How to Manage Different Working Hours and Calendars in Microsoft Project
Question details
The user needs a way to handle task durations and finish times accurately when multiple teams use different working hours and task calendars.
- Product
- Microsoft Project
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Scheduling project tasks across teams that have varying daily work schedules and custom task calendars.
- Observed behavior
- Tasks display unexpected finish times because the Duration field relies on a single project-wide definition for a working day, conflicting with individual calendar schedules.
Before making adjustments, navigate to Project Options > Schedule to verify the default number of hours your project currently defines as a standard working day.
Enter Task Durations in Hours
Bypassing the default 'days' unit ensures that task durations remain accurate and calculate correctly regardless of individual task calendars.
In Microsoft Project, if the project defines one day as 10 hours, a 1-day duration will always represent 10 hours of effort, no matter what calendar the task uses. Entering the duration in hours circumvents this rigid conversion.
Click on the task that is subject to a non-standard working calendar in your Gantt chart view.
In the 'Duration' column, manually type the estimated effort in hours followed by an 'h' (e.g., enter '10h' instead of '1d').
Double-click the task to open Task Information, go to the Advanced tab, and select the team's specific working calendar from the Calendar drop-down menu.
Check the Start and Finish columns to ensure the timeline now accurately reflects the team's actual working hours.
Create a Custom Duration Field for Display
If you still need to see durations in 'days' tailored to specific teams, create a custom field to display calculated values without affecting the actual schedule.
Manage Project Schedules Easily with WPS Office
Microsoft Project's rigid calendar rules can make scheduling complex. WPS Office provides a free, lightweight alternative with powerful Spreadsheet tools to track project timelines, build Gantt charts, and calculate durations without confusing calendar conflicts.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Get the free WPS Office suite from the official website and install it on your device.
- 2. Open WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Spreadsheet to begin setting up your flexible project tracker.
- 3. Use a Project Management Template: Browse the built-in template library for 'Gantt Chart' or 'Project Schedule' to instantly generate a tracking structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a 1-day task finish later than expected in Microsoft Project?
This happens when a task's assigned calendar has fewer working hours per day than the project's default definition of a day. The software stretches the task across additional days to fulfill the required total hours.
Can I have multiple definitions for a 'day' in one project plan?
No. Microsoft Project only allows one project-wide definition for how many hours constitute a working day. This setting is found in Project Options under the Schedule tab.
Will changing a task calendar automatically update its duration value?
Changing the task calendar will recalculate the start and finish dates based on the new working times, but the duration value (if entered in days) will remain tied to the default project hours.
