 days to complete.
That's because it has to go to the Change Request Board and documentation
etc...
so it may take 3 days or possibly 4. What is the best way to set up this
task in ms Project knowing that it could be done in 30 mins but because of
policies and procedures it takes 3 to 4 days.

Thanks in advance.

-jp

 

[JulieS]

Hi jp,

You can set the task up with 3 or 4 days duration. Split your
screen to show the Task Form (Windows > Split from the Gantt view).
In the Task form set the task as Fixed Duration and click OK in the
Task Form. Now assign your resource at 30 minutes. Project will
calculate the assignment units and spread the 30 minutes of work out
over the 3 days duration.


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

 

[salgud]

Hi,

I have ms project 2003 and there are various tasks but I'll take one to show
example:

Task1a really takes only 30 minutes to accomplish.
However, the policy is that request take at least 3 days to complete.
That's because it has to go to the Change Request Board and documentation
etc...
so it may take 3 days or possibly 4. What is the best way to set up this
task in ms Project knowing that it could be done in 30 mins but because of
policies and procedures it takes 3 to 4 days.

Thanks in advance.

-jp

Duration = 4d
Work Effort (hrs) = 0.5

 

[vanita]

Hi jp

To tackle this I would suggest having duration as 30mins and 3-4 days of
decision making should be catered for in the lag of links. With its
predecessor assign a link of FS+3 days dependency or FS+4 days whichever is
more likely.

This is so because 3/4 days are being used by different set of people who
have to take decisions and 30 mins are to be taken by the resource to
accomplish the task. So, better to keep these times separate. Later if there
is a delay in the task, you can identify whether it is in decision making or
completing the tasks. We need to build up accountability in the project team
through the schedules.

I hope it helps.
Vanita

 

[jp]

Hi Julie. Thank you for your reply.

Ok, so I set the task as "Fixed duration"
on what kind of report would I show that the task
really takes 30 mins but take the rest of the days as waiting time?

I would like to do 2 things: schedule it, show the process (including the
iddle time).
thanks.

-jp

 

[Rob Schneider]

It should show on the Gantt chart... did you have a go? See it?

What do you mean "shown to visualize process time?"

If you show the tasks as 30 minutes, and the decision process as another
task taking the time you say ... does this now show it?

--rms

www.rmschneider.com

 

[jp]

Hi Rob,

Here are my answers:

1) Yes it does show the process as a 4 day duration
2) I want to show that some processes (policies) have lengthy durations that
nonetheless cost money
3) Yes, I just did a sample custom report and the duration does show up.

By trying Julie's example and creating a sample report I was able to see it.
Thanks to all of you: Julie, Vanita, Rob and Salgud.

We experience things all the time and sometimes new things catch our
attention.
The processes and procedures in many organizations are always different and
sometimes we want to catch a process to depict how things might be
streamlined.
That can be good or bad and in this case I wanted to find out the approaches
used by such experts as yourselfes in using ms project. Thanks guys.

-jp

 

[Rob Schneider]

Cool.

--rms

www.rmschneider.com

Hi Rob,

Here are my answers:

1) Yes it does show the process as a 4 day duration
2) I want to show that some processes (policies) have lengthy durations that
nonetheless cost money
3) Yes, I just did a sample custom report and the duration does show up.

By trying Julie's example and creating a sample report I was able to see it.
Thanks to all of you: Julie, Vanita, Rob and Salgud.

We experience things all the time and sometimes new things catch our
attention.
The processes and procedures in many organizations are always different and
sometimes we want to catch a process to depict how things might be
streamlined.
That can be good or bad and in this case I wanted to find out the approaches
used by such experts as yourselfes in using ms project. Thanks guys.

-jp

 

[JulieS]

Hi jp,

The task duration (span from start to finish) is 4 days. The *work*
is 30 minutes. Pick a report that shows works as well as duration.

Julie

 

[vanita]

Hi jp

Good you were able to resolve your problem.

Vanita

 

[Steve House]

Con sider this, though. A task is observable physical activity. Here you
have some event taking place that takes thirty minutes to accomplish. Then
once the first thing has been approved something else is going to happen.
But it can take three days for the approval to be received. What's really
happening looks like this...

[Process 1, 30 Min] ---3 days--->[Approved! (milestone(] --------->[Process
2]

You have task 1 with 30 min duration, linked to a milestone task "Approved",
and linked in turn to the follow-on task. The 3 days waiting for approval
nothing is happening so it's not an observable activity, hence not a task
itself and not a part of task 1 either. IT is a lag in the link between
task 1 and the approval received milestone.

 

[Rob Schneider]

Steve,

All depends on your vantage point ... If you are the PM in charge of
both the doing the task AND getting agreement to do it, then you bear
the 3-day duration task costs (meetings, conversations, form-filling
out, emails, presentations, risk assessments, etc. etc.). Those all
*could* be, if you chose, measurable physical activities. Those costs
are real and most organisations willingly pay them.

--rms

www.rmschneider.com