Optimizing task

[Michel Baillargeon]

Hi

is there a way to optimize a task with multiple ressources ? Here the
problem. If you assign, let say, 2 ressources to a task. MS Project
automatically split the work load in two and reduce the duration by half
(assuming it's a fix unit effort driven)

If you change the ressources units to assign ressource "A" 100% and the
ressource "B" 10%. Then MS Project continue to split the work load evenly
between ressource, the impact is that the duration of the task increased.
This is because ressource "A" will have half the work assigned to him at 100%
and ressource "B" will half the work assigned to him but he works at 10%
unit. So the duration of the taks is driven by ressource "B" which work 10%
of his time.

Is there a simple way to tell MS Project to optimize the task. So every
week, ressource "A" work 100% of his time on the task and ressource "B" work
10% of his time on the task until the task is completed. It would be like
having 1 ressource working 110% unit.

--
Michel Baillargeon
--
Michel Baillargeon

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[Jack Dahlgren]

The only way this works is to assign the resources correctly at the start.
After they have been assigned, their work is set on the task. You can modify
the relative work for each, but project will not "optimize" that for you
automatically.

-Jack Dahlgren

 

[JulieS]

Hello Michel,

In short, no. Project does not have the capacity to "optimize"
resource loads. You can manually assign resource assignment units and
work and Project will recalculate the duration based upon which
resource finishes his/her work last but there is no built-in mechanism
to do that.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional information
about Microsoft Project


"Michel Baillargeon" <[email protected]>
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[Michel Baillargeon]

Julie

thanks for the feedback

Assigning the work individually to each ressource per week is possible, but
it takes so long and change in assignment in our bussiness is a weekly thing.
The payback for the time invested in updating MS Project is not there.

2 other solutions I've worked are to assign a ressource to higner unit that
represent the total work force assigned. This gives me a appropriate project
duration but provide no information ressource load.

The other solution is to create a sub task for each ressource under a main
task. For exemple "Mechanical design by Pierre" and "Mechanical design by
Philippe". Again it's time consumming.

I guess it will end as a suggestion for MS Project to improve.

 

[JulieS]

Hello Michel,

You're welcome for the feedback Michel. Of the options you list, my
input is the best is the second option. I personally am willing to
invest the time updating project with resource assignments because the
value of it far outweighs the time invested, but certainly that
appears to be different in your world.

The third option, re-organizing your project file by resource would
not be an option in my world as there is no method in project to tie
the assignments together -- if I needed both Pierre and Phillippe to
collaborate on the mechanical design, that is not possible in Project.

Julie

"Michel Baillargeon" <[email protected]>
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