Resource leveling

[Shawn]

MP2K - I have developed a series of tasks sequentially and now want to do a cost comparison. For the second analysis, I tried to reduce my single resourece assigned to all the tasks to 50%. My goal is for Project to level the tasks by simply extending their start/finish dates. However, I can not get project to level, I get the "The overallocation cannot be resolved message" which suggest that I should either reduce the assigned units or increase the Resource Availability. How can I get Project to simply push the finish date to the right?

 

[Gérard Ducouret]

Hello Shawn,

In the Resource Leveling dialog box, clear the check box "Level only within
available slack"

Gérard Ducouret

MP2K - I have developed a series of tasks sequentially and now want to do

a cost comparison. For the second analysis, I tried to reduce my single
resourece assigned to all the tasks to 50%. My goal is for Project to level
the tasks by simply extending their start/finish dates. However, I can not
get project to level, I get the "The overallocation cannot be resolved
message" which suggest that I should either reduce the assigned units or
increase the Resource Availability. How can I get Project to simply push
the finish date to the right?

 

[Steve House]

It sounds like you reduced the maximum availability in the resource sheet
instead of editing the assignment percentages for the specific tasks.
Reducing max avail will NOT change the level of existing asssignments. It
will affect the default assignment for new tasks assignments and also sets
the level at which Project considers the resource to be overallocated.

Resource leveling will NEVER change the resource assignments, all it does is
*delay* work. So if I have someone on a task at 100%, and reduce the max
avail to 50%, and then try to resource level, Project will not reduce the
assignment and change the duration of the task because leveling doesn't make
those sorts of changes. Also there is no way Project can "slide" that task
back and forth in the calendar to resolve the overallocation, hence the
error message. By selecting the task and opening the resource assignment
dialog, you can edit the assigment from 100% down to 50% and you'll see the
duration does change the way you expect.

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

MP2K - I have developed a series of tasks sequentially and now want to do

a cost comparison. For the second analysis, I tried to reduce my single
resourece assigned to all the tasks to 50%. My goal is for Project to level
the tasks by simply extending their start/finish dates. However, I can not
get project to level, I get the "The overallocation cannot be resolved
message" which suggest that I should either reduce the assigned units or
increase the Resource Availability. How can I get Project to simply push
the finish date to the right?

 

[Shawn]

Thanks Steve. A follow up: do I have to individually change every single task or is there a more efficient way to do this? To explain my goal a little better, I want to compare costs of these tasks by either utiilzing a 24-hr crew or a 12-hr crew. Obviously, the 12-hour crew will take longer, but the rate of the 12 hr and 24 hr crews are not exactly proportional (i.e, the 12 hr is not 50% of the 24 hr.) So I'm looking for the best method to make this analysis

Thanks again.

 

[Steve House]

Yes, you need to change each one. But I'm confused. Instead of adjusting
percentages you should create calendars that define when the resources work.
A 12 hour crew is not a 24 hour crew working at a 50% assignment rate. You
have two independent crews. One works on a 12 hour resource calendar and
for them a 100% assignment means the resource crew works 12 hours a day.
You have a second resource that has a 24 hour calendar and a 100% assignment
means the resource works 24 hours a day.

I have another conceptual problem as well. How is it physically possible to
have a 24 hour crew? Do you seriously mean to tell me that you have a group
of superhuman individuals who are physically capable of starting a task and
working on it 24/7 until it is done, without any time away from it for rest
or meals? That's what a 24 hour work assignment implies. Remember, the
tasks should have been decomposed to the level of detail that is one task /
one resource - typically one person or a team that functions basically as a
single corporate individual. They gotta have a break sometime. <g>

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

Thanks Steve. A follow up: do I have to individually change every single

task or is there a more efficient way to do this? To explain my goal a
little better, I want to compare costs of these tasks by either utiilzing a
24-hr crew or a 12-hr crew. Obviously, the 12-hour crew will take longer,
but the rate of the 12 hr and 24 hr crews are not exactly proportional (i.e,
the 12 hr is not 50% of the 24 hr.) So I'm looking for the best method to
make this analysis.