Creating Effort Driven Schedules

1. Creating Effort Driven Schedules

2. Creating Effort Driven Schedules • Objectives • Understanding Your Job and the Tools Job • Understanding Task Types • Six Steps to an Effort Driven Project Schedule

3. Understand Your Job, The Tools Job • Project Leader’s Job • Determine the amount of work (effort) the task will take(according to a documented procedure, remember?) • Determine which resource to assign to the task • Determine resource availability and calendar adjustments • Determine Task Dependencies • Manage Resource Over-allocations • MS Project’s Job • Calculate Duration of the Task • Calculate Start and Finish Dates • Help Identify Resource Over-allocations

4. Understand Task Types • Fixed Unit Tasks • MS Project default, when effort driven scheduling is enabled • Adding more resources makes task duration shorter • Removing resources makes task duration longer • Fixed Work Tasks • All tasks of this type are effort driven • Tasks behave similarly to fixed unit tasks with regard to adding and deleting resources • Provides more flexibility than fixed unit tasks (IMHO) • Fixed Duration Tasks • Not recommended for effort driven tasks • Duration is kept constant when resources are added or removed • Work is added or removed when resources are added

5. Example 1 • Purpose • Illustrate task types • Illustrate “The Rule” • Show how “The Rule” can affect tracking

6. Example 1- Lessons Learned • Lessons Learned • Task Types are used to fix one of the variables in the equation: • Entering actual start and finish dates is equivalent to adjusting the task duration • Updating Task Actuals using the task form can give unreliable results*

7. Effort Driven Schedules Your Job Tools Job • Six easy steps(42 substeps,19 caveats :) • Setup Tool Options and Project working times • Define Resources and their Working Times • Input the Work Breakdown Structure • Define Task Dependencies and Priorities • Assign Resources & Input Assignment Effort Estimates • Let MS Project Calculate Dates and Durations

8. Step 1 - Set the Tool Options Set Default Task Type to Fixed Work Tools  Options  Schedule Tab Set Project Start Date Project  Project Information Project Information Dialog Tool Options Dialog

9. Set Project Working Time Set Project Working Time Tools  Change Working Time Change Working Time Dialog • Edit the project calendar to allow for non-productive time • Use Non-working time to identify company holidays • Use Non-default working time to allow for project overhead

10. Set Project Working Time (cont.) Set Duration Translations Tools  Options  Calendar Tab Tool Options Dialog • When you adjust the project calendar, adjust the calendar options accordingly

11. Example 2 – Allowing for Overhead • Purpose • Illustrate what happens when calendar option do not align with the project calendar

12. Example 2 – Lessons Learned • Account for non-productive time by: • adjusting the working times on the project’s standard calendar • and setting the calendar options accordingly • Recommend setting productive time to one of the following: • 50% - 4 hours per day, 20 hrs per week • 63% - 5 hours per day, 25 hours per week • 75% - 6 hours per day, 30 hours per week

13. Step 2 – Define Your Resources Define Resources View  Resource Sheet Resource Sheet View in MS Project • Enter Resource Names and Max Units on Resource Sheet

14. Max Units • Dedicated = 100% • Shared = some % • varying availability • Used by MS Project to identify resource over-allocations • Use Max Units to reflect the percentage of time a resource is assigned to your project • Max units field is not to be confused with the units field that is used for resource assignments

15. Resource Availability • Use non working time for those out for full days • Use non default time those who work short days • Adjust resource calendars • to account for those people who do not work a standard week, or are unavailable • affect how assignments are scheduled

16. Example 3 - Lessons Learned • Purpose • Illustrate the use of Max units field • Illustrate how the units field relates to Max units field • Illustrate how to use resources calendars

17. Example 3 - Lessons Learned • The Max Units field: • should be used to designate what percentage of time a resource is assigned to your project • is used by MS Project to identify resource over allocations • Is not to be confused with the units field used for resource assignments • Individual Resource calendars are used to: • Adjust calendars for non-working times (i.e. vacations) and non-standard working times (part time resources) • They are not meant to be used to help you track project actuals

18. Step 3 – Input the WBS Use Task Entry View View  More Views  Task Entry Task Entry View in MS Project Set Details to Resource Work Format  Details  Resource Work

19. Step 4 - Task Dependencies & Priorities • Task Dependencies • Describes how a task is related to the start or finish of another task • Recommend using finish to start dependencies primarily • All tasks should have predecessors (apart from the first task) • Do not set dependencies between summary tasks • Can be used for resolving resource over-allocations (but not recommended)

20. Step 5 – Assign Resources Task Entry View in MS Project Use task form to assign resources, workload, and adjustments

21. Step 6 – Calculate Date and Durations • Allow MS Project to calculate task durations, start and finish dates • Remember your job and the tools job! • MS Project calculates durations using the formula: • Never enter in planned start dates. Doing so will create unwanted task constraints

22. Effort Driven Scheduling • Not very well documented in literature, but . . . • Not rocket science • Understand • “The Rule” • Your Job and the Tools Job • Remember • Six step process for creating an effort driven schedule