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DWeb
Ok - here's the situation:
I have a fixed number of resources, all with different resource calendars
who perform a fixed number of support tasks, all at different allocation
levels - i.e. Resource X is 40% on end-user support, Resource Y is 20% on
end-user support, and Resource Z is 0% on end-user support, but 30% on bug
fixes/small enhancements.
In addition, there are a number of work requests that have the following
attributes/criteria: priority (1-Highest...4-Lowest), business driver (legal,
political, operational), and due date. They also have an overall work effort
assigned and have been sorted by the criteria I just mentioned. This list
may change as new requests are added, dates are changed, etc. This is
currently handled on spreadsheets - we're trying to move to MS Access DB.
We have MS Project 2003 supposedly on the way - only a handful of people
have earlier versions (98 or 2000) already installed. I'm looking for
validation of an approach to managing the assignment and management of all
this work. There are no scheduling/work assignment tools in place and no
method to report on the work being done (other than status reports).
I read a post (that I can no longer find) before from someone with a similar
situation who used something like the following approach:
- Create resource pool with all resources
- Create baseline activity plan for the support tasks, using fixed duration
tasks and assigning each resource at their expected allocation level for
those activities
- Creating a separate release plan for the fixed work tasks (work requests)
and assigning generic resources (from resource pool?) at 10000%availability
to limit resource constraints
- Monthly assigning actual resources to work in the release plan (replacing
generic resources) and leveling to see if resources are allocated properly
My questions are basically - will this work for my scenario? What should I
watch out for? Are there better approaches? Can I apply our work
prioritization approach (priority, due date, etc.) to the manner in which
resources are assigned/leveled? Can a %complete approach be used to capture
progress from the resources assigned, or do we have to capture actual hours?
I have done a fair amount of work with MS Project 2000, but not much with
leveling or resource pools, so this complexity makes me a little nervous, so
I welcome all comments and suggestions.
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and reply!
I have a fixed number of resources, all with different resource calendars
who perform a fixed number of support tasks, all at different allocation
levels - i.e. Resource X is 40% on end-user support, Resource Y is 20% on
end-user support, and Resource Z is 0% on end-user support, but 30% on bug
fixes/small enhancements.
In addition, there are a number of work requests that have the following
attributes/criteria: priority (1-Highest...4-Lowest), business driver (legal,
political, operational), and due date. They also have an overall work effort
assigned and have been sorted by the criteria I just mentioned. This list
may change as new requests are added, dates are changed, etc. This is
currently handled on spreadsheets - we're trying to move to MS Access DB.
We have MS Project 2003 supposedly on the way - only a handful of people
have earlier versions (98 or 2000) already installed. I'm looking for
validation of an approach to managing the assignment and management of all
this work. There are no scheduling/work assignment tools in place and no
method to report on the work being done (other than status reports).
I read a post (that I can no longer find) before from someone with a similar
situation who used something like the following approach:
- Create resource pool with all resources
- Create baseline activity plan for the support tasks, using fixed duration
tasks and assigning each resource at their expected allocation level for
those activities
- Creating a separate release plan for the fixed work tasks (work requests)
and assigning generic resources (from resource pool?) at 10000%availability
to limit resource constraints
- Monthly assigning actual resources to work in the release plan (replacing
generic resources) and leveling to see if resources are allocated properly
My questions are basically - will this work for my scenario? What should I
watch out for? Are there better approaches? Can I apply our work
prioritization approach (priority, due date, etc.) to the manner in which
resources are assigned/leveled? Can a %complete approach be used to capture
progress from the resources assigned, or do we have to capture actual hours?
I have done a fair amount of work with MS Project 2000, but not much with
leveling or resource pools, so this complexity makes me a little nervous, so
I welcome all comments and suggestions.
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and reply!