Assigning Multiple resources to a task

[LS]

I have a task that is supposed to take 40 hrs to complete. My assumption is
if 1 resource works on it, it would take 5 days. If 5 resources work on it it
is supposed to take 1 day or 8 hrs to complete.

How would I assign resources to this task?

Should I say upfront the duration is 8 hrs and assign 5 resources to it?

Or should I say duration is 5 days and assign 5 resources so that the
project would automatically calculate it?

 

[LS]

Don, Thanks for your reply. I did what you suggested. When I go the resource
usage I see a total of 40 hrs under eaxch resource name. This is not what I
want. The logic I am trying to use is if it takes 1 resource 40 hrs to do a
task it should take 5 resources 8 hrs each to do the same.

Thanks
Lak

 

[DonL]

Lak,

When you view the Advanced tab in the task's Task Information window, what
"Task type:" is the task, and is the "Effort driven" box checked, or not?

 

[DonL]

Lak,

Please also check your Duration and Work fields by inserting them into the
table you are viewing (if not already viewable there). My guess is that the
Duration is 40 hours or 5 days, and the Work is 200 hours. This would happen
if you did not remove your resources from the task prior to changing the
Duration to 40 hours. This can be corrected by changing the Duration to "1d"
or "8h", leaving the resources in place (and assuming that the task type is
fixed units with the effort driven box checked).

I hope this helps....

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

You can do it either way, actually. Project calculates the total work
required on a tak when you make the initial resource assignemnt to it. So
if I have a task that will require 40 man-hours of work and I want to do it
in 1 8-hour day, I can create the task with 8 hours duration and assign 5
resources to it all it one fell swoop. The result will be a calculated work
of 40 hours on a one day task. But the key here is to select ALL 5
resources and assign them at once. If you do them in seperate operations
you have to watch more closely what's happening and make sure the setting of
effort-driven/non-effort-drive is taken into account.

When the initial resource assignment is made to a task Project calculates
the work required. Then if you add or remove bodies from it, Project
responds based on it effort-driven setting. Adding a resource to an effort
driven task will cause the work to be prorated amongst all the resources and
will cause the decrease in duration. Taking your task, and entering as a 5
day duration, then assigning 1 resource to it results in a 5day, 40 man-hour
task. Then later adding 4 more resources to it results in the 40 hours
being prorated to each resource, 8 hours per resource, and the duration
drops to 1 day.

If the task is set to non-effort-driven, the work is replicated as resources
are added. So I create a task with 1 day duration and assign 1 resource to
it - work is 8 man-hours. Set to non-effort-driven I add another resource.
Duration stays at 1 day but our total work becomes 16 man-hours, 8 to each
resource. Continue on and the end result will be a task with 1 day
duration, 5 resources assigned, and requiring a total of 40 man-hours of
work.

It irks me a little to see people talk about what the task type and
effort-driven setting are that *should* be used for certain projects or
types of deliverable. There ain't no such global setting possible. The
task settings are switches that the PM can use to insure that Project
calculates the correct thing when one is editing resources and assignments
and as such may change for a given task dozens of times as a project
evolves, depending on the needs of the moment and the reasons for making the
present edit. IF I'm painting a room and it's duration is 5 days with one
painter assigned and I find I've got a second painter available and I'd like
to use him to get teh room done sooner, make it effort driven before adding
the second painter - duration drops to 2.5 days. But I might also be adding
a second person who is not a painter but the first painter's apprentice -
the 5 days duration estimate was based on the idea that both of them are
working together but I simply haven't added the apprentice to the roster
yet. Now I am adding him, but I don't want the duration to drop when I do.
So I make the task non-effort driven before putting the apprentice into the
schedule into to prevent the duration from dropping and to increase the
total work instead..
HTH

 

[LS]

Steve/don:
Thanks very much for your responses. Both of your suggestions helped me in
gettig a better understanding.

LS