Calendars tasks and resources

[DavidC]

Hi,
Thought this might be a salutory lesson for some.

My project has a number of work fronts, of which one area works one 10 hour
shift whilst everywhere else they work 2 10 hour shifts. By not allocating
the 10 hour shift calendar to those tasks being carried out by the resoruces
working 1 10 hour shift I kept getting changes to durations being made
automatically after changing the duration on one task, even those tasks were
not directly related other than through the resources. Problem was though
that on those tasks they used a resource which was used for the 2 10 hour
shifts (crane) and that was driving the work values based on the duration
which was initially set to the 2 10 hour shift calendar.

Setting the calendar on the task that related to the area, the summary days,
durations and related work values all lined up properly.

So simple a solution yet I overlooked not specifically setting the task
calendar and leaving it to default to the project calendar.

Follow the basics and do not shortcut.

For what it is worth,

regards

DavidC

 

[Catfish Hunter]

My preferance is to set all resource calendars to 24 hours (make resources
available 24 hours a day) and let the task calendar dictate the working times.

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

So when you asdsign Joe to do a 5 day task, once it starts you don't allow
him any time off until he's done 5 days later, not even a single lunch
break?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Steve,

Not if he assigns the task calendar first or simultaneously.
HTH

 

[Catfish Hunter]

The tasl calendar will take over and allow Joe to eat a 2 bologana sandwichs
at lunch and twinkees for his break twice a day. Depending on how the
calendar is set up.

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

The point is that the 24 hour calendar implies that once it starts, work on
a task proceeds without interuption until it's complete. Since a task is
the work performed by a single person or by a team, that means there is no
non-working time for the people assigned between when the task begins and
when it ends. If the task takes 5 days the resource doesn't eat or sleep or
go to the bathroom for the full 5 days work is going on. Machines work like
that but people don't and 99.999% of projects need to be scheduled around
the working times of the individual people doing the work, the times when
they are physically present so they can do the job at hand. You might think
shift work where there's a day-shift resource and a swing-shift resource and
a grave-shift resource with all 3 assigned and working on the task so it
proceeds around the clock means the 24 hour calendar applies but it
doesn't - you really should see the composite schedule that results from 3
separate 8-hour working calendars back-to-back, and is really quite
different from what you get with the 24 calendar.
--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

 

[Catfish Hunter]

All the schedules I work on are outage. On outages people work around the
clock. It's much easier to have resources set to 24 hours a day. If you set
up a resource for "boiler makers working 6-10's, boiler makers working
6-12's........." you can't see how many boiler makers you need without taking
the data to Excel. That's why I let the task calendar set the working time.

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

You are absolutely right.

Setting the resoruce calendar to reflect availability and doing the actual
scheduling by the task calendar works perfectly in Project and it is in your
case a perfect representation of reality (a perfect model).

Greetings,

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

The might well be people working around the clock during an outage but does
an individual person - Catfish Hunter, for example - work around the clock
without any time off for sleep or meals? That's the problem I have with the
24 hour clock in most circumstances. Tasks and resources will be broken
down to the level of "Catfish and his assistant Catminnow are assigned to
replace the superheater tubing on Boiler Number 3 starting Monday." No one
else is assigned to do that specific job. The 24 hour calendar says that
once they start that job, the two Cats aren't relieved by anyone else for
any reason and they don't go home until the job is done. IMHO, the calendar
does not describe when people generically are available - it describes when
one single individual named worker is available. To get 24/7 coverage
requires more than one person, hence it also requires more than 1 calendar,
a calendar for each shift that collectively results in a 24 hour coverage.
--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs