Using Priority to Level a Project

[Paul Filkin]

Hello,
I have a project with hundreds of small tasks to be completed. I have
estimated durations for each one, but no real logic behind them. I wanted to
use MSProject to record progress and continually recalculate the time left.
So, I assigned Priorities to each items so that the general sequence of work
would be pretty realistic at least.
My problem is that the levelling priorities do not seem to be taken into
account at all and the sequence of work makes no sense to me.
I am sure I did this in the past with MSProject 2003, and now I have 2007.
Can you help point me in the right direction for anything I may have done
wrong.
Kind regards
Paul.

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

First, I like this approach, it is often the most realistic one.
Two conditions are necessary to make it work properly
1. Assign a resoruce to each task (preferably at 100%)
2. In the lebveling window select Priority, standard as priority order.
HTH

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

 

[Paul Filkin]

Hi Trevor,

Thanks for your response. I'll answer your questions first.

Do you have Resources assigned to Tasks? Yes

Are they over-allocated?

Yes. Currently they all start on the same date and time, and I have used
one resopurce for every task.

Have you used Tools, Level Resources? Yes.

With what settings and options?

Manual levelling
Day by Day basis for overallocation
Level entire Project
levelling order - Priority, Standard
Levelling can adjust individual assignments on a task
Levelling can create splits in remaining work

On your general questions. I don't want to use any hard links between the
tasks, I want the resource levelling to drive this as I am more interested
in work left and tracking what has been done. This particular projec plan
is too bitty and with tasks suddenly becoming useful to complete together
when they weren't originally, that linking now would an onerus and time
wasting process. And I have a start date, and a date at which I want to
release a Service Pack so I am interested in how many of these tasks I can
get completed in the time available.

I hope this helps shed a little more light on this? I cannot see for the
life of me what I am doing wrong, but I know I have done this before
successfully.... some years ago though;-)

Thanks for your advice so far, I'm hoping that goiong over your points again
may help me notice something I have done wrong, but not so far.

Regards

Paul

 

[Paul Filkin]

Hi Jan.

Thanks for your note. This is indeed how I am working now, but I must have
something else incorrectly set.

Regards

Paul

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

If necessary send me the file, I'll have a look
jandemesATprom-ade.be

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

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

How about "Level Only within available Slack"? Should be OFF.
--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[Paul Filkin]

Thanks Jan, I'll do that. I tried the "within available slack" but that
didn't help either. I'm sure I'm doing something silly but can't put my
finger on it.

Regards

Paul

 

[Steve House]

Try leveling Hour-by-Hour. That setting is essentially the smallest amount
of overlap that the leveling engine will worry about. If it's left on
Day-by-Day, the tasks may be too short for the engine to recognize the
overlaps.

 

[Paul Filkin]

Thanks Steve,

Actually this is exactly what Jan did to resolve this for me. Plus of
couirse, I was being particularly dim and didn't sort in Priority order
afterwards... which is exactly why my programme did not appear to be doing
what it should.

It's now all fine, so thank you for your help - Jan, Trevor and Steve.

Regards

Paul