how do I make resource levelling work?

[Gwyn]

Resource levelling in project seems useless.

All assignments have to be specified as a percentage of a resource

Whereas I want to specify a task with an elapsed time and an amount of
effort. And actually I don't care whether the resource does 100% for the
first 5 days and nothing for the rest or whatever.

So my problem starts when I've got a task, Task A, that runs for 4 weeks
that has 2 man weeks of effort required by a resource. Project takes this to
mean that the resource will be working 50% on this task (but that's not
really what I mean)

I now have 2 days (in the middle of the 4 weeks) when I want this resource
to be 100% occupied on something else, Task B. i.e. this task has an elapsed
time of 2 days and effort of 2 days.

So I would expect to be able to ask Project to level this out using a flat
contour and it would allocate the resource to Task A for a bit more than 50%
for all except the 2 days of Task B, where the resource will be 100% working
on Task B.

This makes absolute sense. However, project will not do this. It shows the
resource as being overallocated on those 2 days. If automatic levelling is
chosen then it will stretch Task A by two days.

Is there any way of making it work *correctly* ???

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Gwyn,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

The first thing to know about levelling is that Project will only delay
tasks until resources are available. Delay only - no re-allocations, nor
changes to Units, nor changes to Durations. Just changes to the start date.

In your scenario, give the 2-day task a large priority and the other a low
priority via the Task Information forms. In the levelling dialog, ensure
you select Priority,Standard, and also allow tasks to split. Then click
level now.

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP
See http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc for Project Tutorials

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Gwyn,

Sorry but I do not like the word correctly.
Leveling works correctly using a certain set of rules.
Sorry if they aren't the specific rules you have in mind.
What may give better results for you is the following.
Make sure to assign all resoruces 100% to each task, don't worry about the
duration.
Set relevant priorities to tasks.
Now level.
Everything will be scheduled asap - one can't complain about that, I think.

The problem is that you want to mix two types of leveling :cutting people
into slices using percentages, and rescheduling tasks for fully used people,
and that won't work.

Hope this helps

 

[Dave]

In addition to Mike's comments it is worth perhaps pointing out that
levelling a plan may well be an iterative process. Many people seem to
think that they can click the level button and it will automatically
sort things out. However there is much information in your mind that
Project does not know about - for example the work countour for your
Task A is not fixed so Project cannot know that.

After a first pass at levelling, you can fix those elements you are
happy with using the priority field, adjust durations if your tasks have
become split as in your example. Then you can remove levelling from the
remaining tasks and level again. And so on until you have completed the
process.

Having said that, I think that the levelling functionality could be
easier to use.

Dave

 

[Steve House]

To further what others have said, resource LEVELING is NOT resource
OPTIMIZATION. Also, the duration of a task is NOT the time allotted to it.
Rather, it is the working time units available from the moment you can first
observe activity on the task until the moment the resource steps back and
hollers "Finished!" If the duration is 4 weeks and the work is 2 man-weeks,
by definition that is 50% resource assignment. You say that's not what you
mean but sorry, it is what it is. If you mean the work requires 2 man-weeks
and the resource will work full-time on it but he has 4 weeks in which to do
it, the duration is 2 weeks with a deadline at 4 weeks. 2 days in the
middle is fine. The first task splits and its end date pushes out by 2 days
(there ain't no free lunch and if he leaves for 2 days in the middle he has
to make it up at the end). Project won't do this for you because it's only
a glorified calculator - you have to do this by hand because only you have
the intelligence to know what is possible and what isn't going to work.

 

[Gwyn]

Thanks Steve et al.

I'm not sure what the correct term for what I'm trying to achieve is,
however the fact remains that it is a valid requirement.

I want to be able to assign people tasks that will employ them for *some* of
their time (that's the nature of their work - working on a project, for the
project's duration but only taking say 30% of their time). Some days they
may work all day sometimes they may do none but on average they will work
30%. What I want is to see if resources can work on a number of projects at
the same time (on average spending the correct amount of time on a particular
project) and also to see where they have free capacity.

Project is "clever" enough to allow me to back load a task but it still
won't take higher priority or higher usage tasks into account and recontour
to fit them in.

I guess the truth is that Project is really just a "value" entry level tool
and is to project planning as sourcesafe is to configuration management

To further what others have said, resource LEVELING is NOT resource
OPTIMIZATION. Also, the duration of a task is NOT the time allotted to it.
Rather, it is the working time units available from the moment you can first
observe activity on the task until the moment the resource steps back and
hollers "Finished!" If the duration is 4 weeks and the work is 2 man-weeks,
by definition that is 50% resource assignment. You say that's not what you
mean but sorry, it is what it is. If you mean the work requires 2 man-weeks
and the resource will work full-time on it but he has 4 weeks in which to do
it, the duration is 2 weeks with a deadline at 4 weeks. 2 days in the
middle is fine. The first task splits and its end date pushes out by 2 days
(there ain't no free lunch and if he leaves for 2 days in the middle he has
to make it up at the end). Project won't do this for you because it's only
a glorified calculator - you have to do this by hand because only you have
the intelligence to know what is possible and what isn't going to work.


