Leveling part-time resources

[Scott Shafer]

I am experiencing a very strange problem when I try to level part-time
resources. To see the problem, add two resources and make them available
100%. Then enter two tasks each with a 10 day duration with neither tasking
preceding the other. Then assing the two resources to each task. Leveling
the resources works fine. Next, clear the resource leveling, and make
resource A available 50% and resource B available 30%. When the resource are
noew leveled, one or both of the tasks are shifted to December 2049!. I have
left the leveling order as standard and none of the checkboxes are selected.
Any suggestions?

 

[JulieS]

Hi Scott,

A couple of questions:

What version of MS Project are you using?
When you dropped the resources' maximum units, did you unassign them from
the tasks and then re-assign or are they still assigned to both tasks at 100%
resulting in peak units of 200%?
Have the resources' calendars been modified with non-working time or is
their availability limited to a specific time frame?

I tried several scenarios in Project 2003. In the first instance, the two
resources were still assigned at 100% to both tasks but their max. units were
set to 50% and 30%. When I tried to level, Project responded with a dialog
box saying it couldn't resolve the overallocation because the resource was
assigned at more than their max. units. No tasks were delayed.
In the second test, where I unassigned both resources from both tasks and
then re-assigned at max. units to the overlapping tasks, project delayed the
second task until the overallocation was resolved.
In the third instance, the resources availability ended on April 1, 2005.
(I entered in the end date in the resource information dialog box.). In that
instance project delayed the second task into the time the resources were not
available and both resources are still overallocated.

In no test was I able to create the problem you describe....

Julie

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Scott,

How do you want Project to schedule resources to tasks at 100% when their
avilability is lower?
Leveling does not, repeat not, change assignment units.
It merely tries to delay tasks till when there is sufficient availability,
and in your case , that is never.
Fortunately the calendar stops in 49 - your computer might sttill be
calculating )

 

[Scott Shafer]

Hi Julie -- thanks for your help on this. In terms of answering your
questions:

1. I tried the sample problem on both MSP 2002 and MSP 2003 standard
versions and got exactly the same results I described.

2. I did not unassign the resources before decreasing their max units. I
simply went to the Resource Sheet and decreased the 100% to 30% and 50%,
respectively.

3. I made no changes to the resource calendars.

 

[Scott Shafer]

Hi Jan -- Thanks for your reply. This is exactly what I want MSP to do --
delay tasks so that my part-time resources are not overallocated in any given
week. In other words, if I have a resource than can spend 30% of his/her
time on this project, mot to be assigned more than 12 hours of work each
week.

 

[JulieS]

Hi Scott,

As Jan noted, the resource leveling command does not change resource
assignment units. When you dropped the maximum units of your resources from
100% to 50% and 30%, Project did not automatically adjust the assignment
units nor will the resource leveling command accomplish this. Both of your
resources are still assigned at 100% and therefore the resource leveling
command will not solve the problem.
You will need to un-assign the resources and re-assign them. This will drop
their assignment units to their maximum. Then re-run the resource leveling
command to have Project delay their tasks so their peak units does not exceed
maximum.

Hope this helps. Please let us know if you need information on easily
unassigning and reassigning.

Julie

 

[JulieD]

Hi Scott

then rather than dropping their max units, change their working hours - from
8 hours per day to 2.4 hours per day and then you should see the result
you're looking for (i think!) - leaving them assigned at 100%.

Cheers
julieD

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Be assured, Julie, that is the answer.
People don't realize that limiting a resource to 30% availability means it
can work exactly 18 seconds every minute of its working time, never more. It
is not a sort of average, it is exactly 18 secs any minute.
Then when you request it for more seconds than that by assigning it to say
100% (60 secs a minn) it is overloaded and no logic within Project can solve
that.
OTOH, Julie's proposal is logical in itself, during each working minute the
resource is available 60 secs and it can perfectly handle a 100% assignment.

Percentages will blur your vision.

HTH

 

[Scott Shafer]

I think I am finally starting to get it. But instead of limiting a resource
to 2.4 hours per day, is there a way to limit the resource to 12 hours per
week? Bottom line, I have a project with a number of meetings that I have
defined as Fixed Duration tasks. Some of the meetings run 4 hours or more
and I want to ensure that my part-time resources are allocated to these
meetings for the entire meeting time. Thus, I don't want a person who is
allocated 30% of their time to this project to be allocated on 2.4 hours to a
4 hour meeting. Thanks again for your assistance.

 

[JulieD]

Hi Scott

AFAIK not easily ... i can think of two approaches - if your meetings are
scheduled on a regular basis, ie every monday - when you're setting up the
calendar assign 4 hrs on monday and the rest as you want to ....

or asssign them at 2.4 hrs per day and then in resource usage, manuall edit
how the hours are split for the resource.

hopefully others will have more ideas

Cheers
JulieD

 

[Mike Glen]

I would suggest the difference between 4 hrs and 2.4 hours in a week is too
small to worry about - just accept the over-allocation . Beware of micro
management!


Mike Glen
Project MVP