Simultaneous task resourcing

[Nathan Jones]

Hello.

My question relates to managing resources for tasks that can occur
simultaneously.

If I have 2 tasks being performed by the same person that I know will take
them 2h, but that both can be performed and completed in that time, what is
the best way to track the resource allocation?

Project allows only %time allocation to be calculated (it seems) and so if I
determine a %allocation of time basd upon the fixed duration and the number
of tasks I can't add another task without throwing out the calculation and
overallocating that person.

Can this be alleviated by autocalculating, or will this end up changing my
overall allocation of resources?

Many thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Gérard Ducouret]

Nathan,
Have a look at Mike's lesson on Assignments :
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=301

Gérard Ducouret

 

[Nathan Jones]

Thanks Gerard, but that only aids in allocating multiple resources to a task,
rather than my problem of multiple simulatneous tasks to a resource. i have
decided an easier way might be for simultaneous tasks to create a rollup task
and only assign the resource at the top level. the only difficulty will be if
one of the sub-tasks thus created is NOT actually completed with the others.

Any other suggestions are most welcome.
--
Nathan Jones

Nathan,
Have a look at Mike's lesson on Assignments :
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=301

Gérard Ducouret

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Nathan,

The way Project proposes to solve that is to allocate by all means, than
have Project shift the least prioritary tasks through Resource Leveling.
Hope this helps,

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/
+32-495-300 620

Thanks Gerard, but that only aids in allocating multiple resources to a task,
rather than my problem of multiple simulatneous tasks to a resource. i have
decided an easier way might be for simultaneous tasks to create a rollup task
and only assign the resource at the top level. the only difficulty will be if
one of the sub-tasks thus created is NOT actually completed with the others.

Any other suggestions are most welcome.

 

[Gérard Ducouret]

Nathan,
Never assign resources on Summary tasks !
If a resource is working on 2 simultaneous tasks, assign this resource at
(for example) 20% (Units = 0,2) on one task and 80% (units 0,8) on the
other task. Project doesn't manage the assignments of one resource between
several tasks. But it can level the work load : Tools / Level Resources...

Gérard Ducouret

Thanks Gerard, but that only aids in allocating multiple resources to a task,
rather than my problem of multiple simulatneous tasks to a resource. i have
decided an easier way might be for simultaneous tasks to create a rollup task
and only assign the resource at the top level. the only difficulty will be if
one of the sub-tasks thus created is NOT actually completed with the others.

Any other suggestions are most welcome.

 

[Nathan Jones]

Thanks Jan.

Unfortunately that shifts the timeframes OR readjusts resource calculations.
I might give my rollup idea a go and see if that works for a while...but I'm
quite keen for a more elegant solution if there is one!

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Just for the sake of precision.
It delays assignments, yes but please foreget the OR.
Leveling does NOT change assignment units.
HTH

 

[Nathan Jones]

Thanks again Gerard.

Is there a technical reason why I shouldn't do this? In order to make the %
assignments work as you suggest I must make the task type fixed duration
rather than effort (my preference to adjust for changing resource levels). It
seems my understanding of this needs some work! Any help is appreciated!

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

If you have 2 tasks and 1 resource can work on both of them them
simultaneously for two hours and complete them, that implies he could
complete just one of them in only 1 hour, in other words, it requires 1
man-hour of effort to produce each task's deliverable. A 2 hour duration
task that produces 1 man-hour of output means that the resource works on it
at a 50% allocation - each hour of task time produces 1/2 hour of work
output. So for your 2 tasks, 1 resource, with work on both tasks together
completed in 2 hours, enter them as 2 2-hour duration tasks and assign your
resource at 50% units to each one.

 

[Nathan Jones]

thanks Steve.

Unfortunately this isn't factually the case, as many of the simultaneous
tasks are more efficiently performed this way, with much of the preparation
work (this is chemical work) being able to be combined.

It appears that Project is not able to reflect reality but that I can
manipulate the numbers to do so.

Thanks you all for your assistance.
--
Nathan Jones

If you have 2 tasks and 1 resource can work on both of them them
simultaneously for two hours and complete them, that implies he could
complete just one of them in only 1 hour, in other words, it requires 1
man-hour of effort to produce each task's deliverable. A 2 hour duration
task that produces 1 man-hour of output means that the resource works on it
at a 50% allocation - each hour of task time produces 1/2 hour of work
output. So for your 2 tasks, 1 resource, with work on both tasks together
completed in 2 hours, enter them as 2 2-hour duration tasks and assign your
resource at 50% units to each one.

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

Hours of time and hours of work measure totally different things. While it
may be that external events constrain those tasks so that even a single task
requires 2 hours even if nothing else is being done, if he can do both of
them together and get the pair finished in 2 hours, that means the human
work, ie, physical activity, required for each task is 1 man-hour. If he's
only doing one of the tasks, he's going to be standing idle for 50% of the
time waiting for reactions to proceed to completion, sediments to spin down
in the centrifuge, or whatever so while he's spending 2 hours of TIME he is
only producing 1 hour of actual physical WORK activity. That means a 50%
work assignment give you the right numbers. If he can do 2 tasks together
in a 2 hour time period, assign him 50% to each and it will work out
correctly without showing him overallocated.
--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

thanks Steve.

Unfortunately this isn't factually the case, as many of the simultaneous
tasks are more efficiently performed this way, with much of the
preparation
work (this is chemical work) being able to be combined.

It appears that Project is not able to reflect reality but that I can
manipulate the numbers to do so.

Thanks you all for your assistance.