Entering Resource Information in Project

This section describes all the ways for entering work resources into Microsoft Project:

  • Add addresses from an e-mail address book in the Assign Resources dialog box.

  • Enter resources directly in a table in the Resource Sheet.

  • Add detailed address information using the Resource Information dialog box.

  • Enter resources on a form, such as the Resources Form.

  • Add addresses automatically as you assign them.

Adding Address Book Resources with the Assign Resources Dialog Box

To quickly enter the names and e-mail addresses of people or groups who are in an e-mail address book, follow these steps:

  1. Display the Gantt Chart view, and click the Assign Resources button on the Standard toolbar (or choose Tools Ø Assign Resources) to open the Assign Resources dialog box:

    click to expand

  2. Click the + button next to Resource List Options to expand the dialog box and display additional options:

  3. Click the Add Resources button and then select From Address Book from the pull-down menu. Project will launch Outlook if it is not already running. You may be prompted to select an Outlook profile.

  4. Still within the Address Book, locate and double-click the address you want to add, or select multiple addresses and click Add. If you add a personal distribution group, all members of the group are added to the resource list.

    click to expand

  5. When you finish adding all the resources from the Address Book, click OK in the Select Resources dialog box, and Close in the Assign Resources dialog box.

You can add additional information about each resource and add material resources using the Resource Sheet and the Resource Information dialog box.

Adding New Resources with the Resource Sheet

The Resource Sheet is the primary means of entering new work and material resources for your pro-jects. As you can see in the Entry view of the Resource Sheet shown in Figure 9.1, you enter a variety of information about resources in the Resource Sheet, including all the fields listed in Table 9.1. Use the Entry view of the Resource Sheet to:

  • Enter resources for a project

  • Set up the pay rates and characteristics of resources

  • Group related resources so you can track data by groups

    click to expand
    Figure 9.1: Add work and material resources in the Resource Sheet.

To enter resources using the Resource Sheet, or to enter additional information on existing resources, follow these steps:

  1. Click View Ø Resource Sheet.

  2. Choose View Ø Table Ø Entry to make sure that the Entry form is displayed in the left side of the window.

  3. In the Resource Name field, type a resource name.

  4. Press Tab to move to the next field.

  5. Complete entry in the fields using the field descriptions found in Table 9.1.

    Table 9.1: Resource Sheet Fields

    Field

    Data Type

    Description

    ID

    Number

    Identifier assigned to the resource.

    Resource Name

    Text

    Name of the resource.

    Type

    Text

    What kind of resource it is: Work or Material.

    Material Label

    Text

    Unit of measurement for a material resource: tons, pounds, items, gross, and so on.

    Initials

    Text

    Initials to represent the resource name.

    Group

    Text

    Group name given to similar resources to indicate the category of resource (programmer, computer equip., marketing, and so on). Youcan use department names or codes, job titles or job types, or accounting codes for billing. Entering a group allows you to display, sort, filter, or edit resources by the resource group.

    Max Units

    Percentage/ Number

    Maximum percentage or number of units that represent the maximum capacity for which a work resource is available to accomplish any tasksduring the current time period. For more about Max Units, see “Defining Max Units,” earlier in this chapter.

    Std. Rate (Standard Rate)

    Currency

    Rate of pay per time unit for regular non-overtime work. The standard time unit is hour (as in dollars per hour); to enter a different time unit, include a forward slash and the unit. For example, to indicate a rate of $100 per day, you’d enter $100/d; to indicate $1,000 per week, you’d enter $1,000/w.

    Ovt. Rate (Overtime Rate)

    Currency

    Rate of pay per time unit for overtime hours. Be sure to enter a rate here, even if the rate is the same as the standard rate; otherwise, Project will calculate overtime hours at $0.00 per hour.

    Cost/Use

    Currency

    Cost that accrues each time you use a resource. For example, if a resource charges a set fee instead of an hourly rate, you would include that fee in this field. Or enter a set delivery charge for delivering a material resource.

    Accrue At

    Enumerated

    Determines when charges start accruing for a resourceat the start of a project, at the end, or throughout the project on a prorated basis. The default method is Prorated, which applies the costs as the resource is used.

    Base Calendar

    Enumerated

    Determines which calendarStandard, 24 Hours, or Night Shift willserve as the default calendar for the resource. You can adjust the calendar for the individual resource (see “Set Working Times from Resources,” later in this chapter), but it is still related to a base calendar.

    Code

    Text

    An open field; enter any additional code you want to use to classify a resource, such as a cost center number, a department number, and so on. Use it to sort, filter, and report on resources related to a code.

