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Adding multiple resources to a task without changing duration Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Is there any way to do this?

For example, I have a task that will take 2 weeks in total. If I add two people to this task that are 100% allocated to the project, it will update the task to take 1 week. I would like it to stay at 2 weeks.

I realize that I can do things like change the % allocation of each resource to the project, or make the original duration 4 weeks so that it falls to 2 weeks when I add someone.

My workflow right now is like this, and I'd like to keep it as simple as possible:
1. lay out all tasks for the project
2. work with the development team to decide duration of each task
3. put tasks on the timeline
4. add one or more people's names to each task
5. End result - Easily see project Gantt chart view as well as view of what each person will be working on in the coming weeks.

Is there any way I can keep this simplicity without messing with percentage allocations or inflating task durations before adding resources?
 
You don't mention what version of OmniPlan you are using. OmniPlan 2 has options in the Task:Assignments Inspector that would be useful to you:



I think you would have to apply this setting to all of your tasks, but you can select the entire document and do it en masse.

I have to say it's a little weird to think that a development task is going to take the same duration no matter how many people you have work on it...
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whpalmer4 View Post
I have to say it's a little weird to think that a development task is going to take the same duration no matter how many people you have work on it...
I dunno, I think it's weirder to think that doubling the people will halve the time. :)

"The Mythical Man Month" is an excellent book on that topic.

I think I use OmniPlan the way the original poster seems to: I estimate how long something will take, and who will be involved. One of my co-workers is great: he points out all sorts of things that my code needs to do, and how to make my front panel hardware look nicer, etc. etc. I love having him involved. Adding him to a project does not make it take half as long. :)

I use OP as a rough week/half week scale ordering and constraint management system. I use it to figure out if I'm about to run out of time, or where to fit in things like ordering stuff that takes awhile to arrive.
 
I've read the MMM many times, thanks. I'd say that if you don't have a substantial change in the duration when you double the resources on a task, it probably means you haven't broken that task down sufficiently or you didn't estimate it properly. Your initial estimate of how long it was going to take should have been longer to account for all of the extra work your co-worker was going to add to the schedule by pointing out things you need to do better.
Similarly, if the OP is saying "this block is going to take 3 weeks" and that number doesn't change as he changes the number of people assigned, my question would be "why bother assigning the extra people if it isn't changing the duration?" Well, I guess it makes sense if the extra people being added are managers :-)
 
does it not still make sense, because you know that those people you add are blocked and should not be added elsewhere?
 
@whpalmer4 I'm using 2.0, so this looks like exactly what I'm looking for. Thank you. Now I can say 'keep duration fixed'. I'll just need to remember to assign resources through the inspector.
 
 


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