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 over-
allocations 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)
Questions?