Scheduling with multiple resources

[JT]

Hi, guys.

I have a project with 100 tasks and a dozen resources. Some tasks can
only be done by one particular resource. Other tasks can be done by
any or all of a group of people. For instance, a task may have 600
hours of work and 6 people could work on it. I don't care how it's
scheduled, a person could start today, another person start next week
when he's available, etc. I just need the 600 hours done. In addition,
some of my resources are not 100% dedicated to my project. So, I have
guys who can only work half time on my project, for instance.

My problem is that when I assign 6 resources to my 600 hour task,
Project assumes that each person must do exactly 100 hours. So, one
resource is done and has nothing to do, while another resource doesn't
start his 100 hours until weeks from now. Or, if they both start at
the same time, a full-time guy is done and the half-time guy goes for
another 50 hours.

What's the best way to handle this problem?

Thanks
JT

 

[Jim Aksel]

Hi JT -
When assigning resources I do it one of two ways. First, Window/Split. It
puts a new form on the bottom of the screen. Resources can be selected from
the drop down and you are free to key in the number of hours you want them to
work or the % of their time you want them to spend.

Another way to do this is with the Task Usage and Resource Usage Views (from
the View menu). From these views, you can manually contour the work and have
Fred work on the task 8 hours, then 4 horus then 2 hours, then 8, etc. In
the meantime you can hold Barney at 2 hours per day.

If resources are not available full time, you may adjust their availabilty
by changing their Max units on the resource sheet. This means if you make
Wilma available at 50% she can only be scheduled 4 hours per day, else she it
overloaded.

Should you want to have Wilma available only on Mondays and Thursdays, go to
the resource sheet and double click on Wima. You can now set her
availability in one of two places: At the bottom of the general tab, or, on
the Working Time tab.
--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim Aksel, MVP

Check out my blog for more information:
http://www.msprojectblog.com

 

[JT]

Hi JT -
When assigning resources I do it one of two ways.  First, Window/Split. It
puts a new form on the bottom of the screen.  Resources can be selectedfrom
the drop down and you are free to key in the number of hours you want them to
work or the % of their time you want them to spend.

Thanks, Jim.

It sounds like a very manual process. If I have a 100 hour task and 2
resources assigned to it, and one of the guys is very busy and the
other is not, I'd like Project to assign more time to the idle guy.
Instead, Project seems to automatically assign 50 hours to each. I can
move time from the busy guy to the idle guy, but it really seems like
the computer should be smart enough to do this. Is this just something
that Project won't do?

JT

 

[Rob Schneider]

Computers aren't smart!

Project does what it does. It tries to help by assuming 50-50 split when
you enter names of two resources. If the assumption should be any
different, how does it know? Project does not make assignments and does
not do optimisation. That's up to the PM or the person making the plan.

--rms

www.rmschneider.com

 

[Prasad]

Hi, guys.

I have a project with 100 tasks and a dozen resources. Some tasks can
only be done by one particular resource. Other tasks can be done by
any or all of a group of people. For instance, a task may have 600
hours of work and 6 people could work on it. I don't care how it's
scheduled, a person could start today, another person start next week
when he's available, etc. I just need the 600 hours done. In addition,
some of my resources are not 100% dedicated to my project. So, I have
guys who can only work half time on my project, for instance.

My problem is that when I assign 6 resources to my 600 hour task,
Project assumes that each person must do exactly 100 hours. So, one
resource is done and has nothing to do, while another resource doesn't
start his 100 hours until weeks from now. Or, if they both start at
the same time, a full-time guy is done and the half-time guy goes for
another 50 hours.

What's the best way to handle this problem?

Thanks
JT

JT,

Could you split the large task of 600 hours into many sub tasks of
reasonable durations (with dependency relations if necessary) using
your technical knowledge of the task and assign the six resources to
sub tasks in any rational manner?

Prasad

 

[JT]

JT,

Could you split the large task of 600 hours into many sub tasks of
reasonable durations (with dependency relations if necessary) using
your  technical knowledge of the task and assign the six resources to
sub tasks in any rational manner?

Prasad-

Yes, as we progress I may end up doing that.

OK, thanks for the help, guys. I'll just need to work with what
Project actually does do, not what I was hoping it would do.

JT