initially assign a resource or resources to it. When tasks are automatically (as opposed to manually) scheduled, Project gives you an option to control how it should calculate work on a task when you assign additional resources to the task or unassign resources from the task.
This option is called effort-driven tasks, and it works like this: The work of a task remains constant as you assign or unassign resources. As more resources are assigned to a task, the duration decreases, but the total work remains the same and is distributed among the
By default, effort-driven scheduling is disabled for all tasks you create in Project. You can options in an Actions list to control how Project should recalculate work on a task imme-diately after making a resource assignment. (You’ll do this below.) Effort-driven scheduling applies only when you assign additional resources or remove resources from automatically scheduled tasks.
The scenario: At Lucerne Publishing, some time has passed since you made the initial resource assignments for the new book launch plan. You received some feedback from the assigned resources that require some adjustments to assignments. As you make these adjustments, you will control how the revised assignments should affect the tasks.
In this exercise, you add and remove resource assignments on tasks and tell Project how it should adjust the tasks.
1
In the Gantt Chart view, click the name of task 5, .Currently, Toby is assigned to this task. A quick check of the scheduling formula looks like this:
Toby needs some help with this task, so you’ll add a resource.
2
On the tab, in the group, click .3
In the column in the dialog box, click ,and then click .
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6
Zac is added to the task, and Project updates the scheduling formula values:
Next you will use a feature called the Actions list to control how Project schedules the work on a task when adding or removing resources. Note the small green triangle in the upper-left corner of the name of task 5. This is a graphical indicator that an action is now available. Until you perform another action, you can use the Actions list to choose how you want Project to handle the additional resource assignment.
4
Click the name of task 5, and then click the button that appears just to the left of the task name.Look over the options on the list that appears.
The small triangle in the upper-left corner of the field indicates that the Actions list is available.
Click the Actions button to see its options.
You can use these options to choose the scheduling result that you want. You can adjust the task’s duration, the resources’ work, or the assignment units.
TIP You will see other Actions indicators while using Project. They generally appear when you might otherwise ask yourself, “Hmm, why did Project just do that?” (such as when a task’s duration changes after you assign an additional resource). The Actions list gives you the chance to change how Project responds to your actions.
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For this task, you want the additional assignment to mean additional work done in the original duration. This is the default setting, so you’ll close the Actions list without making a change.
5
Click the button again to close the list.Next you’ll remove a resource from a task and then instruct Project how to schedule the remaining resource assignment on the task.
6
Click the name of task 9,Currently, both Jane and Zac are assigned to the task. Jane has told you she needs to complete the planned work alone, but over a longer time period. This is acceptable to you, so you’ll unassign Zac.
7
In the column in the dialog box, click ,and then click .
Project unassigns Zac from the task.
Next you’ll adjust how Project should handle the change in assignments.
8
Click the button that appears just to the left of the task name.9
Click .Project increases the task’s duration from three to six days, and it increases Jane’s work total from 24 to 48 hours. This 48 hours is the same total amount of work on the task when both Jane and Zac were assigned, but now all the work belongs to Jane.
So far, you’ve been adjusting duration and work values as you add or remove resources from tasks. You can also change the default setting for a task such that as you add resources to the task, its duration is decreased. You’ll do so next.
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10
In the Gantt Chart view, click the name of task 10, . Currently, just Zac is assigned to this task, and it has a two-week duration.11
In the , click , and then click in the upper-right corner ofthe .
There is no change to the duration, units, or work values for this task, but watch what happens when you assign an additional resource.
12
In the Gantt Chart view, click the name of task 10, and then, in the dialog box, click Hany Morcos, and then click .The task 10 duration is reduced from two weeks to one week. The total work on the task remains 80 hours, but now it is split evenly between Zac and Hany. This is the scheduling result you wanted. If it wasn’t, you could use the Actions list to change how Project responds to the additional resource assignment.
TIP Recall that effort-driven scheduling is disabled by default. To change the default setting for all new tasks in a plan, do the following. On the File tab, click Options. In the Project Options dialog box, click Schedule and then under Scheduling Options For This Project, select the New Tasks Are Effort Driven check box. To control effort-the Task tab, in effort-the Properties group, click Information, and on effort-the Advanced tab of the Task Information dialog box, select or clear the Effort Driven check box.
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The order of your actions matters when effort-driven scheduling is enabled. If you initially assign two resources to a task with a duration of three days (equal to 24 hours), Project schedules each resource to work 24 hours, for a total of 48 hours of work on the task.
However, you might initially assign one resource to a task with a duration of 24 hours and later add a second resource. In this case, effort-driven scheduling will cause Project to schedule each resource to work 12 hours in parallel, keeping the total of 24 hours of work on the task. Remember that when it’s turned on, effort-driven scheduling adjusts the task duration only if you add or remove resources from a task.