Reviewing Resource Usage Across Projects

[Jeff L]

In the Ms Project desktop versions, a resource pool can be
setup, multiple projects connected to it, and individual
resource usage and over-allocations reviewed across all
projects by opening the resource pool and reviewing the
Resource Sheet and Resource Usage view to determine which
resources in the pool are over-allocated when considered
across all projects which they are assigned to.

That's the context for my question... In the enterprise
server version of MS Project 2002, since the resource pool
is structured and handled differently, how is the review
of cross-project resource over-allocation accomplished? Is
this done via Portfolio Analyzer and OLAP cubes, or is
there another more straightforward method?

--Jeff

 

[Dale Howard]

Jeff L --

My personal technique for viewing resource allocation across the portfolio
of projects is to create a special administrative plan for this purpose.
Here's what I have done:

1. Close all open projects and create a new blank project
2. Click Tools - Build Team from Enterprise
3. Select the resources whom you wish to view and add them to the project
team
4. Save the project in the Project Server database
5. Apply the Resource Usage view

For each resource listed, you will see a single line for each project to
which they are assigned. You will also see resource overallocations in
future time periods as well. You can then use this project to determine
where future resource overallocations are occurring, and in which projects
the overallocations exist.

To level future overallocations, you will want to open the projects in which
the overallocations exist. When you open any of the projects listed as
assignments in this view, the single line for the project will be replaced
by all of that resource's task assignments in the open project.

Please note, however, that an administrative project like this is not meant
to be published. Hope this idea helps. Perhaps the others will have some
ideas as well.

 

[Jeff L]

Dale,
Thanks, this is what I was looking for.

--Jeff