--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Resource levelling in project seems useless.

All assignments have to be specified as a percentage of a resource

Whereas I want to specify a task with an elapsed time and an amount of
effort. And actually I don't care whether the resource does 100% for the
first 5 days and nothing for the rest or whatever.

So my problem starts when I've got a task, Task A, that runs for 4 weeks
that has 2 man weeks of effort required by a resource. Project takes this
to
mean that the resource will be working 50% on this task (but that's not
really what I mean)

I now have 2 days (in the middle of the 4 weeks) when I want this resource
to be 100% occupied on something else, Task B. i.e. this task has an
elapsed
time of 2 days and effort of 2 days.

So I would expect to be able to ask Project to level this out using a flat
contour and it would allocate the resource to Task A for a bit more than
50%
for all except the 2 days of Task B, where the resource will be 100%
working
on Task B.

This makes absolute sense. However, project will not do this. It shows the
resource as being overallocated on those 2 days. If automatic levelling is
chosen then it will stretch Task A by two days.

Is there any way of making it work *correctly* ???

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Gwyn,

Quote: it still

won't take higher priority or higher usage tasks into account and
recontour
to fit them in.

It does take higher priority tasks into account and fits them in, especially
if you define all work on tasks as done by 100% of the resource capacity.
And if the workloapoad of the projectst is such that may well add up to 30%
on average; but one shouldn't puit the result of such an average
calculoation as an input.

Hope this helps.

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project MVP
http://users.online.be/prom-ade

Thanks Steve et al.

I'm not sure what the correct term for what I'm trying to achieve is,
however the fact remains that it is a valid requirement.

I want to be able to assign people tasks that will employ them for *some*
of
their time (that's the nature of their work - working on a project, for
the
project's duration but only taking say 30% of their time). Some days they
may work all day sometimes they may do none but on average they will work
30%. What I want is to see if resources can work on a number of projects
at
the same time (on average spending the correct amount of time on a
particular
project) and also to see where they have free capacity.

Project is "clever" enough to allow me to back load a task but it still
won't take higher priority or higher usage tasks into account and
recontour
to fit them in.

I guess the truth is that Project is really just a "value" entry level
tool
and is to project planning as sourcesafe is to configuration management

To further what others have said, resource LEVELING is NOT resource
OPTIMIZATION. Also, the duration of a task is NOT the time allotted to
it.
Rather, it is the working time units available from the moment you can
first
observe activity on the task until the moment the resource steps back and
hollers "Finished!" If the duration is 4 weeks and the work is 2
man-weeks,
by definition that is 50% resource assignment. You say that's not what
you
mean but sorry, it is what it is. If you mean the work requires 2
man-weeks
and the resource will work full-time on it but he has 4 weeks in which to
do
it, the duration is 2 weeks with a deadline at 4 weeks. 2 days in the
middle is fine. The first task splits and its end date pushes out by 2
days
(there ain't no free lunch and if he leaves for 2 days in the middle he
has
to make it up at the end). Project won't do this for you because it's
only
a glorified calculator - you have to do this by hand because only you
have
the intelligence to know what is possible and what isn't going to work.


--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Resource levelling in project seems useless.

All assignments have to be specified as a percentage of a resource

Whereas I want to specify a task with an elapsed time and an amount of
effort. And actually I don't care whether the resource does 100% for
the
first 5 days and nothing for the rest or whatever.

So my problem starts when I've got a task, Task A, that runs for 4
weeks
that has 2 man weeks of effort required by a resource. Project takes
this
to
mean that the resource will be working 50% on this task (but that's not
really what I mean)

I now have 2 days (in the middle of the 4 weeks) when I want this
resource
to be 100% occupied on something else, Task B. i.e. this task has an
elapsed
time of 2 days and effort of 2 days.

So I would expect to be able to ask Project to level this out using a
flat
contour and it would allocate the resource to Task A for a bit more
than
50%
for all except the 2 days of Task B, where the resource will be 100%
working
on Task B.

This makes absolute sense. However, project will not do this. It shows
the
resource as being overallocated on those 2 days. If automatic levelling
is
chosen then it will stretch Task A by two days.

Is there any way of making it work *correctly* ???

 

[Steve House]

You said it yourself ... "Project is clever enough to allow me..." The
oeprative word there is ..."allow me..." Project allows you to input the
resource loading and contour that you have decided upon but it doesn't make
that decision itself. What you now asking it to do is adjust the resource
assignments itself in order to compute some optimum loading but IMHO it's
never the job of software to make that sort of determination. You are the
manager with the understanding of the business needs and priorities and the
software should never take it on its own to adjust the parameters that you
have specified.