Prevent assgnment deletion

[Debra Ockerman]

In building the Resource Sheet and assigning the resources
to tasks, I did a test to see what would happen if I
deleted a resource, and looked in the task to find that
the assignment was also deleted.

I see two potential problems with this: 1) What if someone
accidentally deletes a resource, and this resource is
assigned to many tasks? The resource and all of those
assignments have to be redone. 2) We will probably delete
resources after they leave or are no longer used in order
to keep the list managable. However, what if we want to
see who/what was assigned to projects in the past, even
after that resource has been deleted from current use?

Please advise on how to get around these obstacles.

Thanks,
Debra

 

[John]

Debra,
Doesn't it stand to reason that if a resource is deleted, the assignment
for that resource also goes south? There are a couple of solutions to
your first issue. The simplest is training. Don't let users mess with
resources. That should be left up to the project manager or someone who
knows what they are doing. However training, although well intended,
doesn't stop someone from making a critical error. If in your
organization there is a serious problem with users potentially deleting
a resource, I suggest you set up a common resource pool file (i.e.
resources only, no tasks). Depending on the structure of your
organization, the common pool file can be password protected so that
only authorized persons can make permanent changes or it can be located
in a folder on a common server the only authorized personnel have write
access.

With regard to your other issue, if you want to retain history, do not
delete resources - they are a part of project file history. Your
organization must have a ton of resources to say that the list is
unmanageable. From my view that must be several hundred resources.
However, let me suggest a simple solution. Create a special group of
inactive resources (or even use a spare resource field such as resource
Text1) with a code of "A" for active and "I" for inactive. As resources
"fall off" the project, code their status accordingly. By using a simple
group or filter or you can segregate or hide resources with inactive
status yet at any time the complete history is readily available.

Hope this helps.
John