Scheduling tasks with part-time resources

[lilfos]

Hi,

I'm using Project 2003 to estimate where milestones will fall for a
1.5-person effort. Each resource has their own schedule. One works 4
days per week, the other works 1 day per week. I assigned the 4-day
resource to all tasks initially. I would like to add the 1-day
resource to certain tasks and see the duration for those tasks shorten
due to the extra help.

Instead, what I am seeing is that the task is split until the 1-day
resource is on duty. Project assumes that the 2nd resource is
required, whereas I want them to be optional and to help out with tasks
that fall on their work day. With the split, the 4-day resource is
twiddling his thumbs for 3 days.

All tasks are fixed work and effort-driven. The schedule currently
shows how long it will take with just the 4-day resource.

Anyone know how I can make the schedule shorten as a result of letting
the 1-day resource help out on certain tasks?

Thanks!

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Lilfos,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

Project cannot do this automatically as it can't read your mind. The best I
can offer is to use the Task Usage view and enter the hours required by the
second resource on the days you want him to work.

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

 

[lilfos]

Thanks Mike.

I see that using the Task Usage view would help me do what I want to
do. I guess it's just a little more time-consuming than it's worth to
me since I have to find each task that happens to fall on the 2nd
resources work day and modify it accordingly. Unfortunately, if any
prior tasks were to finish sooner or later than predicted, I'd have to
remove the 2nd resource from all future tasks and then re-apply him to
tasks that now fall on his work day.

I'll just go by the current dates, knowing that things will finish up
sooner with the 2nd resource helping out.

What I'm asking doesn't seem too much like mind-reading. The process
would be:

for each working day
{
for each task scheduled for today
{
divvy work up over all resources working that day
if there are work hours for this task left at the end of the day
{
schedule leftover work as first task for next working day
}
}
}

In this model, when leftover work falls to the next day, Project would
divvy it up among just those resources working that day. Currently,
Project seems to take an approach more like, "if there is more work
left over, halt all work until the next day that all resources are
available to work together"

Thanks again for your input.

 

[Mike Glen]

You're welcome, amybe you coud email Moscosoft and ask for this wish

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP