Resource allocation/overallocation

[John Blackborrow]

We have set up a number of tasks in Project (newly
acquired Project 2002)and when we look at the resource
allocation there is no consistency between the Gantt,
Resource Usage and Resource Histogram views, e.g., we show
a resource allocated 5 hrs on one day in the Gantt, it
shows 9 hrs in the Resource Usage, and 300% overallocated
in the histogram. Resource allocation and work hours are
correctly set at 100% usage and 8 hrs per day. Working
days are correctly defined. Is this a software issue, or
have we made a mess of the data entry and just not able to
find it?

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi John,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

Please see FAQ Item: 34 Overallocation Occurring In Less Than One Day.
FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: http://www.mvps.org/project/

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

Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[user]

I'm also running into this 'unable to resolve over allocation' problem.

I've read the items in the faq as well. I think it would be really nice
if Project would just shift the start times for tasks in question, so
the resource was no longer over allocated for a particular point in
time. Instead levelling seems to require the user resolve these manually.

When you got a project, with very few task dependencies, but only a few
resources, having to do this manually everywhere, becomes rather
annoying. Even if you increase the levelling granularity.

Does anyone have a script for doing this out there?

Cheers

Matthew Faull

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Matthew,

I understand your frustration, but setting the granularity to minute by
minute should overcome the overallocations. The reason for this setting is
that project management packages such as Project, because of the apparent
accuracy, can lead project managers into over managing their projects by the
minute. The other coarser settings allow local management to get on with
the job without undue interference. For example, if I you set the
granularity to week by week, Project will not mark any task as overallocated
provided the weekly total is less than the set week, ie if the resource is
allocated for 30 hours in one 40-hour week, levelling will not move the
tasks even though the resource might be allocated for several tasks on one
day totalling, say, 25 hours - leaving it to local management to work
overtime, evenings or to spread the load to meet local needs.


Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[user]

OK. I've done some more investigation, and it would appear my problem is
caused by something different.

If I set the max units for all of my resources to 100%. Levelling works
correctly. However if I change this to a value such as 50%. Levelling
ceases to function, and I get alot of 'This overallocation cannot be
resolved'.

This can be reproduced fairly easily. Create a project with 2 tasks,
with a work time of 16 hours for each one. Set the resource for both of
these tasks to 'Me'. Level this project Hour by Hour. MS Project levels
this project correctly. Then change the 'Max Units' for 'Me' to 70%. Try
leveling this again. You then get the 'This overallocation cannot be
resolved message'.

I'm not 100% sure this is a bug? Is there some other way I should be
restricting the number of work units my resources can perform? To me,
reducing the work unit percentage seemed to be the most intuitive way to
reduce the number of hours per day a resource could spend working on a
project.

Cheers

Matthew

 

[Steve House]

This is not a bug - overallocation occurs whenver the total % assigned in a
given time exceeds the % available in the same time. That can be caused by
assigning to multiple tasks where the total assignemnt exceeds the max
allowed or it can be by assigning to one task at a level that is above the
allowed maximum.

If you have a max of 100% and I assign you to task A on Monday for 8 hours
and also task B on Monday for 8 hours, you're scheduled to work 16 hours in
an 8 hour day and you're overallocated. Leveling will move one task to
Tuesday (if you're free) and the problem is solved by doing A on Monday and
B on Tuesday.

But now consider this - I assign you only to Task A for 8 hours on Monday -
that's 100%, but I set your max to 50%. That means you're scheduled for 1
task of 8 hours duration on Monday but you're only allowed to work 4 hours.
Can I move that task to start on Tuesday to fix it? Nope, cause that only
shifts the problem - you still have to do 8 hours work in a time period
where you're only there for 4 hours, only now it's on Tuesday instead of
Monday. Remember, leveling does not adjust the assignment percentages, all
it does is delay the start of work. There is no way it can delay the start
of 8 hours of continuous work so it will fit into a 4 hour time slot. Thus
it can't level and it's up to you to manually figure out how to change the
assignment so as to resolve the problem. Do I add someone else to help out
so we CAN get 8 hours work done in a 4 hour duration by having two people
there working together or do I reduce the assignment to 50% and let it take
2 4-hour days to do the task or do I substitute someone who can work 8 hours
on Monday, i.e. 100%, or what? Project doesn't know what will work best in
your situation so it lets you make the decision.