Help! - "Change Working Time" Abuse

[EPMLearner]

Hi,

Just wanted someone to please tell me if I am right or wrong. I am pretty
well versed in Microsoft Project but this is driving me batty. We have
users in our environment that are using "Change Working Time" to zero out
hours for a resource is not working on a task for a particular day (even if
they are not on vacation). The plans that they work on are always messed up
because of bad practices and I find that most are rigging plans to get them
to work. It is truly driving me crazy because they level almost on a
daily/weekly basis (don't ask - that is another pet-peeve altogether). The
problem I have identified is this - If they ever decide to go back and
schedule that resource during the timeframe they have them blocked for...they
can't unless they Change Working time and then they have leveled so much that
I can't even explain what happened up to that point. It impacts how the
system levels because of course it avoids those dates, thus it possibly
pushes the project out further and furthermore, if we begin to put these
projects on EPM they will mess up the resource availabilty for other projects
by doing this.

If I am wrong, will someone please correct me. Or could someone give me a
better approach/explaination to get them to stop this.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

EPMLearner --

The best I can say is your organization is a mess. Your people are taking
an "ad hoc" (aka "seat of the pants") approach for using Project Server
2007, which is most definitely a big no-no. I can't imagine how anyone in
your company can actually manage a project, given the different ways that
people are doing things with the system. Your organization proves our
contention that you MUST implement policies, practices, and methodologies
for using Project Server 2007 BEFORE you actually implement the tool.

Given your current level of chaos, I would recommend that someone in your
company who has the authority should begin specifying precisely how you want
project managers, team members, executives, and administrators to actually
use the system. Document these practices in a series of reference manuals
and distribute them to each user. For example, you might want to create and
distribute a simple team member's "cheat sheet" consisting of one or two
pages that document how your team members enter progress in the system. You
might want to create and distribute a project manager's "handbook" of 15-20
pages that documents how your PMs use Project Professional 2007 and PWA to
manage their projects.

And then, here's the catch: someone in your company who has the authority
must MANDATE that everyone follow these new policies, procedures, and
methdologies. Make this a training and performance issue; teach everyone
how to use the system correctly, and then hold them accountable for this
behavior. Anyone who refuses to comply should know in advance that their
refusal will become an issue at their next performance review, if they
survive that long!

Hope this helps.

 

[Marc Soester [MVP]]

Love your post Dale
--
Marc Soester [MVP]
National Manager: EPM
http://marcsoester.blogspot.com

 

[EPMLearner]

LOL, thanks for the confirmation.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

EPMLearner --

I hope I wasn't too hard on you. I'm on your side, my friend!

 

[EPMLearner]

Nope, did not take it personal. It is the truth and you validated what I was
saying all along. I am being challenged on this practice and trying to find
a better approach.