Resource Management

[Zed]

Hi

Am struggling to get MSProject2003 to help me with effective resource
management. I have a couple of questions I'd be grateful for an answer to and
any helpful tips for resource management using MSP2003 would be appreciated

Is there a simple way to view on the resource usage screen (and report on)
just the activities by resource that should be taking place for this week?
I've tried filtering to date range but it doesn't appear to work properly.

Is there any way that non-working days can be shown as a different colour,
rather than white, on the resource usage screen?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

1. The date range filter does exactly what you want.
2. Format, Timescale, Nonworking time

HTH

 

[Zed]

Thanks for the response.

1 - think this has worked OK, but I believe you have to open all of the
levels up, select the whole sheet and then apply the filter.

2 - this doesn't work - the colour/format of non-working time for the
calendar appears to show but if you then update for specific resources (e.g.
leave), it still leaves the dates as white. Can this be changed?

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

What exactly are we talking about? Resource Usage View doesn't have levels.
You have to show the assignments of the resoruces, yes.

If I change the calendar for the nonworking time the coloring doesn't change
(noot in the salme view at least!)
Hope this helps

 

[Zed]

Hi

When I look at the resource usage screen, I just want to be able to see
whether a resource has been assigned work or not. I cannot tell from the
view screen whether it is non-working time or not.

For example, if I change a specific resource so that week commencing 31st
July is all set to non-working time, why does Project not change the view to
show non-working time colour for that resource? Then it would be very simple
to see why a resource hasn't been assigned work!

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Zed,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

Try Format/Timescale... and select the non-workingtime tab. Change the
Calendar to the resource's calendar and select colours, etc. If you want to
do this frequently, you could create a macro on a tool button for each
resource calendar - see Item 16 on Macros in my tutorials referenced below.

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

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

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP
See http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc for Project Tutorials

 

[JulieS]

Hi Zed,
Pardon me for jumping in, but perhaps I can clarify somewhat.

In the Resource Usage view, the background of the timescaled portion (right
side) of the view can be formatted to show the non-working time from a
specific resource. As Jan said, choose Format > Timescale, click the
Non-working time tab and select the resource's name. Unfortunately, that
displays the non-working for that resource as the background of the *entire*
timescaled portion, not just for that selected resource's tasks. There is
not a way, as far as I know, to display the non-working time for multiple
resources.

You may also find that adding the field Remaining Availability to the
Resource Usage view helps. The remaining availability should be zero for
times when a resource has non-working time in their calendar.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

You're right here, but how would I be able to answer questions like why the
people in the lab have taken an option?

 

[Zed]

Hi

Thanks for the response Julie.

Sorry, but just want to clarify part of your response "...that displays the
non-working for that resource as the background of the *entire* timescaled
portion, not just for that selected resource's tasks."

When I adjust the non-working time for the specific resource, the little
calendar within the Working Time tab does change colour. However, the View on
the Resource Usage screen doesn't change - either at the (yellow) summary
level or (white) detailed task level. I would find it helpful if even the
summary changed colour - is that the bit that you're saying can't be changed?

The tip on remaining availability helps, just makes the screen a bit more
intense!

Thanks again.

 

[JulieS]

Hi Zed,

Sorry for not being more clear. The right side of the Resource Usage view
(the part with the yellow grid) usually shows non-working time in a gray
shade. (You can see that Saturdays and Sundays are non-working.) That gray
shade is usually the nonworking time from the *project* calendar but doesn't
show any additional non-working time (vacations etc.) from a resource.

When you add non-working for the Resource by double clicking on the
Resource's name in the Resource Usage view, it opens the Resource Information
dialog box and you click on the Working time tab to add non-working days.
You are correct, the little calendar display shows the gray shade.

What I am referring to is actually changing the background of the timescaled
(yellow grid) section of the Resource Usage view. With the Resource Usage
view displayed go to Format in the menu and select Timescale to show the
Timescale dialog box. Click on the Non-Working Time tab in the Timescale
dialog box and select the Resource's name from the calendar drop down. You
may also select what ever color you prefer to shade the background of the
Resource Usage view with the selected resource's schedule.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.
Julie

 

[Zed]

Hi Julie

Thanks again for the response.

I thought this was going to do what I wanted but it's not quite what I
require - this change means that the calendar for the individual resource
becomes the background for the summary view rather than a resource specific
high-level view of working & non-working time.

Sorry, this may just be a dumb requirement on my part! I have around 70
resources on the schedule and I just expected the resource usage view to
enable me to see a high-level week by week review of allocated time and to
easily see where the resource is scheduled for working/non-working time.

 

[JulieS]

Hi Zed,

Sorry but about the only (and it's not perfect) option I would recommend
would be to use the Resource Usage view, zoom out of the project to show
a weekly view in the timescale, collapse up all resources to just show
the summary line, and then display Work and Remaining Availability. You
might wish to modify the background of the Remaining Availability row
(Format >Detail Styles in the menu) to make the rows stand out a bit
more.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie

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