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Page 1 of 16
PMP Specialists
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Microsoft Definition:
Fixed Units -A task in which the assigned units [or resources] is a fixed value and any changes to the amount
of work or the task's duration do not affect the task's units.
Project Bible Definition:
Fixed Units Resource driven tasks are referred to as fixed-unit tasks. Heres a simple example. You have
to plant a tree. One person needs two hours to plant a tree. If you add another person (another resource), together
they need only one hour to complete the task. That is, two resources, each putting in an hour of effort, complete the
two hours of work in only one hour. With resource-driven scheduling, when you add resources, the task duration
becomes shorter; if you take away resource, the task takes longer to complete. And, on the flip side, the resource
assignments to a task dont change when the work increases or decreases. (Note: This is a strict math calculation in
Project. Ten people get the work done in 1/10th the amount of time there are no calculations for efficiency or other
variables.)
Microsoft Definition:
Fixed Work -A task in which the amount of work is a fixed value and any changes to the task's duration or
the number of assigned units [or resources] do not affect the task's work.
Project Bible Definition:
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PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
Fixed Work When you create a fixed-work task, you set the duration of the task, and Project assigns a percentage
of effort that is sufficient to complete the task in the time that is allotted for each resource that you assign to the task.
For example, if you assign three people to work on a one-day task, Project would say that each person should spend
33 percent of his or her time on the task to complete it in one day. Similarly, a task may take 48 hours to complete
(its fixed-work value). With one resource assigned working 8 hours a day, the task will require 6 days to complete.
With two resources assigned 8 hours a day, the task will require 3 days to complete. In either case, the amount of
work thats required remains constant. The tasks duration changes based on the number of resources that are
assigned to the task.
A key point often overlooked is that Microsoft Project uses fixed units by default. While this might be the best
(most detailed) method, we normally change that in Microsoft Project to fixed duration as organizations are usually
not prepared to schedule at that finite of a level. No matter which method is used, as we add resources, the system
automatically recalculates variables for us, as the following paragraph explains.
For all tasks, after you assign a resource, the task is scheduled according to the formula Duration = Work / Units. For
any task, you can choose which piece of the equation Project calculates by setting the task type.
(This goes along with calendar choices. The calendar that a resource is on and the projects calendar affect the
duration, work or units depending on the task type and the resources hours and resource availability. This can cause
dramatic movement in the overall schedule. Calendars really affect the working time available and can push
durations around. Calendars are out of the scope of this document but it is important to realize that they affect the
schedules as well.)
Project dates sometimes move as we load resources and the system automatically re-calculates for us based on the
calendars and on the grid below. This sometimes causes a one day task to go across multiple days. This is a great
example of how calendars, task types and resource availability/hours all work together.
Basically:
In a...
Fixed-units task
Duration is recalculated.
Fixed-work task
Duration is recalculated.
Work is recalculated.
With all that as the overview, lets take a look at how Microsoft explains it:
Page 3 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
Task types are settings that you can apply to tasks, which affect
the way that those tasks are calculated by the formula. For
example, if you "fix" a task's duration, the value that you set for
the task's duration will remain unchanged as the formula calculates
the work and resource units.
Effort-driven scheduling
Effort-driven scheduling takes effect when you add resources to or
remove resources from tasks. This scheduling setting keeps the
amount of work constant when you change assigned resource
units, helping you estimate task duration.
While these are all independent scheduling techniques, they also work
together. This lesson will help you to understand how they work, both
individually and in concert, so you can better adjust and control your
project schedule.
Page 4 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
Page 5 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
Work is the amount of effort, measured in time units (like hours or days), that
a resource needs to complete the task. The total work for a task is the sum of
all those time units, no matter how many resources are assigned to the task.
Page 6 of 16
PMP Specialists
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Use this table to see how each task type setting affects the other two
variables in the scheduling formula.
Page 7 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
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Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
An example of the basic scheduling behavior that you'll see when you
change the Work on a Fixed-units task:
You assign 1 painter full-time (100%) to paint walls in 4 days (the
duration). The work (the time it will take the painter to complete the
task at 100% effort) is 32 hours, or 4 days.
If you increase the amount of work to 40 hours, Project recalculates
the duration as 5 days. Now the painter has an extra day of work on
the task.
If you assign another painter full-time, both painters, applying 100% of
their time to the task, will get the job done in only 2 days.
Page 8 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
An example of the basic scheduling behavior that you'll see when you
change the Duration on a Fixed-work task:
Two painters are assigned full-time (100%) to paint the walls in 2
days (work equals 32 hours16 hours per painter).
If you increase the duration of the task from 2 days to 4 days, Project
sets each painter's assignment units to 50% so that each painter works
only half-time and work remains constant at 32 hours.
Page 9 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
An example of the basic scheduling behavior that you'll see when you
change the Resource Units on a Fixed-duration task:
Your painter is assigned full-time (100%) to paint a room in 4 days.
The work is 32 hours.
Then you assign the same painter another room to paint. Unfortunately the
painter is committed elsewhere in 4 days and cannot work on the task
beyond that. The painter can only work part-time (50%) painting the
additional room.
When you enter 50%, Project keeps the duration fixed at 4 days, and
recalculates work to be 16 hours.
Page 10 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
Page 11 of 16
PMP Specialists
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Decrease resources
Fixed-units task
Duration is shortened
Duration is lengthened
Fixed-work task
Duration is shortened
Duration is lengthened
Page 12 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
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Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
Page 13 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
Page 14 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
Page 15 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893
But after the Test Manager sees the test plan, he decides it will take 2
testers to complete the task on time.
By assigning an additional resource to the testing task with a set
duration of 4 weeks, Project recalculates the work needed to complete
the task.
Page 16 of 16
PMP Specialists
Siloam Springs, Arkansas Cleveland, Ohio
WWW.PMPSPECIALISTS.COM
Ph: 479.220.0758 FAX: 347.905.9893