How do I schedule resources?

[Hai Vu]

In my class project (not a real-life one, but the grade is real , I am
installing computer terminals on aircrafts:
1. Installation on 500 aircrafts
2. Each aircraft requires:
a. 80 set of keyboards, LCD screen
b. 2 servers
3. Each of the 80 terminals takes an hour to install (this is over
simplified for educational purpose)
4. The terminals requires 10 hours of installation/testing.

The question is, how do I set up this scenario? I need to assign a cost to
each (keyboard, LCD, server, technician's hourly rate, ...) so that I can
come up with the project cost later.

I am starving for suggestions, tips, and instructions. Please educate me.
Thank you.

 

[Haris Rashid]

hi,

To set this up in MS Project open the resource view and enter the resources.
You have two types of resources. MAterial resources (LCD Screens, Key boards,
etc) and work resources that will do the work or installation.

Your material resources are fixed cost or have a cost per use. Your work
resources are to be charged an hourly rate. Define the hourly rate for work
resources and fixed cost of material reosurces.

Now in the MS Project Gantt Chart (or data entry) view, setup your tasks.
Your tasks are
Install Terminal 1
Install Terminal 2
and so on ...

Test terminal 1
....

Install Server
....

List these tasks (your WBS) and then assign resources to these tasks. For
example to the task for installing a keyboard, assign one key boad and one
person that will do the installation along with the work (1 hour) associated
with this task.

Regards,
Haris

 

[Trevor Rabey]

Only you can educate you, grasshopper (a joke from a very old TV series).
If I do the problem do I get the grade?
Do I get a credit on your paper?
MVPs will all ask: "what have you tried so far?" (apart from asking us to do
it)
Shouldn't you suffer a bit first, to burn in the lesson?

Tools, Project Information, Start Date and Schedule From Start
Do not mess with Calendars, ie do not go to Tools, Change Working Time and
mess with anything there.
Do not mess with the default Task Properties Advanced, Fixed Units and
Effort Driven ON
In Tools, Options, Calculation
In Tools, Options, View, and set Project Summary Task ON (bottom left hand
corner)
In Tools, Resource Leveling, set Leveling to Manual
In File, Properties, type in whatever Title you want to appear as the
overall heading (Summary) for the project.

List 80 x 500 Tasks (4000), Name = install terminal 1, install terminal
2...4000
Plus
List 2 x 500 Tasks (1000), Name = install server 1, install server 2...1000
Plus
List ?? is this 10 hours test for each terminal or for 4000 terminals?

Do not type in any dates
Fill in the duration = 1H for each terminal
How long do the servers each take to install?
Fill that in too
Goto View, Resource Sheet
List 4000 resources, Name = terminal kit 1 (includes 1 x keyboard + 1
screen), terminal kit 2...4000
List 1000 resources, Name = server 1...1000
Set Type to Material for all of these
List 1 x Resource = technician 1 (or Fred, or Hai Vu), Type = Work
Resource Cost for Materials goes in the Cost Per Use Field
Resource Cost for Work Resources goes in the Std Rate field
Goto View, Gantt Chart, click on the Assign Resources Tool Icon and assign
5000 Material Resources at 1 unit to each of 5000 Tasks
Same thing again but assign also technician 1 to each of 5000 Tasks at 100%

Do not link any Tasks
Tools, Resource Leveling, Level Now
Tools, Resource Leveling, Clear Leveling
Later, use View, Toolbars to put the Level Now and Clear Leveling Buttons on
the Menu Bar
At this stage you do not have a WBS.
You will need 500 sub headings and 3 x subsub headings per sub heading, or
vice versa, ie 1500.
You now have the overall duration for the project, the scheduled early start
and early finish for each Task and Resource, and the Critical Path (for the
un-leveled version only), and the Cost for each Task, Resource and the
Project overall. What more could you want?
View, Table, Cost

That should keep you busy for a while. Note that there are faster ways to
get this data in there than typing it character by character or clicking on
Task Properties for every Task.

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Hai Vu,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft Project in the
TechTrax ezine at this site: http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc or this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the articles before leaving the site,
Thanks.)

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: <http://www.mvps.org/project/>

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP