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Distribution of Work hours for a Resource RRS feed

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    Hi,

    I just want to check that if I have a task with a Resource who needs to work on the task for few hours in start and full time in end, how can I do that. I read about Contours but when I insert it I get deactivated sort of field in Gantt Table view. Any help or link to tutorial would be helpful.

     

    Thursday, May 5, 2011 7:18 AM

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    Work Contours are actually associated with the Assignments (hence it remains deactivated in Gantt and most of other views), they are used for some pattern based distribution of the Assignment hours on a task. There are by defualt 8 shapes defined in MSP then you can create your manual contour by edtitng the assignment in timephased sheet of the task. Go to Task Usage View and insert Work Contour, therein you can see a drop down appearing for the resources. In your case you can apply Back Loaded pattern.

    1. Flat: The default contour with an even distribution of work.
    2. Back-loaded: Peak activity happens at the end of the project.
    3. Front-loaded: Peak activity is at the beginning of the project.
    4. Double Peak: A Project that has two major periods of peak activity.
    5. Early Peak: the same as the Front-loaded but with a ramp up to peak activity
    6. Late peak: a Back-loaded contour with a ramp.
    7. Bell: single peak in the middle of the project
    8. Turtle: A bell with a ramp up and ramp down.

    You can use a dummy plan and observe the results of each of the Contour and its impact on the Duration, with most contours, a fixed units or fixed work task will increase its duration as compared to a flat contour. As far as I know Microsoft has not released the algorithm for the default Work Contours, so before you apply them understand each of them per se your requirement.

    Refer : http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/assigning-resources-to-your-project-tasks-HA001019943.aspx#BM#7

     

    Sapna S
    Thursday, May 5, 2011 7:30 AM
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    You can also refer this link, it has good overview with snapshots : http://www.projectlearning.net/pdf/G3_2.pdf
    Sapna S
    Thursday, May 5, 2011 7:53 AM

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    Work Contours are actually associated with the Assignments (hence it remains deactivated in Gantt and most of other views), they are used for some pattern based distribution of the Assignment hours on a task. There are by defualt 8 shapes defined in MSP then you can create your manual contour by edtitng the assignment in timephased sheet of the task. Go to Task Usage View and insert Work Contour, therein you can see a drop down appearing for the resources. In your case you can apply Back Loaded pattern.

    1. Flat: The default contour with an even distribution of work.
    2. Back-loaded: Peak activity happens at the end of the project.
    3. Front-loaded: Peak activity is at the beginning of the project.
    4. Double Peak: A Project that has two major periods of peak activity.
    5. Early Peak: the same as the Front-loaded but with a ramp up to peak activity
    6. Late peak: a Back-loaded contour with a ramp.
    7. Bell: single peak in the middle of the project
    8. Turtle: A bell with a ramp up and ramp down.

    You can use a dummy plan and observe the results of each of the Contour and its impact on the Duration, with most contours, a fixed units or fixed work task will increase its duration as compared to a flat contour. As far as I know Microsoft has not released the algorithm for the default Work Contours, so before you apply them understand each of them per se your requirement.

    Refer : http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/assigning-resources-to-your-project-tasks-HA001019943.aspx#BM#7

     

    Sapna S
    Thursday, May 5, 2011 7:30 AM
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    You can also refer this link, it has good overview with snapshots : http://www.projectlearning.net/pdf/G3_2.pdf
    Sapna S
    Thursday, May 5, 2011 7:53 AM
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    Thanks I was trying to look for field in wrong view :(
    Thursday, May 5, 2011 8:04 AM
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    Hi ,

    Welcome to this Microsoft Project forum:)

    You might like to have a look at my free series for beginners on Microsoft Project in the TechTrax ezine, particularly #, at this site: http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc  or this: http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
    (Perhaps you'd care to rate the article before leaving the site, :)  Thanks.)

    FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at this web address: http://www.mvps.org/project/

    Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on :)

    Mike Glen
    MS Project MVP

     

    Thursday, May 5, 2011 10:59 AM
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    Thanks Mike, its a wonderful link.
    Thursday, May 5, 2011 11:10 AM
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    You're welcome,  :-)

    Mike Glen

    MS Project MVP

    Thursday, May 5, 2011 2:37 PM
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    You are most welcome.
    Sapna S
    Thursday, May 5, 2011 3:53 PM