Understanding the duration, work and units of a task will help you understand how the three are connected in Microsoft Project (part of the Microsoft Office suite). Duration refers to the amount of time between the start and finish of a task, units are the amount of assigned resources available for the task and work is the actual amount of time needed to complete the task rather than its full duration. This video explains each of these, as well as how Microsoft Project calculates them.
A task's duration, work and assignment units are inextricably connected.…The mathematical relationship is simple and it's the key to getting your…resource assignments right every time.…First, a few definitions.…Duration is the length of a task from its start to its finish.…If a task starts on Monday morning and ends on Friday afternoon, the duration is five work days.…Work represents the person hours it takes to complete the task.…For example, a task has duration of five days, but you are going to spend only…10 hours on the task. The work is 10 hours.…
Assignment units usually referred to as units, are the percentage of the…assigned resources available time dedicated to the task.…Full-time is 100%, half time is 50%.…You can show units as a decimal, too. In that case full-time is 1.0 and half time is 0.5.…Basic algebra is all it takes to understand the relationship between duration, work and units.…Duration equals work divided by units.…
Suppose you estimate work at 40 hours and you specify that the resource works on…
Author
Bonnie Biafore
Released
4/18/2013- Choosing the right Project edition
- Creating and saving projects
- Setting up calendars
- Creating individual and recurring tasks
- Linking and timing tasks
- Assigning tasks to resources
- Viewing your data differently with sorting, grouping, and filtering
- Fine-tuning the project schedule
- Understanding baseline, schedule, and actual values
- Reporting on the project status
- Sharing projects<br><br>
- The PMI Registered Education Provider logo is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
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Introduction
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Welcome57s
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1. Working with Project
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Using the Ribbon4m 19s
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Finding commands3m 49s
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2. Setting Up Project Files
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Setting up calendars2m 45s
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Setting basic options5m 27s
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3. Creating Tasks
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Creating a manual task2m 31s
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Creating a milestone task1m 25s
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Creating a recurring task4m 18s
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Creating a summary task4m 8s
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Displaying summary tasks2m 30s
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4. Linking and Timing Tasks
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Linking tasks5m 51s
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Adding lag or lead time2m 46s
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Viewing tasks and task links4m 57s
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5. Creating Resources
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Understanding resources2m 16s
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Creating a work resource8m 45s
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Creating a cost resource3m 21s
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6. Assigning Tasks to Resources
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Finding overallocations3m 56s
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7. Working with Views
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Choosing a view4m 50s
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Working with a table3m 1s
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Using the Timeline view5m 17s
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Sorting tasks and resources4m 27s
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Grouping tasks and resources4m 45s
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Modifying task bar layout2m 48s
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Modifying text formatting2m 52s
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8. Fine-Tuning the Project Schedule
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Reviewing the critical path3m 53s
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Splitting a task2m 7s
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Adjusting a work contour2m 53s
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Leveling resources4m 54s
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Inactivating a task2m 41s
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9. Tracking and Managing a Project
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Adding tasks to a baseline5m 54s
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Updating the schedule8m 45s
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Assigning overtime4m 35s
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Updating costs2m 15s
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Rescheduling unfinished work3m 45s
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10. Viewing and Reporting Project Information
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Using earned value5m 12s
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Printing views and reports4m 22s
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11. Sharing Projects
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Saving to other formats5m 27s
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Importing and exporting5m 47s
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Conclusion
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Next steps56s
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Video: Understanding duration, work, and units