Assigning multiple resource to one task - with different effective hours per resource

Question

Hi all

I am a little rusty.  I am working in 2010.

I have been given the durations (in days) that tasks will take.  I have multiple resources, all of whom will be working on the same tasks, all assigned units will differ, example, resource A will spend 60%, B will spend 20% and C will spend 20%. 

Apparently each resource with have a different number of effective hours per day.

How should I handle this in the schedule?

thanks

JD

Answer 1

JD,

Let's see if we can oil that "rusty".

What exactly do you mean that you have been given the durations? Does that mean your tasks are fixed duration type? And what do you mean with regard to each resource having a different number of effective hour per day? For example, does resource A at 60% mean he/she is only available to work on the task 60% of his/her normal 8 hour day and that he/she will spend the other 40% working on other tasks, or does it mean that resource A only works 4.8 hours each day? The former is simply an assignment value (i.e. 60%) whereas the second is a custom calendar having a limited work day.

Let's assume a task is estimated to take 10 days and each resource works a normal 8 hour day. Set up the task for a 10 day duration and then assign each resource for their respective assignment level (i.e. using the Resources/Assignments group/Assign Resources window, set resource A at 60%, resource B at 20% and resource C at 20%). With the default fixed units type task Project will automatically reduce the duration to 6 days. If you need it to still be 10 days, then edit the Duration field to 10 days and Project will automatically increase the total work to 80 hours.

Now let's take the case where each resource only works a limited number of hours each day. On the Resource Sheet select each resource and then select Project/Change Working Time. In the Change Working Time window, hit the Workweek tab at the bottom and then the Details button on the right. Set up the daily work hours for that resource. Do the same for each resource. Now when you assign those resources to a task, you will assign them at 100%, their custom calendar will tell Project how to set their daily work schedule to the task.

Still squeaky? Hope this helps.

John

Answer 2

JD,

Confused still? That's not good, although I confess that being confused is my state of mind for most of every day.

With regard to setting up resource calendars after the fact, that shouldn't be a problem as long as there has been no activity on the task/resource that would be affected. In other words, you can't change history. Obviously the best approach is to set up the framework, (i.e. resources, calendars, etc.), before laying in the schedule.

With regard to your second question, I'm not quite sure how you ended up with a duration of 7.38 days. When I do it, my duration immediately after assigning Bob at 80% and Joe at 20% yields a new duration of 7.5 days, however depending on the task type, (i.e. fixed duration, fixed units, or fixed work), you will get different results. If you desire is to fix the duration and also have the assignment levels stay constant, you will need to set the task type to fixed duration, non-effort driven. Then enter 5 days duration and assign your resources. You will end up with a task that has a duration of 5 days, and with Bob at 80% of his 6 h work day, and Joe at 20% of his 4h work day, the total task work will be 28 hours.

If this answers your question, please mark it as the answer. Note, marking as the answer does not close or prevent the discussion from continuing, it simply recognizes that my responses have been helpful.

John

Answer 3

Hi John

Thank you for your patience explaining this.  I think the fog is clearing.  The explanation you gave above really helped.  I am pleased I appear to be on the right track!

I do have a couple more questions though.  I haven't been given the individual resource calendars yet, and so have each resource set as standard working and have assigned them at their given allocation to the tasks (bob at 80% etc).

Is there any way I can go back retrospectively and give each resource a calendar or will I have to start building the schedule again?

Also, I am normally given the work estimate, which I use when setting up a schedule.  In this case I was given the duration in days.  When I questioned this I was told that the duration (in days) is what they believed the task could be completed in.

I think this is where I am getting confused.

Say I have my resource calendars set up against bob and joe as in the example you gave above.  I have been told a task will take 5 days.  This is where I'm getting confused. 

How do I assign the work hrs so that when I assign Bob at 80% and Joe at 20%, the duration equals 5 days?

My standard calendar is 8 hrs per day.  I create a task, enter 5 days and assign bob at 80% and Joe at 20%.  It calculates the work at 40 hours, and the duration at 7.38 days.  I need it to be 5 days.

Thanks for your help!

JD

Answer 4

JD,

I agree, that setting up custom calendars and less than full time effort can be confusing but the good news is, from what you are telling me, you are exactly on track.

Just to confirm. Let's say we have two resources, Bob and Joe. Bob only works 6 hours a day and Joe only works 4 hours a day so you create custom resource calendars showing those work hours schedules. Now let's say you have two fixed work tasks, A and B with 40 hours each. For task A, both resources are assigned at 100%. Project will automatically set the duration of task A to be 3.25 days based on the task work content and the available work schedules of each resource. For task B, Bob works 80% and Joe works 20%. Project will set the duration of task B to be 6.5 days, again based on the task work content and the available work schedules of each resource.

You can readily see how the hours are spread for each task and resource in the Resource Usage view.

Still confused?

John

Answer 5

Hello!

Thanks so much for your email.  I think I could explain better.

I have given a list of tasks.  Against these tasks someone has given me the duration in days that they think the task will take overall.

They have gone through the tasks on paper and told me that resource (A) will do 80% of a task and resource (B) will do 20% of the same task.  So assuming a task duration is 1 day and that 1 day = 8 hours, I assigned the resources as 80% and 20% to give me the desired duration of 1 day.

Eg; 40hrs = 5 days, resource assigned as A) 25%, B) 20%, C) 55%

However they have since said that each resource should have their own number of max hours they can work on jobs per day.  Some may be 4 hours, and others 6 hours.  I would normally adjust the resource calendars to reflect this, so that a resource could only have work assigned for the hours I have said he is available per day.  I would then assign him at 100% to any task associated with him.

However, this is where I am now confused.  I have a request to have multiple resources assigned to the same task.  I have been given the percentage that they will contribute towards the task.  And I have also been told that each resource should effectively have a different resource calendar.

If I set the resource calendar to the number of hours I want the resource to be able to work per day, but then assign them to the task using the figures I was given of say 80% of a task.  So when I assign the resource I assign them in the "assign resources" box as 80% (units), can this be right?

I am utterly confused!

I normally always set my schedules up as fixed work, which is what I have done here.

Please help me understand where I am going wrong?

Thanks

JD