    Tip 

    If many of your resources are paid the same rate, you can set a default standard rate and overtime rate. Choose Tools Ø Options to open the Options dialog box and then select the General tab. In the Default Standard Rate field, type the rate. In the Default Overtime Rate field, enter the overtime rate. The default rates are applied to all new resources you created unless you change it.

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Displaying or Hiding Columns

If you are not using material resources in your project, you can hide the Resource Sheet’s Material Label column (or any other column) by right-clicking the column header and then choosing Hide Column from the context menu. To display a column that is not currently displayed, follow these steps:

  1. Select the column to the right of where you want the new column to be inserted.

  2. Right-click the selected column and then choose Insert Column.

  3. Select the column you want to display from the Field Name list in the Column Definition dialog box.

  1. In the Title field, enter the display name you want to use for the field.

  2. Set the alignment for the column title by choosing Center, Right, or Left from the Align Title field.

  3. Set the alignment for the data cells in the column by choosing Center, Right, or Left from the Align Data field.

  4. Adjust the field width by clicking the spin box arrows on the Width field.

  5. Click the Best Fit button if you want Project to determine the best column width, based on the data in the field.

  6. Click OK to insert the new column.

For more about creating and customizing views, refer to Chapter 16.

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Entering More Information with the Resource Information Dialog Box

The Resource Sheet displays only a subset of the total data you can enter about any given resource. The complete set of resource data is stored (and entered into) the Resource Information dialog box, shown in Figure 9.2. This dialog box consists of five tabs, described in Table 9.2, in which you can list more detailed data and include exception data, such as availability, about a resource.

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Figure 9.2: The Resource Information dialog box

Table 9.2: Resource Information Dialog Box Tabs

Tab Name

Description

General

Basic information about the selected resource and the resource’s availability

Working Time

The active working time calendar for the resource

Costs

Cost information about the selected resource

Notes

Notes about the selected resource

Custom Fields

New Enterprise Custom Fields that you’ve added to describe a resource (Professional only)

To open the Resource Information dialog box, double-click any resource, or select a resource in any resource view and then click the Resource Information button on the Standard toolbar. You can also open this dialog box by selecting a resource and then choosing Project Ø Resource Information.

Note 

Learn more about Enterprise Custom Fields in Chapter 25.

Reviewing and Entering General Information about a Resource

The data in the Resource Name, Initials, Group, Resource Type, and Code fields—and the Material Label field for material resources—are all entered from the Entry view of the Resource Sheet. You can make any desired changes to the data on the Resource Sheet or in the Resource Information dialog box. If you originally selected the resource from the Address Book using the Assignment dialog box (see “Adding Address Book Resources with the Assign Resources Dialog Box” earlier in this chapter), the resource’s e-mail address also appears here.

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About E-mail Addresses in Project

Even if you don’t enter a resource by selecting it from the Address Book, Project still recognizes any name that appears in your Outlook/Exchange Server Address lists. Project does not automatically enter the e-mail address for you, but it will access Outlook contact information if you click the Details button on the Resource Information dialog box, and it will appropriately address an e-mail message to the resource if you use the Workgroup features. After you have sent a message to a resource using the Workgroup features, Project then adds the e-mail address to the resource information.

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Defining Workgroup Type

The Workgroup field on the General page of the Resource Information dialog box defines how you intend to communicate with the resources in the project. You have four choices:

Default refers to the default setting that governs the entire project.

 Server  Microsoft Project Server uses Microsoft Project Server, Project 2002’s web-based communication system. Project Server must be set up by a system administrator, and has a number of other software and system requirements. The three chapters in Part V describe the process for installing and using Project Server.

E-mail only uses the default e-mail system to send and receive workgroup messages. For more about using the e-mail system, refer to Chapter 15.

None means that this resource will not be involved in workgroup messaging.

Project automatically assigns the default workgroup type to every resource. Unless you or your system administrator have changed the default workgroup type, it is probably set to the E-mail option. To review or change the default workgroup setting:

  1. Choose Tools Ø Options.

  2. Click the Collaborate tab.

    click to expand

  3. Select Microsoft Project Server, E-mail only, or None from the Collaborate Using drop-down list.

  4.  Server  If you select the Microsoft Project Server option, enter the URL of your server in the Microsoft Project Server URL field and then enter additional preferences for working with Server.

    Note 

    In most cases, your Project Server URL will be in the form of http://[servername]/projectserver, where [servername] is the name of the server on which Project Server is installed.

  5. If you want to set this configuration (either e-mail or Project Server) as the default for all new projects, click the Set as Default button.

  6. Click OK to close the dialog box and save the changes.

    Note 

    For details on setting up your workgroup to use Microsoft Project Server, see Chapter 20.

