In Project how can I avoid that when the end date of a task changes the duration is re-calculated?

Question

I am finding the following problem with Microsoft Project.

I defined a task that for example have a duration of 10 days but these 10 days can be spread in a longer time (for example one month) because the involved resources in the meantime are working on other tasks.

My problem is that when I change the end date, Project automatically re-calculate the duration and so I have a bigger number of what I expect. How can I avoid that Project automatically calculate the duration of a task when the end date changes?

Answer 1

What you really have is a task with 10 days work that may be spread over 10 or more days duration. In other words the work content is 80 hours, assuming a normal 8 hour workday, but the duration is variable.

I suggest you make the task a Fixed Work type task. Then assign the resource and enter the work content in the Work field. Project will automatically set the duration at 10 days, given a default resource assignment of 100%. Now, if the resource isn't available full time for this task, do NOT enter a new finish date as this will set a constraint, rather, enter a new value for the estimated duration. The work content will remain at 80 hours but Project will automatically adjust the resource assignment to represent the new plan.

Note, Project will always spread the resource work linearly over the duration of the task. If you want to adjust the days & hours the resource will work, do so manually via the Task or Resource Usage views.

Answer 2

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