Durations keep changing... Help!

[mdoster]

Ok... it's me again - brand new user...

I need to list resources (sometimes multiple) for each task, but ONLY show
it shows up on a report for each person. We do not assign or track
real/actaul hours. So here's what I've done to try to simplify...
Task #1: Tasks/Advanced Tab: "Must Start On" with a start date (this is
the only constraint I've set in the project); Fixed Duration; Effort Driven
unchecked
All other tasks have the same settings except no constraint date and default
to "As Soon as Possible."

Each Resource: Booking type - Proposed; Type - Work; Change Working Time -
I've added in their vacation days; $0 per hour

So my project is set up so that I set the start date and manually keep
adjusting it until I hit the finish date I need. It was working fine until
I added the resources and now it will change the duration on a couple of task
when I set the start date on Task #1.

I'm so frustrated... isn't there a way to 1) truly lock down the duration
and 2) list resources without it trying to list any scheduled/actual
time/hours? This should be so simple. Sigh...

Melinda

As

 

[C]

Hello Melinda,

I have entered in the scenario you describe below. It must be the non
working (vacation days) you have entered for your resources. I set the start
date for task 1 and entered a non working day during the task time span and
indeed the task duration increased. Look at the tasks that are adding
duration and see if there is non working time set for these tasks.

Also go to help and search on task types. Select the about task types to
see how Project makes its calculations.

 

[mdoster]

Thanks! I'll check on that...

Hello Melinda,

I have entered in the scenario you describe below. It must be the non
working (vacation days) you have entered for your resources. I set the start
date for task 1 and entered a non working day during the task time span and
indeed the task duration increased. Look at the tasks that are adding
duration and see if there is non working time set for these tasks.

Also go to help and search on task types. Select the about task types to
see how Project makes its calculations.

 

[mdoster]

It appears you were correct. I deleted all the Non-Working (Vacation time) i
had scheduled for all the resources. Now no durations are shifting.....
guess I'll have to manually adjust for vacations... What fun! (MS Project
does not impress me.)

Thanks so much for your speedy assistance! I appreciate it!

 

[JulieS]

Melinda,

I think you are making this a bit more difficult than it needs
be. There is no reason why you should adjust for vacations
manually. Project cannot possibly keep the same dates with
resources who have non-working time and you should allow Project
to schedule around the non-working time.

Set your tasks to Fixed Units. When you assign resources to
tasks duration will not change, however the dates may change if
the resource assigned to the task has non-working time during the
scheduled dates for the task. You can watch your dates as you
assign and decide to replace the resource with another resource
who may have more working days in their schedule. Duration is
always measured in working time -- if you assign a resource with
a different working time (non-working), the duration value will
stay the same.

Also, why are you constraining the first task? It should start
on the start date of the Project which you should set in Project

Project Information.

I realize you are trying to get up and running quickly, but
getting some training would likely pay off in spades with you
better able to work with Project versus against it. If you do
not have time for a two to three day training class, consider
reading through Mike Glen's excellent series of free tutorials.
You can find Mike tutorials at:

http://project.mvps.org/mike's_tutorials.htm

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project

 

[mdoster]

Thanks for the help, Julie. Frankly, I'm a bit addled by this software. I
did have my tasks set as fixed units and the durations would change. So I
set all my resouces to 0% and "Proposed", as we are not truly tracking hours.
I just want to see that the tasks are assigned to them. My duratiions would
still change. So I set the tasks to be "fixed duration."

As for training, wouldn't that be lovely and make lots of sense? No such
luck. I can't afford it personally and my company won't pay for it. I
appreciate the tip about those tutorials...

Thanks again!