Schedule Test Asset to Show Overallocation

[ET902]

Here is a problem that I have tried to resolve many tomes myself but have
finally given up, so it's time to ask the gurus.

Say I have a piece of test equipment that several groups uses throughout the
life of a project. I want to know whenever that equipment becomes
overallocated. If I make it a work resource then I get the overallocation,
but I don't want the resource to show up as hours of work. If I make the
equipment a material resource it will not show as an overallocation. I want
it to show up as overallocated, but not show hours work.

Any suggestions?

 

[Andrew Lavinsky]

There's probably a couple of ways to solve this one, here's the one I would
use:

1) Set up Test Resource as a Work Resource
2) Set up a custom Resource Flag Field to Flag that you do not wish to count
this against the man-hours on the project
3) When setting up the custom field, set a value list w/ 2 options: yes,
no; set the default value to "yes"; set the Rollup to Sum
4) Change the custom Resource flag field to "no"
5) Set up a custom Resource Number Field to equal work, when the Resource
Flag is "yes." It should look something like this:

[Number1]=IIF([Flag1]=Yes,[Work],0)

Then instead of looking at the total work column, you can look at the totals
for the custom Number1 field.

6) You probably at some point also want to create both a filter and a group
(Project>Filter, Project>Group) that would filter out the Flag1=No items.
I'd recommend you play w/ both of those options, as they will help you get
where you want to go.

Let me know if that works.

-A

 

[ET902]

Thanks Andrew, this is definately something I think I can work with.

There's probably a couple of ways to solve this one, here's the one I would
use:

1) Set up Test Resource as a Work Resource
2) Set up a custom Resource Flag Field to Flag that you do not wish to count
this against the man-hours on the project
3) When setting up the custom field, set a value list w/ 2 options: yes,
no; set the default value to "yes"; set the Rollup to Sum
4) Change the custom Resource flag field to "no"
5) Set up a custom Resource Number Field to equal work, when the Resource
Flag is "yes." It should look something like this:

[Number1]=IIF([Flag1]=Yes,[Work],0)

Then instead of looking at the total work column, you can look at the totals
for the custom Number1 field.

6) You probably at some point also want to create both a filter and a group
(Project>Filter, Project>Group) that would filter out the Flag1=No items.
I'd recommend you play w/ both of those options, as they will help you get
where you want to go.

Let me know if that works.

-A

Here is a problem that I have tried to resolve many tomes myself but
have finally given up, so it's time to ask the gurus.

Say I have a piece of test equipment that several groups uses
throughout the life of a project. I want to know whenever that
equipment becomes overallocated. If I make it a work resource then I
get the overallocation, but I don't want the resource to show up as
hours of work. If I make the equipment a material resource it will not
show as an overallocation. I want it to show up as overallocated, but
not show hours work.

Any suggestions?

 

[Steve House]

But why don't you want to see its usage included in the total work figures?
Its hours are legitimately a part of the project's work requirements and the
pro-rated hourly depreciated cost is just as much a part of the project cost
as are the wages of the people involved. After all, if you didn't have the
test gear on-hand you'd have to go rent or buy it and so its usage is a part
of your firm's cost of doing the project.

 

[ET902]

Steve, that's true in the grand scheme. In this case however it will not be
applicable. The depreciation would end up getting allocated to the different
projects in the form of the overhead rates. Management is only interested in
seeing the labor and material, and will not track capital depreciation at the
level we will be working.
The suggestion that Andrew gave will allow me to remove the non-labor work
for calculation of my human labor, but will still track the hours planned and
used on the test assets.

But why don't you want to see its usage included in the total work figures?
Its hours are legitimately a part of the project's work requirements and the
pro-rated hourly depreciated cost is just as much a part of the project cost
as are the wages of the people involved. After all, if you didn't have the
test gear on-hand you'd have to go rent or buy it and so its usage is a part
of your firm's cost of doing the project.
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Here is a problem that I have tried to resolve many tomes myself but have
finally given up, so it's time to ask the gurus.

Say I have a piece of test equipment that several groups uses throughout
the
life of a project. I want to know whenever that equipment becomes
overallocated. If I make it a work resource then I get the overallocation,
but I don't want the resource to show up as hours of work. If I make the
equipment a material resource it will not show as an overallocation. I
want
it to show up as overallocated, but not show hours work.

Any suggestions?