 +1 (866) 847-7515  info@taradigm.

com

U a

Resource Assignment Settings and Duration Types in

Primavera P6
by Lauren Hecker | Nov 19, 2024 | Primavera P6 | 0 comments

To cost load a project using Primavera P6, you need to create and assign resources. When assigning resources, there are
several settings that you should consider. Specifically, these resource assignment settings will determine what happens
when you assign multiple resources to a single activity. If you have multiple people working on one activity, the activity’s
units and durations may decrease. However, this is not always the case. It’s a good idea to examine the resource
calculation settings for each project to ensure they’re working as needed. Along with these resource settings, you can also
configure an activity’s Duration Type. The Duration Type will determine what values stay fixed and what values change as
you assign additional resources.

In this article, we will take a look at how the resource assignment settings work in Primavera P6. We will also look at each
of the different Duration Types, and how they can affect your activities. The following examples are from Primavera P6
Professional 20. However, you can find these same tools in all versions of P6.

Adjusting the Resource Assignment Settings

To view or adjust the current resource assignment settings, select Edit > User Preferences.

Privacy - Terms
 Manage consent

The settings you choose here will only affect you as a user. Other users in your database may use the program with
different settings, as needed.

From the User Preferences window, select the Calculations tab. Here, under Resource Assignments, you’ll have two
options available. These options will determine what happens when you add or remove multiple resource assignments to
a single activity. You can choose to either:

Preserve the Units, Duration, and Units/Time for existing assignments, or

Recalculate the Units, Duration and Units/Time for existing assignments based on the activity Duration Type

By default, this setting will be set to preserve these values. Let’s take a look at how each of these resource assignment
settings work, starting with the default.

2
Preserve the Units, Duration, and Units/Time for existing assignments

The default resource assignment setting will preserve activity values, even as you add additional resources. Instead of
minimizing the units and durations needed, these values will stay the same. The same is true for the units/time of the
assigned resources – they’ll work full time on the task, even if multiple resources are working.

In this example, I have just begun assigning resources to activities. My activity Install Underground Footings has a duration
of 5 days and will require several resources. I’ll start by assigning my first resource to the activity. To do this, select the
Add Resources button from the Resources tab in the Details section.
2
I’ll select my resource, Bill Andreson, and press Assign.

Bill Anderson works 8 hours per day by default, and this activity has 5 days of duration. Assigning him to this activity has
given him a total of 40 units, or hours. By default, the program assumes that he will be working full time for the entirety of
the activity.

Now, let’s see what happens when I assign another resource to the same activity. Once again, I’ll select Add Resources.
This time, I’ll assign Robert Smith to the activity.
Robert Smith also works 8 hours/day, and he was also assigned to work all 5 days of the activity’s duration. Altogether, he
also received a total of 40 units for the activity – bringing the activity’s total units to 80.

This is what will happen when you choose to Preserve the units, duration and units/time for existing assignments. As
you add additional resources to the activity, they’ll continue to be assigned to work full time. Instead of minimizing the
duration for the activity, or the units/time for the resources, these values will stay fixed. You’re simply adding more
resources, without taking away the amount of time needed for the activity.

With this setting, we are assuming that nothing will change with the activity as we add more resources. Instead, the units,
duration, and units/time stay preserved.

Now, let’s take a look at what happens when you choose to have this data recalculated, instead. Once again, you can
adjust this setting in the User Preferences window, under the Calculations tab.

Recalculate the data for existing assignments based on the activity Duration type

The other resource assignment option is Recalculate the data for existing assignments based on the activity
Duration type. This option will recalculate data for the activity as you add additional resources. Specifically, this option
will look at the activity’s assigned Duration Type to determine which data to recalculate. You can view and edit an activity’s
Duration Type using the General tab of the Activity Details.

There are four options available for Duration Type:

 Fixed Duration & Units,
Fixed Duration and Units/Time,
Fixed Units, and
Fixed Units/Time.

When you add additional resources to an activity, the activity data will recalculate. The Duration Type allows us to choose
which data to stay fixed – or unchanged – in this process. Any non-fixed data will recalculate as you make additional
resource assignments.

Let’s take a look at how the Recalculate setting works with each of these different Duration Types.

Fixed Duration & Units

Fixed Duration & Units will keep the activity’s duration and units fixed as you assign additional resources. This duration
type is useful when you know both the duration of the activity and the amount of resources required. This is the
recommended duration type for time and budget constrained projects.

To see the effect of this Duration Type, I’ll assign another resource to the activity. Returning to the Resources tab, I’ll
assign Robert Smith once again.

