Dates not adding up

[EOPguy]

I am trying to create a Project plan using MS project 2003. I really don't want dates on there but most important I want the time I list to add up.
If I have a project with 3 tasks and list 1 day each the total days is 1. I need it to add up to 3. How do I do this?

 

[PDQBach]

You need to stop confusing Duration with Work.

 

[EOPguy]

Ok I have start and finish as columns should i change that to something else.

 

[PDQBach]

Duration and Work are the fields you are confusing; not Start and Finish.

Duration is the number of days between Start and Finish; Work is the number of days of labour between start and finish.

For example, I can give you a task that will take two days of work and give you ten days to get back to me. Duration is 10 and Work is 2.

Now I give you a second task to do during the same time period. That task will take three days of work.

So we still have the same Start and Finish (and, by definition, we still have the same Duration) but we now have a total of 5 days of work.