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Thread: Desired Behavior when changing work or duration

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    5

    Desired Behavior when changing work or duration

    Hello everyone, I have a desired behavior, and can not figure out how to make project perform in this way. Basically I have a fixed work task, and when I change either the work require, or the duration required, I want project to change the units required of the resource.

    I somehow got this to work for one task, but when I applied the exact same options to another, it did not work.

    Any ideas?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    5

    Re: Desired Behavior when changing work or duration

    One more note I have, if I manually change start and finish date, I would like project to update duration, thereby also updating units.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    489

    Re: Desired Behavior when changing work or duration

    I'm afraid you can't have it all ways. In a fixed work task, if you change duration, Project will change assignment units. However, if you change work, project will change duration, leaving assignment units alone. The trick is to change the task type based upon what you need Project to alter. So, if it is fixed work -- change duration -- to get the change in assignment units.

    If on the other hand you need project to keep duration the same if you change work (and recalculate assignment units), set the task as fixed duration.

    You may change task type on a task by task, case by case basis.

    I hope this helps.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Posts
    5

    Re: Desired Behavior when changing work or duration

    Thanks for your reply! So I tried what you said, I kept the task as Fixed Work, and changed the duration, the Resource remained at 100% units. Project popped up that little exclamation point and asked me whether the resources would work fewer hours to complete the project (as I lengthened the duration), which is the option I selected.

    Units remained at 100% for that resource.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    5

    Re: Desired Behavior when changing work or duration

    Another funky thing is that if I have a task that is Work:4, Duration:0.5 days, and I go change the one resource assigned to 50%, Project does not update either the work, or the duration.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    489

    Re: Desired Behavior when changing work or duration

    What version of Project are you using? The Project 2010 version does not accurately display assignment units unless you look at the peak units field added to the Resource or Task Usage view.

    The other 'funky' thing is definitely off. Even if you are working with manually scheduled tasks in Project 2010, dropping the assignment units to 50% should drop the work.

    Is your calculation set to automatic? Does pressing F9 change things or so?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Posts
    5

    Re: Desired Behavior when changing work or duration

    I am using MS Project 2007. I tried F9 and that does not help. My calculation is set to automatic.

    The units I am referring to are when you double click the task and go to the resources tab. I am not sure I know the difference between those units and "Assignment Units". If I turn on the Assignment Units column, it is necessarily blank. If I enter a value, it will not retain the value.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    489

    Re: Desired Behavior when changing work or duration

    Perhaps the easiest way to see what is going on with assignment units, work, and task duration is to show the Task Form in the lower part of your screen. From the Window menu, choose the Split command to show the Task form.

    The Task form allows you to select task type as well as see assignment units, work for each resource and task duration.

    If you calculation mode (Tools > Options, Calculation tab) is set to automatic, then Project should be changing one of the variables (work, task duration, or assignment units) when you change another variable.

    Try the Task Form and post back with further details.

    I'm guessing (hoping) that you have SP-3 installed to Project 2007?

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