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How to View Weekly Resource Hours in Microsoft Project
Question details
The user needs to assign estimated work and durations to tasks, review resource hours on a weekly basis, and prevent changes in Work from automatically altering the task Duration.
- Product
- Microsoft Project 2016
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Assigning resources to tasks and reviewing weekly workloads without causing unwanted schedule changes.
- Observed behavior
- When adjusting the Work hours for a task, Microsoft Project automatically changes the Duration to match, preventing independent control of both values.
Before modifying your task estimates, verify your project's default task type (Fixed Units, Fixed Work, or Fixed Duration) to understand how it currently calculates resource assignments.
Prevent Work from Changing Task Duration
Change the task type to Fixed Duration and disable effort-driven scheduling to control Work and Duration independently.
By default, Microsoft Project attempts to balance Work, Duration, and Units. If changing your estimated work changes the task's duration unexpectedly, the task type is likely set to Fixed Units or Fixed Work.
Double-click the task you want to modify in your Project schedule, or select it and press Shift+F2 to open the Task Information dialog box.
Click on the 'Advanced' tab at the top of the Task Information window.
Locate the 'Task type' drop-down menu and change the selection to 'Fixed Duration'.
Uncheck the 'Effort driven' box next to the Task type setting, then click 'OK' to apply the changes.
View Resource Hours by Week
Use the Task Usage or Resource Usage view to analyze estimated work grouped into weekly segments.
Manage Your Projects efficiently with WPS Spreadsheet
While Microsoft Project is a specialized and costly tool, you can easily track project timelines, weekly resource hours, and task durations using WPS Office. As a lightweight, fully compatible Office alternative, WPS Spreadsheet offers powerful templates for Gantt charts and resource planning at no cost.
- 1. Install WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office Free on your device.
- 2. Find a Project Template: Open WPS Spreadsheet, click on 'New', and search for 'Project Tracking' or 'Gantt Chart' in the template library.
- 3. Customize Your Schedule: Apply the template and easily input your task durations and resource assignments without complex scheduling engine restrictions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Microsoft Project automatically change duration when I assign resources?
By default, Microsoft Project calculates task schedules based on the formula: Work = Duration × Units. If effort-driven scheduling is enabled, adding resources or changing work estimates forces Project to recalculate the duration to maintain balance. You can stop this by setting the task type to Fixed Duration.
What is the difference between Fixed Units, Fixed Work, and Fixed Duration?
Fixed Units keeps the resource assignment percentage constant when other variables change. Fixed Work locks the total estimated hours needed for the task. Fixed Duration locks the timeframe in which the task must be completed, which is ideal if you want to adjust resource hours (Work) without moving the task's start or finish dates.
Can I view daily and weekly resource hours at the same time in Project?
Yes. In the Task Usage or Resource Usage view, you can configure the Timescale to display up to three tiers. Set the middle tier to 'Weeks' and the bottom tier to 'Days' to see a detailed daily breakdown under each corresponding week.
