Task - Resource Allocation for Multiple Users with Differnt Work Hours

[Rich]

I have a task that takes 40 hours to complete. I asssign 3 people to
it. Two work full time and 1 works part time(3 hours per day during
the week and 8 on the weekends). If I set the resource allocation
for 100% for all users project takes the 40 hours and gives each
person 13.33 hours of work to do causing the task to take longer then
needed as the part time user takes more days to complete his 13.33
hours.

I would like to be able to
1. Have it allocate the resources based on getting the task done in
the least amount of calandar days rather then giving each person the
same amount of work. The guy that works 8 hours per day should just
keep working on the task until it is done.

Is this possible? I tried resource leveling which I thought might help
but it didnt seem to have any luck. The speciality employee also
charges more per hour if that can help microsoft project to figure out
resource allocation.

I posted a similar inquiry a while back and got a response from one
person who thought this was not possible. I think he might be right
but I don't understand why project can't handle that allocation. I
can manually edit the working hours the week of that task (once I know
when the task is starting) but I cant seem to do much else.

Until I get to the task in my schedule it shows that it will take way
longer then it really does. Any ideas on how I can fix

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Rich,

First a reply to part of your question:
" I don't understand why Project can't handle that allocation"
Because the guys who made Project did not program it )
Seriously, once you start using the word "optimising" chances are Project
doesn't do it.
One reason is that your definition of what is optimal may be different from
mine...

Now to solve this manually you do not have to know when the task starts
In Task usage View, in the left part (not the timescaled part on the right)
you enter Work for each assignment.


HTH

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Rich,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

Project does not have the ability to "optimise" resources, as optimisation
means different things to different people or in different circumstances,
and thus must remain with the project planner.

You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft Project in the
TechTrax ezine, particularly #10-Multiple Resource Assignments, at this
site: http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc or this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the article before leaving the site,
Thanks.)

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
MS Project MVP

 

[Rich Zellmer]

Thanks for the help again on this. I tried editing the hours worked for each
resource in the task usage view. The problem is that my one employee works
3 hours a day during the week and 8 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday and
my second employee can work 8 hours a day 7 days a week

I can adjust the resource usage to minimize the number of days the task
takes only if i know what days of the week the task is to take place on. If
the task starts on a Monday I need to move more of the hours to the 7 day a
week employee. If the task starts on a Saturday the ressource allocation
should be even assuming it can be done over the weekend.

That is what is getting me stuck. I can only figure out the resource
allocation if I know what days the task will take place on.

Since these two people are basicly interchangeable at this stage of the
project my backup plan is to make a new resource that combines the hours
these two people work. I could enter in an 11 hour work day on during the
week(8+3) and a 16 hour on Saturday and Sunday. This will keep my total
project timeline following the proper schedule so I know when to order
supplies. I was hoping there was something better though. If I have no
other choice I think I can assign the task to the "combined" resource and
then when the date the task will start is known I can break out the work by
individual person.

Anyone have a better idea then my solution above?

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

In addition to the other comments, there is one very crucial question to
address and that is what exactly do you mean when you say this task "takes
40 hours to complete?" Does it mean that the TIME for the task should be 40
hours from start to finish with all 3 people on it or does it mean that the
total number of man-hours required on the task should be 40 hours? The two
alternatives are not the same and present very, very different scheduling
issues. As a start, how many working hours (forget about calendar days for
now - they are essentially meaningless when figuring schedules) would it
take for *one* full-time resource working exclusively on that task, by
himself for his full regular work schedule, to complete required
deliverable?

 

[Rich Zellmer]

The 40 hours is the working hours to complete the project for one person.
The issue that I have is when I assingn this task to two people each get 20
hours and then the part timer takes many more calandar days to complete his
20 hours. If the task starts on a Saturday when they both work the same
hours it is not a problem as the part time working does 8 hours each day
Saturday and Sunday, does 3 hours Monday and 1 Tuesday. The full time does
8 hours Saturday and Sunday and then 4 on Monday. The problem starts if
the task starts on a Monday. the full time working does 8 hours Monday, 8
Tuesday and 4 Wednesday. The part time worker does 3 hours Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thrusday and Friday and then 5 on Saturday. I can fix this by
manually giving the full time worker more hours but I dont know how much
more to give him since it partially depends on if the tast runs over a
weekend. If I knew the task was running during the week I can give the
part time worker 3 hours for every 8 I give the full time. But if they run
over the weekend my breakdown becomes wrong.

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

I usually try to break down tasks to the level of "one resource = one task,"
a resource being either a single individual or a team of resources who must
work together as a unit. Since your resources can work independently,
attested by the fact that sometimes you'll have 1 person on the task but
other times you have 2, perhaps it can be broken down into two tasks that
can be scheduled independently. If that's not the case, you'll have to
manually distribute the hours ... I'd initially assign it to just the
full-timer and when you know pretty well when it can start, add the
part-timer by subtracting hours from the first guy and giving them to the
second using the usage view so they end up finishing their individual
portions of the task at the same time..

FYI - it may be nitpicky but nomenclature can be important in communication.
A "project" is a bunch of tasks that in the aggregate produce a unique
deliverable. It is broken down into work packages - "tasks" - that describe
the specific physical activities carried out by the resources in producing
that deliverable.

Hope this helps

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