Resource Levleing Calculations

[CRat]

I have an Engineering Drawing Schedule that is linked (externally) to a
Production Schedule. The Design activities compete for a resource called
Designer, of which there are only 20 available, and there are over 300
drawings to do.d

Some of the parts we are designing are different kinds of walls - types A,
B, C, and D. Given that the walls all take the same amount of time to design
and procure, shouldn't Project schedule the ones that are first used in the
production schedule? Wouldn't they have the least lead time (or slack for
that matter)?

I am using leveling order of Priority, Standard (but all are same priority)
and I have checked that Leveling can adjust individual assignments on a task.

Even though type A are used first, I find project scheduleing the design of
C, D, or B first.

Advice Please!

 

[CRat]

That might be impossible, for security reasons as well as the size of all the
files involved.

Is there a log file somewhere that shows what order the activities are
considered in? I know that Open Plan has something like that.

One more question. I level the resources in my separate supplemental
schedule, which "drives" 3 other schedules. Should I be leveling them in the
Master Schedule with all the sub-projects open?

Thanks again.

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

I think you're expecting leveling to do more than it really does. All
resource leveling will do is delay tasks when necessary in order to resolve
resource overallocations. If there's no resource overloading, there's
nothing for it to do. Even the "adjust individual assignments" setting is
phrased a bit misleadingly as to its real function. Leveling never adjusts
resource assignments in the sense of changing the allocation percentage.
What it actually means is if Lucy and Ethyl are both booked for the day on
Monday to pack chocolate boxes and it turns out that Lucy is overallocated
because she's also supposed to be rehearsing a number with Ricky over at
Club Copa on Monday, with the check box turned on leveling is allowed to
move Lucy to Tuesday while leaving Ethyl on Monday.

How does Project know which drawing in the Drawing Schedule is required for
which wall in the Production Schedule?

 

[CRat]

Maybe leveling isn't the correct term.

I have 350 components that need to be designed and drawn. The Drawing
activity requires a resource DESIGNER. I have 26 designers that I can use.

For each Drawing, we:

Design (with the resource).

We Check the drawing, Fix Redlines, Tech Review, Signature loop (no
resources, time only).

Once the drawing is released, a procurement cycle starts. Again there are
no resources, just span times (component dependant) for Paperwork, Raw
Material Procurement, Final Machining, Shipping, Receiving and Inspection,
then a "Ready For Production" milestone, which is linked eternally to a
Production Operations Build schedule.

Because of the limited number of resources I want to consider all the lead
times, as well as when each component feeds in to the build schedule to
determine my "tallest pole". The first component to feed into the build may
not be the first drawing that should be worked.

Given that all the walls have the same procurement time, I was trying to
figure out why the ones that feed into the Build Schedule first were not
scheduled to be designed first.


PS - Your Lucy and Ethyl analogy is uncanny. My favorite show, and my old
cell phone even had the I Love Lucy ring tone.
--
CRat

I think you're expecting leveling to do more than it really does. All
resource leveling will do is delay tasks when necessary in order to resolve
resource overallocations. If there's no resource overloading, there's
nothing for it to do. Even the "adjust individual assignments" setting is
phrased a bit misleadingly as to its real function. Leveling never adjusts
resource assignments in the sense of changing the allocation percentage.
What it actually means is if Lucy and Ethyl are both booked for the day on
Monday to pack chocolate boxes and it turns out that Lucy is overallocated
because she's also supposed to be rehearsing a number with Ricky over at
Club Copa on Monday, with the check box turned on leveling is allowed to
move Lucy to Tuesday while leaving Ethyl on Monday.

How does Project know which drawing in the Drawing Schedule is required for
which wall in the Production Schedule?
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm for the FAQs

I have an Engineering Drawing Schedule that is linked (externally) to a
Production Schedule. The Design activities compete for a resource called
Designer, of which there are only 20 available, and there are over 300
drawings to do.d

Some of the parts we are designing are different kinds of walls - types A,
B, C, and D. Given that the walls all take the same amount of time to
design
and procure, shouldn't Project schedule the ones that are first used in
the
production schedule? Wouldn't they have the least lead time (or slack for
that matter)?

I am using leveling order of Priority, Standard (but all are same
priority)
and I have checked that Leveling can adjust individual assignments on a
task.

Even though type A are used first, I find project scheduleing the design
of
C, D, or B first.

Advice Please!

 

[CRat]

Anybody out there?
--
CRat

Maybe leveling isn't the correct term.

I have 350 components that need to be designed and drawn. The Drawing
activity requires a resource DESIGNER. I have 26 designers that I can use.

For each Drawing, we:

Design (with the resource).

We Check the drawing, Fix Redlines, Tech Review, Signature loop (no
resources, time only).

Once the drawing is released, a procurement cycle starts. Again there are
no resources, just span times (component dependant) for Paperwork, Raw
Material Procurement, Final Machining, Shipping, Receiving and Inspection,
then a "Ready For Production" milestone, which is linked eternally to a
Production Operations Build schedule.

Because of the limited number of resources I want to consider all the lead
times, as well as when each component feeds in to the build schedule to
determine my "tallest pole". The first component to feed into the build may
not be the first drawing that should be worked.

