MS Project Terms Duration Fixed Duration Work Fixed

MS Project

Terms • Duration • Fixed Duration • Work • Fixed Units • Resource • Fixed Work • Resource Units • Over-allocation • Effort-Driven • Leveling

Duration & Work • Duration - The total span of working time or elapsed time required to complete a task. • Work - The total effort required to complete a task.

Resources • Resources are the people, equipment and supplies used to complete tasks in a project. – Resources that are assigned to tasks but do not create work are known as material resources. • Resource Units indicate how much of a resource's available time, according to the resource calendar, is being used to work on a particular task. In a project schedule, resource effort is expressed as assignment units or sometimes just as units.

Scheduling Formula Duration = Work ÷ Resource Units

Fixed Units • As the task's assigned units remain constant, an increase / decrease in assigned work will result in a corresponding increase / decrease in task duration. • Fixed Units is the default task type for new tasks.

Fixed Work • If assigned work should remain constant, then as a task's duration goes up assigned units will go down (and vice versa). • If assigned units are greater than max units, a resource over-allocation will arise. • Duration = Work ÷ Resource Units • or Duration = 1 ÷ Resource Units

Fixed Duration • For a constant task duration, as assigned work is increased so will assigned units. • Decrease the units and the work will correspondingly reduce. • Duration = Work ÷ Resource Units • If assigned units are greater than max units, a resource over-allocation will arise.

Effort-Driven • Only comes into play after the initial resource assignments have been made • Work stays constant • When resources (manpower) are assigned or removed from a task, Microsoft Project will extend or shorten the duration of the task to accommodate change in resources • This is the default option for new tasks

Over-allocation • Situation when more hours of a resource are allocated than are available • Identifying Over-allocated Resources – Special leveling indicator – Resource Usage View – over-allocated resources are red • Over-allocation can be resolved by leveling project

Leveling • Resolving resource conflicts or overallocations by delaying or splitting certain tasks. • During leveling, assignments are rescheduled according to the resource availability profiles, assigned units, and resource calendars, as well as the task's duration and constraints. • It is instigated either automatically or (more commonly) by the command level now. • Tools | Level Resources. . . (hour by hour)

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