C
Crook
Hi!
Using MS Project Pro 2003 SP3.
I need confirmation or direction, please. I have an interesting situation
where calendars combine to give seemingly weird results.
The problem: A resource working under a Resource Calendar named Standard
(defined below) assigned to a task using task calendar named Mexican
Standard (defined below) works no more than 6 hours (360 minutes) per day
instead of an expected 7 or even 8 hours when the check box "scheduling
ignores resource calendars" is left empty (clear/blank).
Hypothesis: The two calendars are combined together ("OR'd") so that both
calendars are followed. This means that the employee enjoys both lunch
hours and has only 6 hours of work before quitting time.
Background: We have two calendars, Standard and Mexican Standard. (Well,
actually we also have a 7 day calendar, but that's not relevant for this).
The Standard calendar is the same standard calendar that ships with MS
Project Pro 2003 modified to include US holidays. Working times in the
Standard calendar are 8-12, 1-5, M-F. The Mexican calendar reflects the
working times and holidays of our Mexican employees. Working times are 8-2,
4-7, M-F. That's a 45 hour week.
Detailed Problem: To experiment with calendars, I set a simple project to
use the Mexican Standard calendar as its project calendar. I created a task
of 1 day's duration (9 hours). Then I assigned myself to that task. I have
the Standard calendar as my resource calendar. Result: the task took 2
days, 8 hours on day 1 and 1 hour on day 2. No problem. Then, I assigned
the Mexican Standard calendar as a task calendar to the task, but did left
the "Scheduling ignores resource calendars" check box blank. Result: task
takes 2 days, 6 hours on day 1 and 3 hours on day 2. Cool! Then I check
the "Scheduling ignores resource calendars" check box and, presto!, the task
goes back to 1 day with me working 9 hours. No problem.
The only thing that I can think of is that when resource calendars are taken
into account on a task that uses a different task calendar from the resource
calendars, the two calendars are combined. In my case, I would work from
8-12, knock off for lunch from 12 - 1, then work from 1-2, then knock off
for lunch again from 2-4 per the Mexican Standard calendar, then work again
from 4-5 quitting at my normal quitting time of 5. That makes for 3 hours
of lunch in a 9 hour day (8-5). Have I correctly determined the cause of my
6 hour day? Or is something else responsible?
As Dale Howard and Gary Chefetz say on p. 534 of the Ultimate Learning Guide
to MS Office Project 2007, "Whenever you see a scheduling oddity that
strikes you as 'weird', always examine calendars as the probable cause."
(Shameless attempt to elicit a response from some gurus and to show that I
did research before posting - grin).
Thanks!
Crook
Using MS Project Pro 2003 SP3.
I need confirmation or direction, please. I have an interesting situation
where calendars combine to give seemingly weird results.
The problem: A resource working under a Resource Calendar named Standard
(defined below) assigned to a task using task calendar named Mexican
Standard (defined below) works no more than 6 hours (360 minutes) per day
instead of an expected 7 or even 8 hours when the check box "scheduling
ignores resource calendars" is left empty (clear/blank).
Hypothesis: The two calendars are combined together ("OR'd") so that both
calendars are followed. This means that the employee enjoys both lunch
hours and has only 6 hours of work before quitting time.
Background: We have two calendars, Standard and Mexican Standard. (Well,
actually we also have a 7 day calendar, but that's not relevant for this).
The Standard calendar is the same standard calendar that ships with MS
Project Pro 2003 modified to include US holidays. Working times in the
Standard calendar are 8-12, 1-5, M-F. The Mexican calendar reflects the
working times and holidays of our Mexican employees. Working times are 8-2,
4-7, M-F. That's a 45 hour week.
Detailed Problem: To experiment with calendars, I set a simple project to
use the Mexican Standard calendar as its project calendar. I created a task
of 1 day's duration (9 hours). Then I assigned myself to that task. I have
the Standard calendar as my resource calendar. Result: the task took 2
days, 8 hours on day 1 and 1 hour on day 2. No problem. Then, I assigned
the Mexican Standard calendar as a task calendar to the task, but did left
the "Scheduling ignores resource calendars" check box blank. Result: task
takes 2 days, 6 hours on day 1 and 3 hours on day 2. Cool! Then I check
the "Scheduling ignores resource calendars" check box and, presto!, the task
goes back to 1 day with me working 9 hours. No problem.
The only thing that I can think of is that when resource calendars are taken
into account on a task that uses a different task calendar from the resource
calendars, the two calendars are combined. In my case, I would work from
8-12, knock off for lunch from 12 - 1, then work from 1-2, then knock off
for lunch again from 2-4 per the Mexican Standard calendar, then work again
from 4-5 quitting at my normal quitting time of 5. That makes for 3 hours
of lunch in a 9 hour day (8-5). Have I correctly determined the cause of my
6 hour day? Or is something else responsible?
As Dale Howard and Gary Chefetz say on p. 534 of the Ultimate Learning Guide
to MS Office Project 2007, "Whenever you see a scheduling oddity that
strikes you as 'weird', always examine calendars as the probable cause."
(Shameless attempt to elicit a response from some gurus and to show that I
did research before posting - grin).
Thanks!
Crook
And thanks for both buying our