Resource usage report doesn't match Schedule

[PattiTechWriter]

I am a Tech Writer who inherited a huge Project Schedule to maintain. I am
green when it comes to this tool and I could use all the help I can get!

Task 1 starts 10/11 and finishes 10/17, 5 days duration. Resource is "Don".
Task 2 starts and finishes 10/18, 1 day duration. Resource is "Don".
Task 3 starts 10/19 and finishes 10/21, 3 days duration. Resource is "Don".

When my boss runs a Resource Usage report,
for the week of 10/9, Don is scheduled for 2 hours, not 32; and
for the week of 10/16, he is scheduled for 8 hours, not 40.

When you look at the Schedule, things are peachy. But when my boss looks at
usage, he wants to know what Don is doing all day! I don't know why the
usage numbers are different than the Schedule.

Can anyone help?
Patti

 

[Teoplanner]

Patti,
Durations are not the same as work. If Don has other projects on his plate,
he may not be able to allocate 100% of his time to your project. Therefore,
instead of having 4 days duration = 32 hours, it only equals 2. In other
words someone has truly resource loaded the schedule and taken into account
that even though Don is in the office all 4 days from 10/11 - 10/15, he has
only 2 hours he can dedicate to your project. To fix the problem, you can go
into the resource sheet and make sure Don is allocated at 100% and then
adjust his hours on the tasks accordingly. If you don't want the dates to
change, make sure you select "fixed duration" when loading.

Hope this helps.
Teresa

 

[PattiTechWriter]

Thank you, Teresa, so much for the reply! I've just been told Don was, at
one time, allocated at 60%; he has since been moved up to 100%. I haven't
changed his hours yet because his Team Lead is afraid it'll have an adverse
effect on remaining tasks ????? Do I need to adjust his hours myself or
does Project have a way of "refreshing" after allocations and durations are
adjusted? Also, this "mismatch" appears to be isolated. Don's future tasks
are computing correctly. (Perhaps those were added after the change to 100%?)

You're the best!
Patti

 

[PattiTechWriter]

Update: I went in to the Schedule, pulled Don as the resource and then added
him back in. The Usage updated correctly. Yeah! Thanks Teresa!

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Patti,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft Project in the
TechTrax ezine 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

 

[Teoplanner]

You are more than welcome Patti. Glad I could help!
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