Is there a way to distribute duration across a series of tasks that all have the same predecessor?

Question

Here is the scenario. I have 10 tasks all assigned to the same person. Each task has 2 days duration / 12 hours (6 hour day is my default). The tasks also have the same predecessor, so they all have the same planned completion date based on that shared predecessor.

Since they are all assigned to the same person and have the same due date, effectively the tasks pack 20 days’ work into only 2 days. The tasks will very quickly start showing as late.

Two ways I have previously solved this problem:
1. Make each of the tasks dependent on completing one another. Creates a hierarchy and distributes the time, but my end users want to be able to choose where to start on the tasks.

Add artificially increasing durations so that the first task lasts 2 days, the second 4 days, etc. This includes the full time, but my end users don’t like inaccuracy of the durations.

Is there some way to have Workfront treat these tasks as if they were one task and set a due date that is realistic for the group of tasks without my having to make artificial changes ?

KellieGardner · Accepted Answer

Task Tracking Modedoesn’t adjust the planned dates just how the tasks show as late.What I’m hearing is this…10 tasks, same predecessor, same due dateEach task has only a 2-day duration10 tasks × 2 days each = 20 days of total work needing to get doneBecause they all share the same due date, that 20 days of work is effectively squeezed into a single 2-day windowOne person, 10 tasks, same window = mathematically impossible to hit all 10 on timeOption 1 -Resource Leveling from the Gantt -Workfront will automatically push out the start/due dates of the conflicting tasks so the same person isn't scheduled on 10 things at once. It could helpsequence them based on availability, rather than leaving them all crammed onto the same date Chart. However, this isn’t automatic, it has to be done manually on each project.Resource leveling also only applies to one project, so Adobe Workfront does not level resources across more than one project at a timehttps://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/workfront/using/manage-work/the-gantt-chart/gantt-chart-overview/level-resources-in-ganttOption 2 - if those tasks are truly not dependent on each other and can be done simultaneously. You couldmake the duration of all the tasks the full duration of that “part” of the project but leave the planned hours the same. If you stretch a task's duration from 2 days to 20 days while holding Planned Hours constant, Workfront spreads those same hours much thinner across each day. Example: if a task needs 16 hours of effort (2 days at 8 hrs/day), squeezed into a 2-day duration, that's 8 hrs/day of allocation. Stretch that same 16 hours across 20 days, and it's now just 0.8 hrs/day.

Lyndsy-Denk · Answer

​@ClintClFirst, I have a question: Are you saying that you have planned hours totalling 20 days of work? In that case, it sounds like your durations need to be extended because of the physics of time. Am I misunderstanding?Assuming I’m misunderstanding, there aretwo things you might play with:Task Tracking Mode, specifically“Assume On Time” might benefit you. They don’t always work as loosely as you need, but can help.Scheduled-Start (sd) dependencylooks like a Finish-Start but acts like a Finish-Finish. It’s possible this will relax the condition.

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