Let me preface by saying that I understand MS Project was designed to help forecast and distribute time, hours, and effort.  However, sometimes this can be quite burdensome when creating tasks and editing those tasks later, without all sort of disruptions rippling through my project schedule.  

I work in an organization which operates in one-month sprints.  The WORK for each resource is estimated, in hours, during the prior sprint.

So here is what I need, essentially...

GANTT View Tasks which adhere, and continue to stay in adherence, to a fixed date-range of MY choosing (i.e. 5/31 - 6/27) and adhere to a fixed amount of WORK (in hours) of my choosing.  Whether that resource is scheduled to work 1 hour across that date range, or 100 hours across that date range, I do NOT want the date ranges to change when I edit WORK, ACTUAL WORK, and REMAINING WORK fields.

I've tried monkeying around with Task types (fixed duration, fixed units, fixed work), and I still cannot seem to accomplish what I need to do.  I am able to forecast the coming sprint's tasks adhering to my specific date ranges, with the proper WORK forecasted ... but once I actually get into that sprint and start editing ACTUAL WORK or REMAINING WORK, the date ranges are automatically changed due to MS Project's default DATE=WORK/UNITS calculations...somehow I need to break free of these constraints.

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!!! #FRUSTRATED

Hi,

AFAIK, with Fixed Duration as a task type, changing work (can indeed be through Actual Work or remaining work) will not change duration.

Even when this already answers your question, you could even strangle MS Project harder by setting the task mode to Manually Scheduled (at elast if you run 2010 or later)

This should relieve your frustration!

Greetings,

Thank you, @Jan De Messemaeker, for the reply.  I appreciate the feedback very much.  However, I am not observing the behavior you've cited above.

 For example, consider a FIXED DURATION task (verified) ranging from 5/31/2015 through 6/27/2015, with the resource's WORK forecast to 75 hours within that date range, established prior to the sprint.  

• Now consider that we are 75% through that sprint and it turns out the forecast was very inaccurate; that resource's WORK is only going to be 5 hours within the sprint.  
• When I go to my GANTT view (again, I've verified this is a FIXED DURATION task) and change the WORK hours to 5, the end-date changes from 6/27/2105 to 6/8/2015.  
• Even after I choose the option "Decrease the hours resources work per day, so the task duration stays the same" the end-date remains changed to 6/8/2015
• Then, if I manually change the end-date back to 6/27/2015, the WORK hours revert back to 75
• This doesn't meet my needs.  I need to be able to change the WORK field from 75 hours to 5 hours, with the date range remaining intact.

Please advise

Hi,

I just did EXACTLY the same thing and the end date stays at 26/6. Of course I ignore the extra options offered (which try to convince me not to use fixed duration),but that being said, fixed duration is what it is. Duration does not change when work is changed.

Greetings,

@Jan De Messemaeker:

Is there any way you can insert screen capture of your your TASK INFORMATION 'General' and 'Advanced' tabs (I suspect 'Predecessors' and 'Resources' have no relevance to this issue)?

Perhaps I am missing some other configuration?

Hi Churney,

I see what Jan sees - how are you updating the task?  I updated using the Task Usage view, but Fixed Duration works for me...  

Thanks for the feedback, @Ben Howard!

I am updating the task in the GANTT view.  Here are my 'General' and 'Advanced' tabs:

sorry...uploaded the wrong image the first time.

• Edited by churney1969 Thursday, July 16, 2015 9:45 PM

Here's what I did. 

1. Create a task, set the start or finish date, (sets a constraint), set enter the duration and work, assign the resource.

2. Update the work to reflect the new estimate - This is then spread across the duration.  Update the actual work value to represent the actual work. 

Hi,

This is not very relevant. I have to repeat- when you change work, DO NOT touch or open the extra options offered- the default option there moves you away from fixed duration.

Greetings,

Thanks Jan - to be clear, I have tried both affecting the extra options, and not affecting them.  Either way, it is clear that my absolutely verified "FIXED DURATION" task type is not adhering to the fixed duration.  I inherited this project plan/did not create it from scratch, so perhaps there is something else going on that I am not aware of.  It's very frustrating at this point.

Hi Chris,

There has to be a problem with the file. Desperate situations call for desperate measures, so I propose you send me the file to

jandemesATprom-ade.be

replacing AT by @

Unfortunately I leave tomorrow for  a (very) long weekend so I'll only see your file on Wednesday.

Hope it helps!

I think you want a Fixed Duration task, and with Effort Driven checked. Ben's screen capture shows that set up. Your screen shots doesn't have Effort Driven check. I think that should give you the behavior you desire. Good luck.

• Edited by Dave_Bush 9 hours 3 minutes ago typos

Sorry Dave, but I can't let this one go.

Effort Driven ONLY comes into play when you add a resource to a task, or delete one. And even then, if you want to have duration constant, you have to have Effort Driven OFF, not on.

Greetings,