Easy question: How to assign part-time supervisors?

[Fred Lee]

I know this is an easy question, but there's no good place in the hel
to answer it. Let's say I have to assign supervisors. Each superviso
can monitor 5 tasks (i.e. 0.2 FTE on each task). The tasks each take
week (i.e. fixed duration).

Joe Supervisor spends .2 FTE on Task A for 1 week. Each task needs
supervisor assigned.

How do I record this in MS Project

 

[JulieS]

Hi Fred Lee,

Select the 5 tasks in the Gantt chart view. Click the assign
resource button on the Standard toolbar. In the Units field to the
right of Joe Supervisor's name enter 20%. Joe is assigned to 5
tasks at 20% assignment units.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project

 

[Aravind G]

You can also use Windows -> Split and change the units there. Let me know how
this helps.

 

[JulieS]

True enough, Aravind G. The advantage the assign resources dialog
box has in this particular circumstance is the ability to assign the
same resource at the same assignment units to multiple tasks at one
time.

Julie

 

[Jim Aksel]

As a best practice, we do not include such Level of Effort (LOE) work in the
same schedule as the measureable work. Instead we keep a separate schedule
for LOE. Mr. Supervisor is working some percentage of time on the entire
project (and perhaps other projects as well), we can't say for sure how much
time they spend supervising each task (other than an allocation). In reality,
in many instances the supervisor will spend very little time on most tasks,
and the majority of the time on problem spots. There is no way to know what
these will be in advance.

I understand for planning purposes you may want to allocate one supervisor
for each 10 heads, or similar. So, if you have 20 man-weeks of work in the
scehdule you may want to assign 2 supervisors.

If we were to put this into the schedule, we'd do it as a hammock task (see
FAQ#19 at http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm This will keep the supervisor
from being potentially over allocated.

You could just add Mr Supervisor as an extra person on the task, but that
would probably overstate the task cost. Also, it may become difficult to
track. I don't think the supervisor is going to say "I spent 2 hours on this
task and 0.5 hours on each of 4 other tasks." In reality, the supervisor is
allocated a percentage of the time to the project and they apply themselves
where needed. So, I opt for the LOE section in the schedule and use hammock
tasks if necessary to marry the supervisors to each group of tasks. A
hammock task can then automatically accomodate schedule fluctuations if some
of the tasks run short or long (of course adding supervisor to each task
would do that as well).

HTH
--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim Aksel, MVP

Check out my blog for more information:
http://www.msprojectblog.com

 

[Atif Hassan Siddiqui]

I would suggest not to go for creating LOE because LOE is basically created
for operational work. If you are working in stand-alone Project Professinal
then use Assign Resource screen or if you are working in Project Web Access
site then open the resource plan, and add resources by using the team builder.