Given that all the walls have the same procurement time, I was trying to
figure out why the ones that feed into the Build Schedule first were not
scheduled to be designed first.


PS - Your Lucy and Ethyl analogy is uncanny. My favorite show, and my old
cell phone even had the I Love Lucy ring tone.
--
CRat

I think you're expecting leveling to do more than it really does. All
resource leveling will do is delay tasks when necessary in order to resolve
resource overallocations. If there's no resource overloading, there's
nothing for it to do. Even the "adjust individual assignments" setting is
phrased a bit misleadingly as to its real function. Leveling never adjusts
resource assignments in the sense of changing the allocation percentage.
What it actually means is if Lucy and Ethyl are both booked for the day on
Monday to pack chocolate boxes and it turns out that Lucy is overallocated
because she's also supposed to be rehearsing a number with Ricky over at
Club Copa on Monday, with the check box turned on leveling is allowed to
move Lucy to Tuesday while leaving Ethyl on Monday.

How does Project know which drawing in the Drawing Schedule is required for
which wall in the Production Schedule?
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm for the FAQs

I have an Engineering Drawing Schedule that is linked (externally) to a
Production Schedule. The Design activities compete for a resource called
Designer, of which there are only 20 available, and there are over 300
drawings to do.d

Some of the parts we are designing are different kinds of walls - types A,
B, C, and D. Given that the walls all take the same amount of time to
design
and procure, shouldn't Project schedule the ones that are first used in
the
production schedule? Wouldn't they have the least lead time (or slack for
that matter)?

I am using leveling order of Priority, Standard (but all are same
priority)
and I have checked that Leveling can adjust individual assignments on a
task.

Even though type A are used first, I find project scheduleing the design
of
C, D, or B first.

Advice Please!

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

My first thought is you're putting the cart before the horse, at least as I
read your description. The design timing should determine when it enters
the build cycle rather than trying to fix the build timing and then figure
out when to start designing it based on that pre-determined build schedule.
Not saying you can't do it but "just-in-time" scheduling is not Project's
forte. One approach that might help is to think of "preccessor" as being
equivalent to "controlling" and "successor" as meaning "controlled." The
terms don't really mean that the predecessor always comes first. In your
case, the Build is the predecessor since its timing in the controlling
factor. The sucessor is "Design" because even though it comes first in the
time sequence, its timing is being controlled by the scheduling of "Build."
The relationship is Start-to-Finish since the dynamic is the start of Build
controls the required Finish of Design. But be prepared for a lot of manual
tweaking - Project is best used in a linear start date forward model.

Hope this helps

--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Anybody out there?
--
CRat

Maybe leveling isn't the correct term.

I have 350 components that need to be designed and drawn. The Drawing
activity requires a resource DESIGNER. I have 26 designers that I can
use.

For each Drawing, we:

Design (with the resource).

We Check the drawing, Fix Redlines, Tech Review, Signature loop (no
resources, time only).

Once the drawing is released, a procurement cycle starts. Again there
are
no resources, just span times (component dependant) for Paperwork, Raw
Material Procurement, Final Machining, Shipping, Receiving and
Inspection,
then a "Ready For Production" milestone, which is linked eternally to a
Production Operations Build schedule.

Because of the limited number of resources I want to consider all the
lead
times, as well as when each component feeds in to the build schedule to
determine my "tallest pole". The first component to feed into the build
may
not be the first drawing that should be worked.

Given that all the walls have the same procurement time, I was trying to
figure out why the ones that feed into the Build Schedule first were not
scheduled to be designed first.


PS - Your Lucy and Ethyl analogy is uncanny. My favorite show, and my
old
cell phone even had the I Love Lucy ring tone.
--
CRat

I think you're expecting leveling to do more than it really does. All
resource leveling will do is delay tasks when necessary in order to
resolve
resource overallocations. If there's no resource overloading, there's
nothing for it to do. Even the "adjust individual assignments" setting
is
phrased a bit misleadingly as to its real function. Leveling never
adjusts
resource assignments in the sense of changing the allocation
percentage.
What it actually means is if Lucy and Ethyl are both booked for the day
on
Monday to pack chocolate boxes and it turns out that Lucy is
overallocated
because she's also supposed to be rehearsing a number with Ricky over
at
Club Copa on Monday, with the check box turned on leveling is allowed
to
move Lucy to Tuesday while leaving Ethyl on Monday.

How does Project know which drawing in the Drawing Schedule is required
for
which wall in the Production Schedule?
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm for the FAQs



I have an Engineering Drawing Schedule that is linked (externally) to
a
Production Schedule. The Design activities compete for a resource
called
Designer, of which there are only 20 available, and there are over
300
drawings to do.d

Some of the parts we are designing are different kinds of walls -
types A,
B, C, and D. Given that the walls all take the same amount of time
to
design
and procure, shouldn't Project schedule the ones that are first used
in
the
production schedule? Wouldn't they have the least lead time (or
slack for
that matter)?

I am using leveling order of Priority, Standard (but all are same
priority)
and I have checked that Leveling can adjust individual assignments on
a
task.

Even though type A are used first, I find project scheduleing the
design
of
C, D, or B first.

Advice Please!