Converting Actual Duration to Hours

[Ximo]

Hi all,

I have been able to convert [Duration] to hours with the formula:

ProjDurConv([Duration], pjhours)

And I am displaying correctly the new column (Duration Hours):

I am trying to do the same with Actual Duration but unfortunately there must be something I am missing. Project Plan has been published, checked in, etc. The formula is the same but using the [Actual Duration]:

ProjDurConv([Actual Duration], pjhours)

What am I missing?

Thanks!

[#2]

@Ximo 

There is nothing wrong with your formula. This is what I get with Project 2019 Pro with:

Text2=ProjDurConv([Duration],pjHours)

Text3=ProjDurConv([Actual Duration],pjHours)

I suspect the issue has to do with check in and publishing, or it's possible your file has some corruption. You might try saving the file as XML and then re-open the XML in Project.

John

[#3]

Thank you @John-project, I see that you are using Task2 and Task3 fields as Text type, in my case the column Actual Duration Hours was type Duration because later on I was trying to use this field in the time phased datasets in the Project Online PBI Content Pack.

If I use the type Text it works but would a text type custom field work in the time phased datasets?

Thank you

[#4]

Ximo,
Results are the same? Does that mean it works when you use custom Text fields?

Keep in mind that the duration type in Project is in minutes (internally), regardless of how it may be displayed.
John

[#5]

Using Text type works, my goal with Duration type was to see this column data in the time phased data but according to this:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/ie/en-US/40f6d796-270a-484f-91d9-54dcc3f8e6f1/custom-cos...
It is not possible, so maybe I need to stick to Text type anyway.

[#6]

Ximo,
As noted in the referenced post, no custom fields (e.g. Text, Duration, etc.) are timescaled so Text type won't work either.
John
If your goal is to convert the Duration field to hours
John

[#7]

Thank you @John-project, 

the PM wants to define a Task with a Start, Finish and Duration, this means that the Resource assigned will have that timeframe to complete the task.

Then as in this environment resources are not fully dedicated to projects, the PM will enter the number of hours that the task actually will take so the Resource will have that timeframe (for instance 5 days) to complete a task that is done in 2h. 

So Resource Hours are the number of hours that the Resource will actually use to complete the task within the provided duration.

For instance, in the Project Initiation Document production task there are 5 days to complete the task, the PM says the task is done in 5h (Resource Hours: 0.63d) and when updated to 50% complete, the Remaining Resource Hours are updated to 0.3125d, 2,5h keeping original duration, start and finish untouched.

On top of this, the user asked to keep track of all these Resource Hours and Remaining Resource Hours in the Project Online PBI Content Pack in dashboards like Resource Assignments, Resource Availability and so on. But I am guessing now that this is not going to be possible.

[#8 · Accepted solution]

Ximo,
I don't understand what any of this has to do with timescaled data. The tasks should be set up as Fixed Duration type and estimated (not actual) effort entered into the Work field. I 'm not sure how the PM knows ahead of time what the actual work will be because until it actually happens, everything is an estimate.

I don't use Project Online nor do I use Power B1, so the statements in your last paragraph are beyond my scope. However, the fields you talk about (i.e. Duration, Work, Actual Work, Remaining Work, etc.) are all readily available for dashboard type reporting, no conversions necessary.

John

[#9]

Timescaled is related because the user wanted to know all the assignments Resource Hours and Remaining Resource Hours planned for next week, or next month or check how the last month or week went, have a heat map with overallocations (more than 8 hours per day per resource, etc.)

Fixed duration would actually make the trick! Thanks a lot!

[#10]

Ximo,
You're welcome and thanks for the feedback.