Edit Resource and Role Spread Data in the Assignment List
From the
Resources app or the
Schedule app, you can edit spread data directly in the project Assignment List or Assignment Detail window by selecting the data in the cell. You can also use the right-click menu to select the field for a role or resource, delete data from a single cell, undo unwanted cost spread updates, or redo updates as needed.
To achieve the most precise resource or role distribution plan, you can manually enter the budgeted or planned resource or role allocation per assignment in the timescale unit you choose (days, weeks, months, quarters). You can adjust the current spread to capture the earliest start date of any activities, or anything that extends beyond the current spread. The calendar automatically adds a small buffer relative to the timescale selected at first login. For example, if you select a daily spread view, the calendar adds four weeks, or 28 days, of buffer to the spread. Editing outside the current spread can impact activity dates.
Editing Planned and Remaining costs can improve forecasting for labor, non-labor, and material resources. By directly inputting cash flow spreads for resource assignments, you can more accurately predict and analyze cost over time. For example, there may be a week in the project schedule when activity work overlaps onto a public holiday. The hourly rate for working individuals increases to account for the holiday pay rate. Instead of editing Price/Unit for a single day, the scheduler can manually adjust cost spreads. See Entering Activity and Assignment Units and Costs.
Note You cannot edit cost fields for future periods in multi-currency scenarios. When working in a project, you can only edit the project currency. When working in a program, you cannot edit project currency or base currency.
To edit spread data, several conditions must be met. The activity duration type must be set to Fixed Duration and Units or Fixed Duration & UPT. To edit Planned Units, the field must be on or after the Activity's Planned Start date. To edit Remaining Units, the activity must be Not Completed, and the field must be on or after the Activity's Remaining Start date.
Additional rules apply to the entry of zero when editing cost and units:
- Entering a zero into the first Planned Units future period is considered lag and decreases the Planned Units and Planned Duration of the assignment.
- Entering a zero into the first Remaining Early Units future period decreases the Remaining Early Units and Remaining Duration of the assignment.
- A Planned Cost value with a zero entry for planned duration lumps cost onto the Planned Start Date.
- A Remaining Cost value with a zero entry for remaining duration lumps cost onto the Remaining Late Start Date. Contact the scheduler as this cannot be set manually by users.
- A Remaining Late Cost value with a zero entry for remaining duration lumps cost onto the Remaining Late Start Date. Only schedulers can set the Remaining Late Date.
- An Actual Cost value with a zero entry lumps cost onto the Actual Start Date.
- An At Completion Cost value with a zero entry lumps cost onto the Actual Start Date. At Completion Cost values can only be edited for Fixed Duration & UPT.
Linking Cost and Unit Data
In Summary & Settings, at the project level, the Update units when costs change on resource assignments setting determines if the application updates units when costs change on assignments to activities throughout the project. This means that an update to the costs results in a recalculation of units. At the assignment level, the Calculate costs from units field (Activity Details, Resources tab) determines if costs are updated when you change units for that particular assignment. The Update units when costs change on resource assignments project-level setting only applies when the Calculate costs from units assignment-level option is selected. See Configure Calculation Settings for a Project.
Only users with the Cost Edit privilege can edit linked At Completion Cost values. When costs and units are linked, corresponding fields must have a non-zero value.
Manual Curve Adjustments
A curve profile distributes assignment cost or units over the duration of an activity. If a predefined curve does not accurately reflect the planned work for each period, enter values directly in the assignment's future periods. When you enter a value in a future period, the associated Cost Curve or Units Curve field displays Manual. This value indicates that the assignment has a manually defined spread instead of a curve profile.
Updating Manual Curves
For an assignment with a Fixed Duration & Units/Time duration type, the application updates the manual curve when you change the assignment's planned or remaining duration. The manual curve is adjusted to match the new assignment duration. If you change an activity's duration type between Fixed Duration & Units and Fixed Duration & Units/Time, the manual curve is not updated. A subsequent change to the planned or remaining duration updates the curve as needed.
Linked Planned and Remaining Values
If the activity is Not Started and the Link Planned and Remaining for Not Started project setting is enabled, the application synchronizes the corresponding manual curve when it synchronizes planned and remaining assignment values.
Note You cannot undo the deletion of a manual curve or the deletion of an assignment row on the Assignment List page. You cannot revert changes after changing the timescale.
Last Published Monday, August 17, 2026