Changing availability -> automatic recalculation of task duration

[MgFrobozz]

I've read the other threads on this issue, and tried the suggested
approaches without luck. I need some advice; thanks for your patience
....

I'm running Project Standard 2003 11.0.2003.0816.16. I have a group
containing 3 engineers. I want them to estimate durations for their
tasks, assuming that they are working 100% on those tasks. I then want
to be able to change their availability, and have the durations of the
tasks (and the final delivery date) change to reflect increased or
decreased availability. I seem to remember being able to do this in
versions of Project about 5 years ago, but haven't tried it since.

I read in one of the other threads: <i>The "holy trinity" of the MS
Project is Work, Units and Duration. You get to pick two of these and
Project calculates the third.</i>

What I need to happen: if an engineer estimates a task at 5 days, when
I add the task, I will plug in the 5 day estimate (as Work? as Units?),
and assign the engineer to it. If his availability is 100%, the bar
length in the Gantt chart should be 5 days. If his availability is 50%,
the bar length should be 10 days.

I've tried the following without success:
1) In View/ResourceSheet, set MaxUnits to 50%.
2) Added a new task, FixedUnits, EffortDriven, Duration 5d.
3) Assigned an engineer (with the availability shown above).
4) The resulting bar length is 5 days.

Then: same as 1-3, but use FixedWork instead of FixedUnits; same
result.
Then: same as 1-3, but use FixedDuration instead of FixedUnits; same
result.

Then:
5) In View/ResourceSheet, reset MaxUnits to 100%
6) In Tools/Option/Calenday, reduce HoursPerDay to 4 (same as 50%)
7) Added a new task, FixedUnits, EffortDriven, Duration 5d.
8) Assigned an engineer (with the availability shown above).
9) The bar length is 2.5 days.

Then: same as 5-7, but use FixedWork instead of FixedUnits. Same
result.

I finally had some success with this approach (but) ...
10) In Tools/Option/Calenday, increase HoursPerDay to 16 (same as
1/50%)
11) Added a new task, FixedUnits, EffortDriven, Duration 5d.
12) Assigned an engineer (with the availability shown above).
13) The bar length is 10 days (yeah! ... but ...)

Although I can use steps 10-12 to force the bar lengths to increase by
indicating everyone is working vast amounts of overtime, it seems
highly counter-intuitive. The killer problem with this approach is that
when I change the calendar-time availability, the bar lengths for
uncompleted tasks don't change to reflect the new availability, and I
have to re-edit all the tasks. This would be prohibitive for this
project.

Can someone tell me (or maybe point me to a consultant who can tell me)
how to make Project do what I need it to do?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi dc,

First, there are a few things that we should put straight.
Units cannot be days. Units are the 50% or 1000% you talk about.

Second, Units in the formula are those assigned to a task/resoruce
combination, they are not necessarily the Max. Units (the availability) of
the resource. Merely change the availability will not change any task, you
also thave to tell Project that the new availability is also the units of
the tasks.

This being said (and I suppose all tasks are fixed units, the default)

Gantt Chart
Activate the Resource assignment window
Insert a column "Work"
Enter a task
Put the estimated number of mandays in "Work"
Use the resource assignment window to assign the resource. The units will
default to 100% or the Max Units, whichever is lower.
Duration will be recalculated as you hope it will

To change all assignments for a resource (f.i. in case of a new
availability)
select all tasks
In the resource assignment window, slect the resource, click "Replace"
In the replace window, select the same resource but enter the new units
Go. Durations will be recalculated.
HTH

 

[JulieS]

Hi MgFrobozz,

Try and see if this approach works:

Create the task. You may enter any duration you would like as the next
steps will recalculate the duration based upon resource assignment.

Split your screen (Window > Split) to show the Task form.
Select the Engineer from the drop-down list. Enter 40 hours of work and an
assignment unit of 50%.
Project will calculate a 10 day duration based upon Work/Units.

OR

If you want the duration based upon 100% assignment and then wish duration
to change after altering assignment units for resources assigned:

Enter 5 day duration for the task, assign the resource at 100%. Project
will calculate 40 hours of work. If you then modify assignment units to
50%, project will recalculate the correct duration.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie

 

[MgFrobozz]

Hi, JulieS ...

Thanks for the excellent and detailed instructions; it worked right off
the bat.

I do have a follow-up question: if I've entered hundreds of tasks for
engineer Bob, at an availability of 50%, and Bob's availability changes
to 25%, do I need to edit the Units values for each of the hundreds of
non-completed tasks one by one, or is there a way to do a global edit
for this value (which won't change the bar length for completed tasks)?

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi MgFrobozz,

You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft Project in the
TechTrax ezine, particularly #5 & 10 on assigning resources, at this site:
http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc or this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the articles before leaving the site,
Thanks.)

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: <http://www.mvps.org/project/>

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

 

[MgFrobozz]

Thanks, Mike ... useful articles.

I was able to figure out what Jan was talking about after I turned on
display of the ResourceManagement toolbar.

For others who have just installed, turn this on by right-clicking over
one of the other toolbars, then selecting "Resource Management". Then
show the "Resource assignment window" by clicking the "Assign
Resources" button, which shows two head/torsos, one green and one blue.
This is 4th from the left in my toolbar; don't pick the button with the
hand underneath. Then follow Jan's instructions, above. This does not
change durations for completed tasks, but does change durations for
tasks in which the engineer is involved. Just what I wanted. Not sure
what it does to partially-completed tasks, but hopefully each engineer
won't have more than one or two partially-completed tasks at a time, so
I can fix those up.

 

[JulieS]

You are very welcome and thanks for the feedback.

It looks from you reply to Mike Glen that you also found the answer to your
question below. As a side note, the Assign Resources button also appears on
the Standard toolbar. The Resource Management has some buttons to the
Resource Allocation and Task Entry view that are also very helpful.

Julie

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

It recalculates the remaining work and leaves the actuals alone.
Project recalculates PLANS, it does not re-write history.
That is the prerogative of kings and rulers )

 

[Trevor Rabey]

Perhaps quantum physics allows for multiple universes and multiple
histories, perhaps even simultaneously.
Some religions claim the universe has been created and destroyed millions of
"times", or an infinite number of times, or all at once.
What is time, anyway? Einstein was prepared to venture that it is what a
clock measures.
Is it like a river that we stand in as it flows by, or is it a river that we
are carried along on as the landscape changes?
In planning, you get to ignore the past and create the future, and then if
the future isn't turning out the way you planned it you can re-plan it.
between the ebb and flow of how you plan it, how it happens and how you
re-plan it, eventually, one of your predictions, the last one, is perfect
while all of the others can be ignored and consigned to the dustbin of
history.
I would like to re-plan the future history of the world (Status Date = Now),
rather than allow the future to be determined by the imperfect past and
current trends.
Are there any software tools for this?

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

A note to clarify a point -- there's a difference between the engineer's
AVAILABILITY and his ASSIGNMENT. The availability is the maximum possible
pecentage of his working time you could assign him to tasks at single point
in time. If he works an 8 hour workday and you can use him for up to 4
hours per day, his availability is 50%. The assignment is how much you plan
to use him on the instant task. If Joe is available 100%, Monday I can
assign him to 1 task @ 100% or 2 tasks @ 50% or 4 tasks @ 25% or just 1 task
@ 50% and let him idle for the other 50%.