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How to Schedule More Than 24 Hours of Work Per Day in MS Project

Huma Ashraf Ch Oct 1, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to correctly schedule a task that requires more than 24 hours of work per day by assigning multiple resources to work on it in parallel.

Scheduling More Than 24 Hours of Work per Day in Microsoft Project

Product: Microsoft Project
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Calculating the correct project duration when multiple people are assigned to work on a large task simultaneously.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Project calculates a 240-hour task as taking 30 days to complete, even though four assigned resources working in parallel should finish it in about 7.5 working days.

Before you start

Ensure you know the total estimated work hours required for the task and the maximum daily availability (allocation percentage) of each team member you plan to assign.

Solution 1Recommended

Differentiate Task Work from Duration and Adjust Resource Allocation

Fix duration miscalculations by distinguishing between total task work and elapsed duration, and ensuring effort-driven scheduling is active.

In Microsoft Project, 'Work' is the total effort required to complete a task, while 'Duration' is the calendar time it takes to finish it based on resource allocation.

When you assign multiple resources to a task, the duration should naturally decrease if the task is set to be effort-driven. For example, a 240-hour task assigned to 4 people working at 100% capacity requires 60 elapsed work hours (1.5 weeks on a standard 40-hour calendar).

Verify Schedule Options

Click on 'File', select 'Options', and navigate to the 'Schedule' tab. Verify that your default hours per day and hours per week align with your actual working calendar (e.g., 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week).

Enable Effort-Driven Scheduling

Double-click the task to open the Task Information dialog. Go to the 'Advanced' tab and check the 'Effort driven' box, or change the Task Type to 'Fixed Work' so that adding resources automatically recalculates the duration.

Assign Multiple Resources

Navigate to the 'Resource' tab and click 'Assign Resources'. Select the four team members and set their Units to 100%, assigning them to the task.

Enter the Total Work

In your Gantt Chart view, ensure the 'Work' column is visible. Enter '240 hrs' into the Work column for the task. Microsoft Project will automatically divide the work by the four resources and calculate the Duration as 60 hours (7.5 days).

Differentiate Task Work from Duration and Adjust Resource Allocation

Calculation Tip: To calculate expected duration manually, divide the total project work (e.g., 48 hours) by the number of people working in parallel (e.g., 4 people). The expected duration in this case is 12 working hours, or 1.5 days.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Work and Duration in Microsoft Project?

Work refers to the total amount of effort (measured in hours) required to complete a task regardless of who is doing it. Duration is the actual calendar time it takes to finish the task, which shrinks or grows depending on how many resources are assigned to complete the work in parallel.

Why doesn't my task duration change when I add more resources?

This happens if your Task Type is set to 'Fixed Duration' or if the 'Effort driven' setting is disabled. To fix this, double-click the task, go to the Advanced tab, and either check the 'Effort driven' box or change the Task Type to 'Fixed Work'.

Where can I change the default hours per day in Microsoft Project?

You can configure the standard working hours per day by navigating to File > Options > Schedule. From there, adjust the 'Hours per day' and 'Hours per week' settings to match your organization's work calendar.

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