• Microsoft Project Spread Task Over Time Sheet

The project manager can request the creation of a base calendar that shows the 4 hours as nonworking time and apply it to the task, allowing the other assigned resources to be automatically scheduled on other tasks during that time. If a suitable base calendar already exists in the project, it can be assigned as a task calendar.

A colleague and I were discussing how Microsoft Project calculates duration, work, and resource utilization. My colleague was managing an outsourced project under a time and materials contract and wanted to schedule a four-hour task over three days. He had a few challenges trying to schedule the task in Microsoft Project until we discussed the importance of task types and the Duration X Units = Workequation.

Microsoft Project schedules tasks based on three variables: duration, units (or resources), and work. You get to choose two of these variables, and Microsoft Project calculates the third. Project managers run into a scheduling circle when they try to hold all three of these variables fixed. Just like the scope, cost, and time project triangle, if you change one variable, the others adjust as well.

In my colleague's scenario, the project manager has three days to complete four hours of work. Since the project is outsourced to a vendor, and the project manager doesn't have direct control of the resource, a fixed duration task type is recommended. The project manager doesn't care when the work gets done, as long as it's in the three day estimate. By setting the task to use a fixed duration task type, the number of hours and resources can fluctuate, and the three day duration will remain constant.

In actual practice using a time and materials contract, the project manager would care about the number of hours spent from a budget perspective. From a schedule perspective, the project manager is still expecting a three day fixed duration for the task.

Using the Duration X Units = Workformula, the project manager will enter duration and work into Microsoft Project and let the tool calculate resources.

To create a four-hour task using a three day fixed duration, follow these steps:

1. Insert the Type and Work fields into the Gantt Chart view.
2. Enter the task name.
3. Change the Type field to Fixed Duration.
4. Enter 3 days in the Duration column.
5. Enter 4 hrs in the Work column.
6. Assign a resource.
7. Microsoft Project will calculate the 17% utilization.

Figure A depicts Task A using a three-day duration, four hours of work, and 17% resource utilization.Figure A

Figure A: three-day duration with four hours of work

In the Task B example, a Fixed Work task could be entered with a resource assigned 100%, and the resulting duration would be 0.5 days. Since the requirement is to complete the task within three days, the fixed duration task is recommended.

For internal projects with internal resource costs, I prefer to build fixed duration tasks using 100% allocated resources and let Microsoft Project calculate the work. For external projects that use different contract types, the mix of task types will depend upon the work and the level of tracking required in your project schedule.

To learn more about the different task types, read my Microsoft Project tutorial, Use Fixed Duration, Fixed Work and Fixed Unit Type Fields.

In this post we’ll discuss how to split tasks in Microsoft Project. In other words, how to break tasks into segments representing the exact times work will be performed.

Microsoft Project tasks do not necessarily need to start on one day, and continue until the task is complete. They can be broken up into segments. In other words, work can be performed in a discontinguous fashion. For instance, 16 hours in one week, 16 hours in the next week, and a final 4 hours the following week. This technique is illustrated below. Steps to perform it as also included.

Split bar, showing each segment of work

Split hours, in Task Usage view

Microsoft Project Spread Task Over Time Sheet

I must warn you… I feel this is a micro-management technique. It can be good to define exactly when the work will be performed, right down to the hour, but do you really want to spend your time doing that? That’s better left to the discretion of engineers who will actually be doing the work.

Follow these steps to split Microsoft Project tasks:

1. Create a new task in the Gantt view (See the View menu)
2. Right-click in the header area, and choose Insert Column
3. Insert the Work column (it represents the planned work for a task)
4. Enter 10 hours for the Work
5. Choose View, Task Usage
6. Notice the number of hours for each day (this is the time you will work on the task)
7. Skip a few days, and enter some additional hours into the Task Usage view
8. Choose View, Gantt Chart to return to the preview view
9. Notice that the Gantt bar has been split to show the new hours

–ray