Project Priority

[Wiley]

Project Server 2003: Can anyone give me guidance on the Priority function on
the Project Information ? Our PMO director wants to assign a numeric
priority to al projects for a high level management report. However, we have
never used this function before. I am concerned about its impact on resource
availability in already approved plans. One could say that if the priority
is valid, any rescheduling would reflect reality.

However, if a project is promoted to a higher priority, which causes ti to
take preference over a resource's schedule perhaps moving a task to an
earlier start, then the project gets demoted in priority, will the same tasks
moveback to their original dates? Unfortunately, priorities change on our
25+ projects, and I want to understand the full impact of this.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Wiley --

If you are referring to the Priority field when you click Project - Project
Information in Microsoft Project, then relax. This field is only used when
a project manager opens multiple projects containing resources that are
overallocated across each of the projects and then levels the
overallocations. Micrsoft Project uses the project Priority field to
determine how to resolve resource overallocations across the multiple
projects. Hope this helps.

 

[Wiley]

Thanks Dale. That is reassuring.

Wiley --

If you are referring to the Priority field when you click Project - Project
Information in Microsoft Project, then relax. This field is only used when
a project manager opens multiple projects containing resources that are
overallocated across each of the projects and then levels the
overallocations. Micrsoft Project uses the project Priority field to
determine how to resolve resource overallocations across the multiple
projects. Hope this helps.

 

[Wiley]

When I change the priority on the project, I do get one of those "Task
#...cannot be completed in the scheduled time..." messages when I press OK.
This would make be beleive Project is recalculating something. Or at least
it thinks it needs to recalculate something. Does this sound correct?

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Wiley --

Setting the Priority number for the project should not trigger an error
message like the one you see. Do you have leveling set to Manual in your
Microsoft Project application (Tools - Level Resources)? Let us know.

 

[Wiley]

Dale,

Yes, level Resources is set to "Manual". However, it might worthy to note
that Tools/Options/Calculation Calculation mode is set to "Automatic".