With the Duration and Units fixed, the activity’s duration has remained at 5 days and the overall units at 40 hours.
However, with another resource assigned these units are now split between both resources. Each resource now only
needs to work a total of 20 hours to complete this activity’s work. Because the duration has remained at 5 days, each
resource now only needs to work 4h/d. With the Duration and Units fixed, the resource’s Units/Time have recalculated.

Fixed Duration and Units/Time

2
Fixed Duration and Units/Time will keep both the activity’s duration and the resource’s units/time fixed. You should use
this duration type if your activity has a fixed time frame that won’t change, regardless of the number of resources. For
Task Dependent activities, this duration type is most often used.

After assigning another resource, the activity’s duration has remained fixed at 5 days. The units/time for each resource
has remained fixed at 8 h/d. With these two fields fixed, both resources are once again working 40 hours overall.

Here, we have the same result as if we had chosen to Preserve the Units, Duration, and Units/Time for existing
assignments. As we add more resources, more units add to the activity – rather than minimizing the existing activity data.

Fixed Units

Fixed Units will keep the units assigned to the activity fixed, even as you add resources. This duration type is best used
for activities where you know the amount of work needed. This type is most often used with Resource Dependent
activities.
2
If you plan to use this Duration Type, make sure to adjust the activity units before assigning additional resources. By
default, resources you assign will be set to work their default units/time on each day of the task’s duration. Currently, this
activity shows 40 units overall – 8h/d multiplied by the 5 days of duration. Before assigning additional resources, I would
want to change the activity’s units to the total amount required for completion. These units will then be split among the
resources I assign to the task.
After assigning another resource, the activity units have remained fixed at 40. Now, however, those 40 units have split
evenly between the two resources. The resources now only have to work 20 units, or hours, each. Each resource is still
working 8h/d, which in turn decreases the activity’s duration from 5d to 3d.

With the Units fixed, the assigned resources are now sharing the overall work. With both working full time, the activity can
now be done in less time than originally expected.

Fixed Units/Time

Fixed Units/Time fixes the Units/Time for resources assigned to the activity. You should use this duration type when the
resources are always working full time – regardless of duration or units. This type is also useful for activities that require
multiple resources at once. For example, if an activity makes use of equipment that requires two resources to operate,
you should use this duration type. Fixed Units/Time is most often used with Resource Dependent activities.

After assigning another resource to the activity, each resource is still working 8 hours/day. The activity units have stayed
at 40 units overall. The two resources are now sharing those 40 units, working 20 units each. With both working full time, 2
the activity’s duration has decreased to 3 days. With more hands on deck, we’re able to complete the activity faster than
expected.

Summary
In Primavera P6’s User Preferences, you can adjust how the program works with multiple resource assignments. Here,
you can choose to either Preserve or Recalculate the Units, Duration, and Units/Time for existing assignments. By
default, the program will keep this setting on Preserve the Units, Duration, and Units/Time for existing assignments.
With this option, the activity and resource values will not change, even as you assign additional resources. I recommend
using this option when first resource-loading the schedule. Many times, you’ll know the activity’s duration and the
resources required – and you may not want these values to adjust.

The other option is to Recalculate the data for existing assignments based on the activity Duration type. This option
will adjust activity and resource information as you assign additional resources. This option works with the activity’s
Duration Type, which allows you to choose what data to stay fixed. Any non-fixed data, such as the Units, Units/Time, or
Duration, will adjust as you assign additional resources. I recommend using this option only after you have assigned all
required resources. This option is useful for performing what-if scenarios and dealing with issues – such as delays or
overallocation. If you need to compress the schedule or clear overallocation, this tool can help you do just that.

As you continue working on the project, you can switch between these two Primavera P6 settings at any time. Even if you
start assigning resources using the Preserve setting, you can always switch to the Recalculate setting as needed.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please use the comment section on the bottom of this page. Don’t
forget to subscribe to our blog to get more Primavera P6 tips & tricks directly in your inbox!

Lauren Hecker is the instructor for the Primavera P6 Professionals training courses. To see her next open enrollment course,
please visit our calendar. To schedule an onsite or custom course, please contact us!

← How to Display the WBS on the Activities Screen in Primavera P6

0 Comments

2
Oracle Solutions Primavera Cloud Training
Primavera P6 Primavera P6 Training
Oracle Primavera Cloud Bluebeam Revu Training
Bluebeam Revu

Scheduling & Claims Blog

Primavera P6 Implementations Contact Us
My Account See Store
Opt-out preferences