Summary Tasks, Resources and Task: a little confused?!?!?!?!

[Vit]

Hi All,

I'm a little confused from a request of my boss....

he want to assign the resources at the summary task level, when he is
plannig,

AND

record the time spent at the task level, when he is tracking....

maybe better with an example....

Drilling
Drilling Rock
Drilling Soft Rock
Drilling Sand

he would like to assing resources to the drilling phase

AND

track the time at the specific task...

in the planing phase it will be:

Drilling bob (70h), rob
(50h)
Drilling Rock
Drilling Soft Rock
Drilling Sand


in the tracking it will be:

Drilling bob (140h),
rob (100h)
Drilling Rock bob (30h), rob
(30h)
Drilling Soft Rock bob (20h), rob (15h)
Drilling Sand bob (20h), rob
(5h)

the problem is that at the end of the drilling phase, at the summary
level, I will have doubble... the summary + the precific tasks....

what is the best way to manage this situation????

in the planning phase, my boss dont want to insert the resources at
the task level, because he think that it is not easy to guess and plan
who will perform the job and haw much time it will take... instead, it
is easy to insert just at the summary level.....

thank all

cheers

Vit

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

Since my best possible advice (change the boss ) is probably not
feasible, what I would do is to not assign Bob and Rob but rather generic
resources like Driller, Excavator... in such a way that you cwill always see
the difference between estimated and recorded.
Yes, Total work will be double, but you could use Resource Group and group
by to make the split.
Hope this helps,
--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[Jim Aksel]

I am with Jan, convince the boss this is not a sound approach. This type of
approach is prohibited in all the organizations I have worked.

In Project2007, budget type resources may help. However, if we lay in
budget at the summary task level, we *always* subtract the work hours off
when we move them to the detail plan.

We have also used another approach where the first detail task is
"Undistributed Budget." We treat that the same way you are treating the
summary tasks. Just a thought.
--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim Aksel, MVP

Check out my blog for more information:
http://www.msprojectblog.com

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Aren't budget resources limites to the Project Summary task only?

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[Vit]

Thanks guys!

budget are at task summay, not at project summary ;(

I will work on the suggestion (generic and specific...)

thank you!!!

cheers


p.s. grouping by, will show me the tolal by generic and specific....
but how can I see the variance???? (at the summary level I will just
have the generic, and at the task level I will just have the real
resources.....)

 

[Dip]

Hello Vit,

I have been following this string. Maybe my situation was similar to yours a
few months back. My supervisor wanted generic and my boss (bigger) wanted
specific. You can have either BUT NOT BOTH! What I did was asked both of them
together (at a meeting) what they wanted (just one)!! Finally I am doing
specific. I can always change the resource at some point of time or add
another resource if the task is a long one (600 hours). You may always save
the original plan (however generic or stupid) as a baseline and then continue
from there to improve. Luckily for me no costs are involved.

I am sure you and I are not the only persons in this situation.... Hope this
helps you a bit.
Dip