Using Project Server 2003 for Resource Management

[MikeO]

Hi,

I'm evaluating MSPS 2003 as a potential replacement for our current but
outdated Niku (formerly ABT) system. Currently our resource management
process is based on:-
- PM requests resources (by name or generic)
- RM (after discussion) allocates named resources (or percentages) to
projects for a specific date range
- Once allocated, the named resource drops out of the RM 'available' view
and can be assigned to tasks by the PM.
- The RM has no need to view PM assignments at the task level

As far as I can see so far MSPS 2003 does not have this facility and
resource availability is a function of resource calendar and the PM's
assignments of resource to tasks. Perhaps unfairly, I feel that it would be
quite a task in our organisation to educate the PM's in a way that would
generate a useable 'availability' view for the resource manager. ;-)

Does anyone have any suggestions / comments about:-
1. Our current resource management process in general
2. How our current process could be supported using MSP 2003
3. Any alternative/improved MSP 2003 resource management approaches.

Many thanks,
Mike

 

[eswb10]

Mike -

It is possible to configure Project Server / Project Web Access to work
(mostly) in the way you describe it. It can be configured so that RM
assigns resources to the project and then the PM assigns those
resources to tasks in the project. The PM would then get the
task/timesheet updates, while the RM can see the timesheet submissions.


The part that Project Server doesn't support, as far as I know, is the
"once allocated, the named resource drops out of the RM 'available'
view. By default, once a resource is assigned to a project as
"committed", the resource availability is decremented by the number of
work hours. For example, a project with a 5 day duration (40 hours)
would take 40 hours of Resource A's availability. Once the PM does the
actual assignment, for example, 50% of Resource A's time, the
availability would show as 20 hours.

Whether or not the RM wants to view the assignments is up to the RM and
to configuration. By default, the RM role in PWA allows the RM to view
their resource's assignments.

Hope this helped. Please feel free to email with further questions.

Mark S. Everett | PMP
(e-mail address removed)

 

[MikeO]

I may well be being very dense.. but..

In my current set up "assigning a resources to the project" (not task) as
committed has no effect on resource availability. (I used "build team from
enterprise" but didn't allocate the resource to any task in the project.)

Have I misunderstood?

Thanks,
Mike.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

MikeO --

When you use the Build Team from Enterprise tool and add resources to a
project team, this has no effect on the team member's remaining
availability. The remaining availability for a resource does not changes
until you assign the resource to one or more tasks in the project. Hope
this helps.