Summary Resource Assignment in standalone MS Project File

[Cole]

All,

Let me preface this question with I agree with you I'm trying to
convince others on NOT assigning resources at the summary level.

In my search to list all the concerns and issues with regarding
assigning resources at the summary level I've found:

1. Resource Loading will be inaccurate as work will lengthen at the
Summary Level as the tasks below move around (regardless of whether
they are being worked on or not).

2. In addition when sub-tasks overlap or when there is a gap between
the tasks work is not the same in both cases.

3. Assigning a resource to a summary task is equivalent to assigning
it to each of the sub-tasks - and it isn't, it will produce work
according to the duration of the summary task and we all know that is
not necessarily equal to the sum of the durations of the sub-tasks

4. A Summary Line isn't really a task, rather, it is simply a top
level summary of the sub-tasks under
it. Resource assignments on a Summary Line also can cause some
unexpected results.

5. When a resource is assigned to both a summary task and one of the
sub-tasks, and the sum of assignment units exceeds the max units of
the resource, leveling cannot solve the overallocation.

6. People forget about it and then start complaining Project "doesn't
calculate correctly". Indeed, once you
assign a resource to the summary task, Work and Cost on that summary
task
are no linger the total of the sub-task.

7. Assigning resources to summary tasks can cause obscure double
booking with data confusion, and thus should be avoided entirely.

Am I missing any other reason?

Cole

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Cole,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

That's very good thinking and a comprehensive list . One thing I'd add is a warning on how easy it is to assign resources to summaries inadvertently. If you have a series of assigned tasks that later you decide to break down to a lower level by indenting or adding new indented tasks, the act of indenting will make the higher level task a summary - with assignments already in place! One needs to engage brain before indenting.

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 my free Project Tutorials



All,

Let me preface this question with I agree with you I'm trying to
convince others on NOT assigning resources at the summary level.

In my search to list all the concerns and issues with regarding
assigning resources at the summary level I've found:

1. Resource Loading will be inaccurate as work will lengthen at the
Summary Level as the tasks below move around (regardless of whether
they are being worked on or not).

2. In addition when sub-tasks overlap or when there is a gap between
the tasks work is not the same in both cases.

3. Assigning a resource to a summary task is equivalent to assigning
it to each of the sub-tasks - and it isn't, it will produce work
according to the duration of the summary task and we all know that is
not necessarily equal to the sum of the durations of the sub-tasks

4. A Summary Line isn't really a task, rather, it is simply a top
level summary of the sub-tasks under
it. Resource assignments on a Summary Line also can cause some
unexpected results.

5. When a resource is assigned to both a summary task and one of the
sub-tasks, and the sum of assignment units exceeds the max units of
the resource, leveling cannot solve the overallocation.

6. People forget about it and then start complaining Project "doesn't
calculate correctly". Indeed, once you
assign a resource to the summary task, Work and Cost on that summary
task
are no linger the total of the sub-task.

7. Assigning resources to summary tasks can cause obscure double
booking with data confusion, and thus should be avoided entirely.

Am I missing any other reason?

Cole

 

[Rob Schneider]

I think there is a missing feature in Project that detects when
resources are assigned to a summary task and then throws up a warning
message.


--rms

www.rmschneider.com

 

[Ismet Kocaman]

There will be no assignments on summary tasks, that's for sure. The below
paragraph is from the help pages.

Notes
-You can assign a resource to a summary task. This is useful, for example,
if the resource is responsible for a group of tasks.
-If the resource's time on the group of tasks stays the same regardless of
how the total duration of the subtasks changes, then the resource should be
assigned to the individual subtasks, and not to the summary task.
-If you assign a resource full time to a summary task, don't also assign the
same resource full time to subtasks under that summary task, or you may cause
unnecessary overallocations .
Ref. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/HA101935931033.aspx

I tried to think of an example case where the above statement applies but I
couldn't be able to create a useful one. I would really appreciate your
feedback
on that case.

Regards,
Ismet Kocaman

 

[Jim Aksel]

I was asked to do this to show level of effort. For example, a supervisor
might be assigned to the summary task as level of effort to supervise the
detail tasks.

However, this is not a good practice. We keep LOE activity in separate
schedules to avoid the problems Cole pointed out. Besides, a hammock task
under the summary would accomplish the same thing.
--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim Aksel, MVP

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

 

[Ismet Kocaman]

Thank you Jim.

I was asked to do this to show level of effort. For example, a supervisor
might be assigned to the summary task as level of effort to supervise the
detail tasks.

However, this is not a good practice. We keep LOE activity in separate
schedules to avoid the problems Cole pointed out. Besides, a hammock task
under the summary would accomplish the same thing.
--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim Aksel, MVP

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

 

[Tiberiu]

We are using assignments on summary tasks with a 0 assignment unit value just
to represent the person responsible for that summary task. This way there is
no additional work. Otherwise resources should not be assigned on summary
task.

Cheers,
Tiberiu Ghioca
http://www.rationalplan.com