Resource leveling when there's a fixed resource consumer

[Dave Williams]

Hi all, sorry if this is a simple question but I can't find the answer in
the help. I've just started using Project and it seems quite neat apart from
this one blocker.

I have a resource person that's 50% busy for the whole of December, so I've
marked a fixed task across all of december using 50% of his resources. The
task is "must start on" to prevent it being rescheduled.

I then want him to do a task which will start in mid-november and run into
december. If I mark him as 100% work on the new task, Project won't schedule
any of that task in december, it will use a dotted line instead. If I mark
him as 50% for the task, it will be scheduled okay but it will allow him to
be 50% idle in november.

I want to be able to say that all his available resource should be used on
the task - 100% in november, 50% in december. I don't want to create two
tasks because then I can't use resource leveling at all.

Am I missing something obvious? Should I not be using a task to reserve 50%
of his time in December?

Thanks for any tips!

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

It's not obvious but indeed, Leveling takes you rinput for granted: You need
him 50% EVERY WORKING SECOND in December so he won't be available 100% at
any moment during that month, so that task has to be delayed to January.
Leveling never ever changes assignmpent units!

So if you want to use leveling and get the best results, assume that when
people work they do so 60 secs per minute, i.e. 100%.
And if he isn't available half of the time, change his calendar and put him
on nonworking time f.i. in the morning.
Leveling can then fill up the remaining time perfectly.

HTH

 

[Dave Williams]

Thanks, changing the user's calendar has sorted out the issue.

It's a shame that the task for which the user is busy 50% of the time is not
then visible on the gantt chart. I've added a 0-length task as a comment.

My ideal solution would have been to be able to assign the % resource used
as '*', to mean 'use all available resource, but I guess that's not
possible.

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

No, that is not possible.
I agree with your "shame" comment; if you want to read some more about my
feelings on this very subject, there is an aricle on my website.
Greetings,