Multiple skill sets for a single resource.

[J Boomer]

I am in a military aircraft repair depot, and I am trying to use Project to
streamline my repair process, and I am running into some fundamental problems
with my resource creation. I have created my tasks, but the resources
required are actually skill sets, I.E. machinist, sheet metal worker,
electrician. My actual resource pool (workers) can have one or many of these
skill sets. It seems to me that I need an additional level of control, as in
the task requires a skill, and the skill is posessed by the resource, so when
the skill is scheduled for the task, the resource, (worker) and all of his
associated other skills, are now no longer available for tasking. Is there
any type of module that will allow me to create a resource pool such as this?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Very Respectfully,

 

[DavidC]

Hi,
When you set up your resource pool there is the facility to identify the
total available numbers of that resource (max Units) in the Resource sheet
view. After allocating your resources to the activities, Project will
idnetify any resources that are over allocated and then using the reource
levelling function, project will shift tasks based on available slack and
priority to ensure that the reosurce is no longer overallocated. If after
levelling, the reource is still overallocate, then it means you need more of
that resource to do the project in the timeframe. Each resource allocate to
a task should ideally be based on a skill set so your approach is right.

Hope this is of help

Regards

DavidC

 

[J Boomer]

David,

Thanks for the response.

That sort of asnwers my question, but not quite. My problem is that when I
create my task list, I have to assign a resource requirement. My resources
are my workers, who specialize in one skill, but are cross trained in other
skills. How can I set a single resource requirement for the task when
multiple resources have the potential to do the work?

An example: I have a resource that is an electrician by trade, and is also
cross trained as a mech. My process has a task that is to remove a panel
from the aircraft prior to maintenance. The task has a resource requirement
of a mech. If I set the resource requirement for the task as a mech, project
will never schedule the electrician, even though he is qualified, and has
time available. It seems to me that the only way that I would be able to use
the cross trained electrician with time available would be either to change
the resource requirement to electrician, or re-classify the electrician as a
mech in the resource window. Either of the options is not desireable,
because it is not a true representation of the requirement.

Thanks in advance,

James

 

[DavidC]

This is my understanding of your dilema. You have say five mechanics, three
electricians and four electricians who are cross skilled as mechanics. Your
pool of resources are then, nine mechanics, and seven electricians. I guess
this then is where the problem lies. You only have 12 'warm' bodies but 16
"skill sets", so how to assign them to tasks.

Try this, look at the resource chart, and see how many mechanics would be
required to do all the tasks, (ie increase the max units until the resource
is not over allocated) do the same for the electrician. If you need say
eight mechanics and six electricians, then apportion the cross skill sets as
to 4/7 of the four cross skilled resources ( three) to the mechanics pool,
and the remaining one cross skilled to the electricians pool. Set the max
units for the mechanics to 8, and 4 electricians. Then resource level.

This may need some iterations to get the 'perfect' or near perfect balance
of skills.

Project simply uses a cupboard full of resources each having a specific
label and hence can only do that function. What you need are some real
smarts that says I need more of a resource so I will take it from another
pool because that pool is multiskilled. You may need so VBA coding to write
a routine.
Outside of that I know of no easy way of overcoming your dilema.

If I do think of something innovative I will cetainly let you know.

Sorry if it doesn't help, but sometimes there is no easy answer.

Regards

David C

 

[J Boomer]

David,

I think I see what you are saying. I do appreciate your response and effort
in this issue. My concern is that this seems like a pretty basic premis that
Project does not address. I am merely a user, and I don't have ANY vba
skills. Is there a way to ask the people at Microsoft or some really smart
programming guys to address the issue? Without some type of fix, Project
will lose much of its usefullness for me. I am primarily trying to use it as
a resource (worker) allocation tool, and without some type of fix, it really
does me no good in this capacity. Could a patch or an add on help? I found
an add on for comparing schedule changes, and that worked really well for me,
so I am not afraid to add add ons.

Again, thanks for your time and effort.

James

 

[J Boomer]

David,

As I have re-read your answer, I don't think that would really work. There
are multiple tasks involved in my project and at any given point, the draw
may be for more mechanics or electricians. If I did what you said, I would
change the electricians to their sub-speciality permanantly. Now, for any
other task demands in the project, they will still be mechs.

I think I need one more level of control. The task requires a skill set
(which one could consider a resource) and the skill set requires an owner
(call that a sub-resource, subservient to the skill). I think Project just
doesn't have this capability. If not, just let me know and I will quit
bugging you.

Thanks,

James

 

[snetzky]

there are very few tools out there that will handle this situation. I
have been looking at a Russian tool called Spider Plan, that
purportedly does it, but I haven't been able to check it over enough.

Larry

 

[DavidC]

Hi,

First never apologise for asking questions. We only learn from asking. I
also find that trying to answer also helps learning.

My apologies for the delay, but som of us still have times when access to
the internet is limited.

You have raised an interestin and valid practical example that finding a
resolution has value.

I understand why my previous thoughts would not work. However maybe we
revise that approach.

We set the number of electricians, mechanics and a resource called mechelec
(say).
Having set the number of resources required against the task using the
specialists, then one or other of the specialist resources may (or may not)
be overallocated. As the resource graph will show on which days the resource
is overallocated, then the relevant task could be found and a further
resource added from the cross skilled group. Making sure that the task is
effort driven and Fixed duration is selected then the percentage usage of the
resources will be varied (reduced) thereby eliminating the overallocation.

One way of viewing this is that in this cupboard full of resources of
varying types, you are using all the electricians first then when they run
out you get te cross skilled resources out to fill that gap. The issue then
is knowing on which tasks to use the cross skilled resource, and that needs
human intervention. You need to see which tasks are part of the
overallocation and then reallocate resources.

Crude and not very refined I know but considering that a computer is a
finite number of switches and can only determine 'yes' and 'no' it is then a
case of finding ways around the problem at times.

If I come across a better solution I will repost.

Regards

DavidC