Resource Units when changed to zero doesn't redistribute work

[ST]

Is there an efficient way to do the following?

At times the need arises where we need to change the the units that
resources are assigned to a task. With the task type set to 'fixed work',
changing the resource units for those that are assigned redistributes the
remaining work to the resources accordingly. This is great!

However, if we set the units for a resource to down to 0%, it does not
redistribute the remaining work. Is there an optimal way to do this because
if we enter zero units MS Project drops the remaining work for those
resource(s); we have to add back the remaining work at the task to get our
remaining work to what it was.

/Spiro Theopoulos.

 

[JulieS]

Hello Spiro,

My comments are inline.

Is there an efficient way to do the following?

At times the need arises where we need to change the the units
that
resources are assigned to a task. With the task type set to
'fixed work',
changing the resource units for those that are assigned
redistributes the
remaining work to the resources accordingly. This is great!

I am not following your comment. On a task with multiple resources
assigned, changing the assignment units of a single resource does
not redistribute work. On a fixed duration task, dropping
assignment units increases the task duration but does not
redistribute work in any manner. Can you explain in a bit more
detail where you are seeing the redistribution and how you are
changing assignment units?

However, if we set the units for a resource to down to 0%, it does
not
redistribute the remaining work. Is there an optimal way to do
this because
if we enter zero units MS Project drops the remaining work for
those
resource(s); we have to add back the remaining work at the task to
get our
remaining work to what it was.

Setting a resource's assignment units to zero effectively unassigns
the resource. Have you tried just removing the resource from the
task? As long as the task is effort driven (and fixed work task are
always effort driven), removing a resource will keep the total
amount of work the same and the work from the removed resource will
be distributed to the remaining resource.

/Spiro Theopoulos.

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

 

[ST]

It redistributes in the sense that if you have 100 hours of work for the
task, and you assign 2 resources to this task at 100% each, then they will do
50 hours each.

If you change these resources so that they are assigned to 25% and 75% units
instead, then the resources will do 25 hours and 75 hours, respectively
(given that the task type is Fixed Work).

If you change the resources assigned to 50% and 100% units, then the
resources will do 33.3 hours and 66.6 hours, respectively. It allways adds
up to 100 total hours for the task, except when you change the assignment
units to 0% where it just drops whatever amount of hours were assigned to the
resource before you change it to zero.

I've been making these changes to assignment units using in the Task Form -
Resource Work. I did not try it but I suspect the Resource Assignment window
does the same.

 

[JulieS]

Yes, the total work will remain the same in Effort Driven tasks as
you add or subtract resources. I guess I'm not sure why you would
want to have a resource assigned and then change the assignment unit
to 0%. Can you not just remove the resource and have the work be
distributed back to the remaining resources?

Julie

 

[ST]

Removing the resouce would be perfect if the are no actuals. But in our case
we have actuals so we can not do that.

Well this is the whole thing...We could revise the remaing work for the
resource to 0 instead of putting 0 in their units. But doing requires that
we manually adjust the remaining work of the other resources on the task to
make up for it. And, you can not use the replace button when the resource is
already on the task.

So, as long as you do not go down to 0% units, changing the units of the
resources recalulates/ the remaining work of the resources--which is perfect
(ie., project does all the calculating). When you make it 0 units, all bets
are off... you might as well have changed the remaining work to 0 because you
will have to manually add the remaining work back into the task.

/Spiro.

 

[JulieS]

Hi Spiro,

I did not understand that you were talking about tasks with tracking
applied. With that added piece of information, yes,you are correct,
you cannot remove a resource from a task where tracking has been
applied without losing the actuals.

I am able however to replace a resource with another resource if
there are actuals applied without loss of the actual work. Use the
replace button in the Assign resources dialog box. Any remaining
work is transferred to the new resource, the original resource still
retains the tracked work.

I understand now why removing the resource won't work. You are
correct you'll need to manually redistribute any work.

Julie

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Funny, you must run a different software from mine.

Yours seems to do this:
With the task type set to 'fixed work',

changing the resource units for those that are assigned redistributes the
remaining work to the resources accordingly.

Well mine doesn't. In the circumstances you describe, Project does NOT
redistribute work between resources, even with the fixed work task type.
Don'tlook for it. Pity, but it doesn't. Not, sorry.
Greetings,

Jan De Messemaeker, Project MVP