Resouce planning

Joseph,
1. Open Tools, Options, Schedule, and clear the box "New tasks are effort driven"
Select all the existing tasks, open Project, Task Information, select Advanced tab, and clear the box "New tasks are effort driven".
Now, when you assign an additional resource to one particular task, duraion remains as it is instead of getting smaller and smaller.

2. If you want the task duration to stay put,
Open Tools, Options, Schedule, and set Default task type as "Fixed duration"
Select all the existing tasks, open Project, Task Information, select Advanced tab, and set task type as "Fixed duration".

Hope this will help,
Alexandre

Joseph,

To get a proper resource distribution in a project you must assign the resources to the detail task because:
1) Different task require different resources.
2) Amount of work involves from one task to another is different.
3) Easy to plan and monitor the resources at site.
4) If you monitor work progress based on resources then it will give you the accurate reading on work progress.

If you assign all the resources to one master task it will distribute the resources evenly from start to finish of the project. You wouldn’t know when you need particular resources to perform a specific job. This will create a conflict between your planned and actual work progress at site.

Regards.

Joseph

Assigning resource in one activity is only fooling yourself and your client. If I am your client I will not accept such plan. As other stated to do a proper resource planning you need to
breakdown you work into a WBS.
Estimate the resource and effort is need in each task,
Link all the dependent task (Do not link it because of resource contraint at this stage)
Schedule the relationship.
Find the critical path
Locate the overallocated resource (if any).
Leveling the resource,
Set up a baseline,
Submit to your client, - up to here is resource planning
After approval monitor/update your schedule - then its control and execution.

HTH good luck
keep planning

Alex