Task Types and Resource Assignments

[Will]

I have read a ton of the messages on this board, and tested several
approaches, but I have yet to find an EASY way to do what I am trying to do.
I am using MS Project 2003.

Essentially, on my projects, I have two different types of budgeted tasks.
The type of task I am having a problem with is a large "bucket" of hours that
I want to spread across one or more resources during a specific time period
of the project. There is little opportunity to finish these tasks early or
late, I simply want to track actuals versus my original bucket of hours.
When I apply resources to these tasks, I want their time spread according to
their calendar availability at 8 hours per day.

For example, I might have a task called Application Configuration where I
want a Baseline Budget of 400 hours, and will be completed by two resources.
I have one resource that is available immediately, for 5 weeks. I have
another resource that is available in 5 weeks, for the remainder of the
project. I have set the two resources availability to reflect their
individual availability. Regardless of Task Type (Fixed Units or Fixed
Duration, Effort-Driven, or not), I cannot get Project to schedule my
resources according to their availability across the task. They are always
scheduled from the start of the task, with no regard for their availability
at that time. I have not even introduced the complexity of a second task in
this equation. The only way I have been able to get Project to reflect what
I want is by manually allocating the hours in Task Usage and then
re-baselining that individual task. I cannot believe this is the best way to
do it.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Jim Aksel]

You need to establish availability dates for each resource using an
individual resource calendar. From the Resource Sheet view, select a
resource. Then Tools/Change Working time. You can edit the calendar to suit
your needs and this will only impact that one resource.

If this post helps, please consider rating it.

 

[Will]

Jim,

I have already done that. That is what I meant when I mentioned I had set
each resource's individual availability. The individual's availability in
resource sheet does not appear to control when a resource is actually
allocated to a particular task.

Thanks,
Will

 

[Jim Aksel]

In the resource view, select the resource by double clicking. The Resource
Information dialog window opens.
Do you have anything on the General Tab for availability dates? When I
constrained a resource from this page, when I added additional work/duration
I overloaded my resource.

Instead, clear the availability dates. Pull the working time tab and change
the dates there to non-working time as appropriate. This worked fine for me
with Fixed Units% and *not* effort driven. If the resource is scheduled as
"non working time" then Project will not place hours in those dates for that
resource. It also means you cannot use that resource for any other tasks
within that project during their "time off"

 

[Will]

Jim,

Your approach works. Thanks!

One question, however. It seems that if I want to actually assign two
resources to the task, I need to make the Task Type = Work, and Effort
Driven. Otherwise, if I leave the Task as Fixed Units, the second resource
assignment doubles the amount of Work for the task. Any thoughts/concerns?

-- Will

 

[Jim Aksel]

Thanks for the feedback. If my answer helped, please consider rating it so
others may be helped also.

Jim