Entering a Windows User Account

 Server  Project Server user accounts can be created from existing Windows 2000 Server accounts, or as separate Project Server accounts, validated by Project Server. If you are using Microsoft Project Server as the primary workgroup communication method and the resource has an account on your Windows 2000 network, you can enter the resource’s Windows 2000 account name in the Windows Account field—or you can click the Windows Account button and then locate the user account name in the address book. (If you need more information about this setting, see your Project Server administrator or Windows 2000 network administrator.)

Tip 

To learn more about a specific option in any dialog box, click the question mark button in the upper-right corner of the dialog box. When the mouse pointer changes to a question mark, click the option for which you want information. A description of that option appears on screen. For even more detailed information about each tab in the dialog box, click the Help button at the bottom of each tab.

Entering Resource Availability

The Resource Availability table on the General tab of the Resource Information dialog box can track the Available From date and the Available To date—start and finish dates— for a resource if either one differs from the Project Start or Finish Date. By default, the start and finish dates of the project are designated by NA in the Available From and Available To fields.

If the resource is available from the start of the project but not until the end, leave NA in the Available From field. If a resource can’t start at the beginning of a project but is available to the end of the project after starting, leave NA in the Available To field. Enter specific dates that relate only to the resource, not to the proposed start or finish date for the project. This prevents problems from occurring if the project’s start/finish date changes—the dates you entered would no longer correspond to the current start or finish date.

To enter specific dates that a resource is available, follow these steps:

  1. If the resource’s start date does not correspond to the project’s start date, select the Available From field and then choose a start date from the drop-down calendar.

  2. If the resource’s finish date does not correspond to the project’s finish date, select the Available To field and then choose an end date from the drop-down calendar.

  3. Click the Units field to adjust the maximum units available to work on a project, if appropriate.

Contouring Resource Availability

With Microsoft Project, one resource can have several different availability periods during the course of a project, as well as differing amounts of availability (maximum units) during each period. Let’s say Lisa is a marketing person who is going to work on the project to help conduct the marketing analysis and prepare marketing materials. When you asked Lisa if she could work on the project, she told you that she has only two weeks of full-time availability at the start of the project; after that, she can only offer one day a week for the duration. Lisa’s availability can be entered as shown in Figure 9.3. Later, when you assign Lisa to tasks, Project calculates the schedule for the tasks assigned to her, based on her availability at the proposed start date for the task. If you schedule Lisa at 100% when she’s only available 20% (one day a week), Project will indicate that Lisa is overallocated.

Warning 

Resource availability isn’t related to a resource’s rates of pay. If the rate of pay changes during different time periods, you must enter that information in the resource’s Cost Rate Table. See “Entering Cost Information,” later in this chapter.

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Figure 9.3: Contour resource availability to show when a person is available to work on a project.

Changing the Working Time for a Resource

When you assign a resource to a task, Microsoft Project uses the resource calendar information to calculate the work for that resource. You must have an accurate working calendar for Project to accurately schedule work. When you create a resource, Project assigns the default working calendar to the resource. You can customize the working calendar for a specific resource on the Working Time tab of the Resource Information dialog box, shown in Figure 9.4, or by selecting the resource in any resource view and then choosing Tools Ø Change Working Time.

Note 

Material resources do not use resource calendars.

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Figure 9.4: Use the Working Time tab to make changes to a resource’s working time.

Managing the Base Calendar

When you open the Working Time calendar from the Resource Information dialog box, you have access only to the calendar for the specific resource that you have open. While you can make changes to the resource calendar and assign a different base calendar to the resource, you cannot make any changes to the base calendar.

To make changes to the base calendar, you have to open the Change Working Time dialog box from the Tools menu (Tools Ø Change Working Time). From here you have access to all the base and resource calendars; select the calendar you are interested in reviewing from the For drop-down list.

Tip 

You can distinguish a resource calendar from a base calendar because a resource calendar has the same name as the resource itself.

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Project’s Built-In Base Calendars

As you learned in Chapter 6, Microsoft Project has three built-in base calendars:

Standard  base calendar has a standard work day and work week of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a break from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

24 Hours base calendar runs around the clock from Sunday through Saturday, 12:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This calendar is typically assigned to non-human resources such as a press that runs 24 hours a day, or to a resource group such as Security that covers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Night Shift  base calendar includes working times from Monday night through Saturday morning, 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., with a break from 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.

The base calendar that is set as the project default in the Project Information dialog box (choose Project Ø Project Information) is designated as the default calendar. Make any changes that affect multiple resources in the default project base calendar before editing the calendar for individual resources. Refer to Chapter 6 for more about making changes to the base calendar and creating custom calendars.

