Resource Over Allocation and Overtime

[kvidy]

I use Project Professional 2003 WITHOUT the Project Server. I use a .mpp file
as a resource pool and link it to all my projects.

After scheduling of the projects, assigning resources and levelling them, I
specify deadline dates for every project. In the process of specifying
deadlines, resources become over-allocated. I go resource by resource to find
overallocations, and then specify overtime for each case of over-allocation
and for every resource over-allocated.
My questions are......
1. Is there a way by which MS Project automatically allocates 'overtime
work' for resources, based on availability/non-availablity of a particular
resource?
2. When freeing a particular resource, the overtime work does not get
re-calculated or re-allocated. Is there a way to do it automatically or does
it have to be done manually after tedious searching which is most cases may
turn out inaccurate?
3. When adding overtime manually to every over-allocated resource, is it
possible to specify overtime on a day-by-day basis for a task and resource
rather than let Project do the overtime allocation which is invariably not
the best solution?
For info (if this will help).... Options Used:
= I level resources within available slack. The others options in the
levelling options page is 'unchecked' except the 'available slack' option.
= I level on 'Priority, Standard'.
= I specify deadline for a task in the project and sometimes also constrain
it with a 'Finish no Earlier Than' or some other flexible constraint.

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

The short answer is "no." Project will never automatically assign overtime
or adjust it once it is assigned. Frankly, assigning OT is a rather
questionable way of resolving resource overallocations to begin with. Far
better to plan the schedule using resources only within their standard,
offical working hours, reserving OT as a last-ditch emergency measure to get
you out of a hole if things go sour during project execution. Even planning
using the rationale of "our offical workday is 8 to 5 but everyone always
puts in 10 to 12 hours a day in our corporate culture" is a very bad idea.
One should NEVER build a plan based on the assumption that one can use
overtime hours or work outside of the normal workday hours to meet the
required target deadlines. If you can't meet your deadlines with the
existing resources without using overtime, hire more resources. What
happens if you're counting on OT and the resource puts his foot down and
refuses to work the overtime, something he has a perfect right to do in most
jurisdictions I'm aware of? Your whole plan is suddenly blown out of the
water and there's not a thing you can legally do about it. There may be
exceptions, but in general if you penalize someone in any way, shape, or
manner for refusing to work overtime - even just give him a a less than
stellar performance review at the end of the project - you're inviting
multi-million dollar discrimination and constructive dismissal lawsuits that
can bankrupt your company overnight. Best not to tease the tiger in the
first place.