Non-Effort-Driven schedules

[mjkahn]

I have a scenario like this:

Task 1. Starts 2/1/06. Resource R1 works on it for 5 days, so it ends on
2/7/06.

Task 2. Dependency (FS) on Task 1, so it starts on 2/8/06. It must be
finished by 2/14/06, which is 5 working days away. Resource R1 will work on
it for 1 day and Resource R2 will work on it for 2 days. Even though there
are 5 days available to work on this task, only 3 days of effort will go into
it.

When I set up my tasks and resources as described above, Project moves the
start date for Task 2 to 3 days before the Finish By date, leaving a gap
between the FS link from Task 1 and the start date. I'd like my Project's
Gantt chart to show that there are 5 possible days on which Task 2 could be
worked, even though there are only 3 days of effort going into it? Is that
possible?

FWIW, I'm using Project 2000.

Thank you!

MJ.

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi MJ,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

You need to change the Task Type to Fixed Duration, and reduce the Work to
24h (3*8), then project will reduce the Units assigned to 60% to meet your
requirements. You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft
Project in the TechTrax ezine, particularly #11 - Task Types, 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 article 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

 

[Mike Glen]

You're welcome, MJ and thanks for the feedback.

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

I'd suggest task 2 should be shown as a 3 day task with a deadline on the
5th day. The schedule should always model reality, not objectives. The
plan should not show when the resources could work on the task - it should
show the dates that you're going to tell them they need to work on the task.
They don't tell you when they want to do the work, you tell them when they
HAVE to do the work <wicked power-mad griin>!

 

[ksmorris]

Hi Mike,

You seem to be the MS Project resident guru. Thank God rthere is one
somewhere. haha

My question is fairly simple, but important to setting up a project:

Where does one set up a project so that the project is tracked on a
work-based approach (rather than an effort-driven approach)? Can the
work-based approach be adopted after a project has been set up with an
effort-driven approach and time units already enered for duration for each
subtasks?

This seems like something one wants to set up from the git-go, but I
haven't seen any explicit explanation in Microsoft's tutorial on MS Project
on how to set up a project so that it is work-driven rather than the default
effort-driven.

Thanks

 

[John]

Hi Mike,

You seem to be the MS Project resident guru. Thank God rthere is one
somewhere. haha

My question is fairly simple, but important to setting up a project:

Where does one set up a project so that the project is tracked on a
work-based approach (rather than an effort-driven approach)? Can the
work-based approach be adopted after a project has been set up with an
effort-driven approach and time units already enered for duration for each
subtasks?

This seems like something one wants to set up from the git-go, but I
haven't seen any explicit explanation in Microsoft's tutorial on MS Project
on how to set up a project so that it is work-driven rather than the default
effort-driven.

Thanks

ksmorris,
I already answered this in your "tag-along" post.

John