Project 98 resource percentages

[Ian B]

Is there any way to set a task to use the remaining availability of a resource? For example

Resource A is allocated 20% to task X for 10 day
Resource A is allocated 30% to task Y for 15 day

I would now like to use whatever is remaining of resource A for task Z, so I would like Project to automatically use 50% for the first 10 days, 70% for the next 5 days, then 100%

Many thank

 

[Gérard Ducouret]

Hello Ian,

You can do that manually in the Resource Usage view : View / Resource Usage.
There you can enter the Work (or Peak Units or % Allocation) on a day by day
basis.

Gérard Ducouret [Project MVP]
PragmaSoft ® - Paris

Is there any way to set a task to use the remaining availability of a resource? For example:

Resource A is allocated 20% to task X for 10 days
Resource A is allocated 30% to task Y for 15 days

I would now like to use whatever is remaining of resource A for task Z, so

I would like Project to automatically use 50% for the first 10 days, 70% for
the next 5 days, then 100%.

 

[Ian B]

.... but it takes a very long time to manually set the percentages for a "background" task, particularly when the fixed allocation tasks may change due to reallocations or other constraints. Surely, there must be a way to set a task so that it automatically uses the remaining availablilty (percentage) of a resource, whatever that is at any time? I can't belive I have to do this manually

Thanks

 

[Steve House]

No, there is no way to automate it. Remember Project is not a resource
management tool nor is it the PMs job to schedule the resource's entire
workday, they're quite capable of doing that on their own. The only thing
it is concerned with is the work specifically required to move the project
tasks along and could care less about what else the resource might be doing.
So is your background task actually something that is a part of the project
or is it actually the regular non-project related work the resource does?
An example, a help-desk worker who spends 20% of their day on the project
task and the other 90% on their regular help-desk activites. If it is the
latter, then the background work actually doesn't belong in the project plan
at all and the issue disappears when you remove it from the plan as you
should. You set the resource max availability to whatever is the maximum
that you can use them for your project, assign them at whatever percentage
you need up to that maximum, and don't worry about what else they may be
doing. If their max is 25%, all we care about in the microcosm of the
project is we can have them for up to 2 hours per day whenever we need them.
As far as we're concerned, they could just go home after those two hours are
done, it's their manager's job to worry about the rest of their time, not
ours. <grin>

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer/Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

... but it takes a very long time to manually set the percentages for a

"background" task, particularly when the fixed allocation tasks may change
due to reallocations or other constraints. Surely, there must be a way to
set a task so that it automatically uses the remaining availablilty
(percentage) of a resource, whatever that is at any time? I can't belive I
have to do this manually!

 

[IanB]

Many thanks for your detailed reply. Maybe I should explain a little more what I am trying to do, maybe there’s another way to achieve it.

I am attempting to spread a number of resources across a number of projects. The easiest way for me to do this is to identify tasks which must have some percentage of resource (due to other dependencies), and set these. So the background task(s) are not on the critical path, but need to be completed during the project, and use the remaining availability of the resource (up to 100%)

Here is an example
These are the tasks which have to have a fixed percentage of a resource
Task A: 10 days (from now) at 30
Task B: 20 days (from now) at 20

The resource is also needed to complete a “background†task, total 20 days, perhaps writing manuals or procedures

Here is what I have to do
I have to manually work out that 50% of the resource is available for 10 days, (equivalent to 5 working days), and then 80% is available for the next 10 days (equivalent to 8 working days), and that the task then needs 7 days at 100%
I then have to create 3 separate tasks, with different percentages, for the same background task, as it seems a task can not use a varying percentage of a resource

And then if I find Task A can actually be 30%, or I want to see the effect of changing the fixed allocations, I have to do it all again!

It is possible to do this for a few resources, but impossibly time consuming for more.

Is there a better way to achieve this, or a new feature in a newer version of Project that does it

Thanks

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Ian,

Just give in the tasks with the resources percentages, and model your links
and constraints in such a way that you show the earliest starting day for
each task.
Insert a column "Priority"
Give background task a lower priority
Tools, Resource Leveling, select "Week by Week", Level Now
That doe sabout what you need.
HTH

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/index.htm
32-495-300 620

Many thanks for your detailed reply. Maybe I should explain a little more

what I am trying to do, maybe there's another way to achieve it.

I am attempting to spread a number of resources across a number of

projects. The easiest way for me to do this is to identify tasks which must
have some percentage of resource (due to other dependencies), and set these.
So the background task(s) are not on the critical path, but need to be
completed during the project, and use the remaining availability of the
resource (up to 100%).

Here is an example:
These are the tasks which have to have a fixed percentage of a resource:
Task A: 10 days (from now) at 30%
Task B: 20 days (from now) at 20%

The resource is also needed to complete a "background" task, total 20

days, perhaps writing manuals or procedures.

Here is what I have to do:
I have to manually work out that 50% of the resource is available for 10

days, (equivalent to 5 working days), and then 80% is available for the next
10 days (equivalent to 8 working days), and that the task then needs 7 days
at 100%.

I then have to create 3 separate tasks, with different percentages, for

the same background task, as it seems a task can not use a varying
percentage of a resource.

And then if I find Task A can actually be 30%, or I want to see the effect

of changing the fixed allocations, I have to do it all again!