dynamic unit adjustment

[Becca]

I would like tasks that use a resource to automatically adjust when changing
the percentage of a persons availability for one of those tasks. For example
Task 1 - uses 50% (of a persons time)
Task 2 - uses 50% (of a persons time)
If I change task 1 to use 70% I would like task 2 to automatically change to
30% in order to avoid overallocations.
Is it also possible to tell tell a task to avoid changing a resources % and
to change another? For example
Task 1 - 30%
Task 2 - 20%
Task 3 - 50%
If I change task 3 to 70% I would like task 1 to change to 10% and avoid
task 2 (all tasks have the same resource and can only have 100%)

 

[John]

I would like tasks that use a resource to automatically adjust when changing
the percentage of a persons availability for one of those tasks. For example
Task 1 - uses 50% (of a persons time)
Task 2 - uses 50% (of a persons time)
If I change task 1 to use 70% I would like task 2 to automatically change to
30% in order to avoid overallocations.
Is it also possible to tell tell a task to avoid changing a resources % and
to change another? For example
Task 1 - 30%
Task 2 - 20%
Task 3 - 50%
If I change task 3 to 70% I would like task 1 to change to 10% and avoid
task 2 (all tasks have the same resource and can only have 100%)

Becca,
This could probably be done with a special algorithm in a VBA macro but
there is nothing built into Project to do what you want. Basically you
are asking Project to make the decision for you and that is not how
Project works - there are just some parts of project management that
require decisions by humans - I know, it's scary isn't it.

One algorithm that Project does have to help avoid resource
overallocations is the leveling feature. However, even with leveling the
user must still review the result to ensure it is compatible with the
desired end goal (i.e. the leveling algorithm isn't perfect and it and
it may do some "dumb" things).

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

 

[John Sitka]

Becca quit doing a disservice to these resources,
allow them to concentrate on one thing at a time.

http://managementcraft.typepad.com/management_craft/2005/09/death_to_multit.html

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

John, my brother! At long last I'm no longer alone fighting this desire to
split peoople's brains in small slices! Thanks!

 

[John Sitka]

Yeah there is management and planning/scheduling magic to be
found once one accepts a few fundamental ideas about focus.

J.

 

[Becca]

Thanks for everyones help and their responses

Yeah there is management and planning/scheduling magic to be
found once one accepts a few fundamental ideas about focus.

J.

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

In your second example, how would Project be expected to know the resource
20% you're adding to the 50% should all come out of Task 1's 30% and not,
say, 10% from task 1 and 10% from task 2? Of course, it can't know that
because it doesn't know what is optimal in your specific project situation.
You are expecting the software to make decisions here, something you should
be loath to ever permit. YOU are the manager, YOU are in the hotseat, YOU
make the decisions - Project is just a glorified calculator whose purpose is
to tell you what the impact of those decisions will be in the overall scheme
of things.