Changing Work and Duration Based on Resource Utilization

[John Oakes]

I have a task that is estimated at 40h. The Duration and Work are set to
40h. I want to assign a resource to the project with 80% resource
utilization. When I do this, the Duration gets changed to 50h and the Work
remains at 40h. However, I need both to be changed because the resource will
be charging 100% of their time to the project. Is there an easier solution
than changing the Work to the same as Duration to reflect this?

 

[Rod Gill]

Project will only charge the hours of work*rate as the cost and use work and
units to calculate duration so you have a conflict. If your resource is
spending 32h a week on the project but charging 40h, then you need to adjust
the rate to reflect the non-project time.

The resource isn't a lawyer by any chance?!!

 

[Pratta]

Hi John
I think you have to decide whether it is a fixed duration, fixed work or
fixed units task.
I tend to plan in duration so set all tasks by default to fixed duration;
and control in work (after I baseline). I don't like fixed units. But you
sound like you want the resource units to remain at 80%, so set the task to
fixed units, and it won't change on you. Its a personal preference thing.
You now are the keeper of the units. If you add the resource at 80% and set
to Fixed Units the first time you add the resource, duration must now alter
(increase) and does to 6.25 days. If you dont like that then reduce the
duration to 5 days and work will decrease to 32 hrs. W=D*U, and something
has to give and it sounds like you don't want it to be the resource.

Regards.............Pratta

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

Project's Prime Directive is Work = Duration * Units and that relationship
will never, ever, under any circumstances be violated. If he's doing 40
manhours of work over the course of 40 hours of duration, as far as Project
is concerned he's working 100% by definition and there's no way around it.
Rearranging the equation, D = W/U, 40/.8 = 50 manhours, and as Rod said
you'll need to adjust his rate to reflect he's not billing you for all of
those hours.