Tracking Actuals / Adjusting units?

[jpclarkmba]

I've a question about how to adjust actuals after setting a baseline.
Here is what I do:

1. Create a "Fixed Duration / Non-Effort Driven" task.
2. Set "Duration" to 5 days.
3. Set "Work" to 15 hours.
4. Assign a Resource. (They will show 38%)
5. Set my baseline.

Now I begin tracking actuals.
6. Enter 10 hours actually worked.

I then realize that the task is actually done, and my original estimate
was to high. I need to:
a) Set "Work" to 10 hours. (Obviously 5 lower than my baseline.)
b) Have my "Duration" REMAIN THE SAME.
- and thus -
c) Have the "Units" of the resource fall automatically.

How do I accomplish this? No matter what I try, the "Units" for the
resource remain unchanged - it keeps changing either my "Duration" or
"Work".

 

[Jim Aksel]

If you planned 3 hours/day for 5 days and you finished early then logic says
you need to claim an early finish date. Key in a real finish date in the
"Actual Finish" column. You did not finish the task "tomorrow."

To clear out the work, change *remaining work* to 0.
--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim Aksel, MVP

Check out my blog for more information:
http://www.msprojectblog.com

 

[JP Clark]

Hi Jim -

Thanks for the info. Your post made me think. Let me detail my "objective"
- rather than my current approach. (Which obviously is wrong.) I work for
an agency, wherein we make an estimate (15 hours), then give a person a
duration to do the work. (5 days) We've no clear way of knowing what days
the person worked on (usually very end-heavy). Sometimes the effort took
more - sometimes less than estimated. Yet - as historical info is (manually)
captured, and placed within Project, one can not afford to have the dates
sliding. Otherwise, this would begin shifting all tasks following. I don't
want to manually enter start/end dates for all tasks, since - should I
actually need to shift a schedule - I can do this by merely shifting the
sliding task in question. Thoughts?

 

[Darrell]

If you want to force a recalculation of the resource Units and make the task
100% complete you can use a split screen and set the bottom view to Resource
Work. Select the task and reduce the “Work†to the actual work performed
(15hrs down to 10hrs), now enter the “Actual Work†(10hrs) equal to the
“Work†and click OK. Project will reschedule the Units (Provided you are
using Fixed Duration) and mark the task 100% without changing the finish date.

Darrell