Create your plan by creating tasks but do not assign resources. In each
task estimate the amount of work necessary to accomplish the task and the
duration that task will take. Create the appropriate predecessor and
successor linkages.
Now, create your list of resources.
Now, click on View | More Views ... | Detail Gantt. The tasks in red are
on the critical path. You have three choices here.
First, you can reschedule them so that they start earlier (perhaps by
using different predecessors because the tasks can, in fact, start
earlier than your original plan).
Or you can put multiple resources on the task but be careful. Sometimes
doubling the resources can't be done. There's an old project management
joke: it takes nine months before a woman to give birth to baby. Getting
9 women pregant will not shorten the time.
Third, you can do both -- and this, of course, is what happens in real
life.
As you change the predecessors or change the number of resources you will
see the plan dynamically change to reflect your new plan. Again, watch
the red tasks because they are the critial path: the longest path through
your project.
When you have optimized linkages and resource assignments, click on View |
Resource Usage. Any resources marked in red are overallocated. Although
your plan may be completed by the desired date, this has occured only
because you have one (or more) resources working more than a normal day.
JLB, PMP