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Tip 

If you make changes to the project calendar that affect the number of working hours per day, hours per week, or days per month, you need to manually change the settings on the Calendar tab of the Options dialog box (see “Changing the Default Calendar Options” in Chapter 6). The Working Times calendars control when work is scheduled, but the Calendar tab settings affect the way Project converts task durations into work. Chapter 10 discusses in detail how project schedules work.

Setting Work Times for Resources

Whether you access a resource’s calendar from the Tools menu or from the Resource Information dialog box, you can use the resource’s calendar to enter specific working and nonworking times for the resource. Because it is based on a base calendar, the resource calendar shares the times reflected there; however, the resource may have different work hours, planned days off, or limited availability during the project schedule. Although you can adjust for a resource who is not available on a full-time basis through the assignment of maximum units, you can also adjust their calendar to reflect the available hours and leave the maximum units at 100% (100% of the total available hours reflected in the resource’s calendar).

Assigning Calendars to Resources

If you want to assign a different base calendar (for example, the Night Shift calendar) to a resource, open the Resource Information dialog box, and click the Working Time tab; then select a new calendar from the Base calendar drop-down list.

The resource will now inherit all the characteristics of the new base calendar—that is, working and nonworking time, including specified days off.

Making Changes to a Resource Calendar

To change the working times for any of the dates in the resource calendar, you must first select the dates you want to change. Table 9.3 reviews the methods for selecting dates.

Table 9.3: Selecting Dates in the Working Time Calendar

To Select:

Action

A single date

Click the date.

Multiple dates

Hold Ctrl and click each date.

Consecutive dates

Click the first date and hold the Shift key before clicking the last date in the sequence.

Day of the week

Click the column header for that day.

Multiple days of the week

Hold Ctrl and click the column headers or drag across column headers to select consecutive days.

To change a date to a nonworking date, select the date and then click the Nonworking Time option. Project shades the date in the Calendar and underlines it to indicate that it deviates from the default calendar.

To change the working hours of a particular day of the week (for example, all Fridays), select the day by clicking the Day header to select the entire column and then click the Nondefault working time option. Enter the scheduled working time in the From and To fields, as shown in Figure 9.5. Pressing Tab to move between the To and From fields automatically selects the contents. If times are already entered in the To and From boxes, you can select them by pointing to the left edge of the box and then clicking when the pointer changes to a right-pointed arrow.

click to expand
Figure 9.5: Change the working hours of a specific day

When you have entered new times, Project designates the edited working hours by a lightly shaded pattern.

Tip 

To enter a work shift that extends beyond midnight, you must enter the time up to midnight (that is, 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.) on one day and the time after midnight on the next day (12:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.).

If you want to change any of the calendar dates back to the default working times, select the dates and then choose the Use Default option in the Change Working Time dialog box.

Warning 

The Use Default option changes a particular date back to the default for that weekday. If you change the default for that weekday, clicking Use Default changes the day back to the new default, not to the original default for that day. To change an entire weekday back to the original default, select the day column and choose Use Default.

Entering Cost Information

Although Microsoft is clear about the fact that Project is not a cost-accounting system, you can still assign and track costs to make projections about project costs, and monitor a project’s budget. (These are managerial accounting rather than cost accounting functions, after all.) On the Costs tab of the Resource Information dialog box shown in Figure 9.6, you can record up to five different rates for a selected resource that you can then assign to tasks. For example, if you have a resource called Technical Writers and the three writers you use have different rates, you can enter each rate separately and still maintain and assign Technical Writers as one resource.

click to expand
Figure 9.6: Enter costs for material and work resources on the Costs tab.

In addition to entering separate rate schedules, you can enter up to 25 changes from the established rate in each schedule to account for price changes in material resources and pay rate changes in work resources. Each of these rates includes an Effective Date, a Standard Rate, an Overtime Rate, and a Per Use Cost.

To enter costs for a resource, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Resource Information dialog box, and click the Costs tab.

  2. If the Effective Date of the cost is the same as the project start date, do not enter an effective date; otherwise, in Table A, type in a date or click the drop-down arrow in the field and then select a date from the calendar.

  3. Enter the Standard Rate.

    • For work resources, Project assumes $ per hour ($45.00/h). Type in /y for year, / m for month and /d for day if you want to enter a different type of rate.

    • Material resources use the Material Label you assigned the resource on the General tab in the Material Label field. For example, if you enter $3 and the Material Label is boxes, the Standard Rate would be interpreted as $3 per box ($3/box).

  4. Enter the Overtime Rate for work resources, even if the Overtime Rate is the same as the Standard Rate. If a work resource works overtime hours, any additional hours are charged at this rate.

  5. Enter any additional Per Use Costs for a resource. For example, include costs for delivery or shipping and handling of material resources, or mileage fees for consultants.

  6. If you know when rate increases or decreases will occur, click in the second row, and type in or select an effective date for the change, along with new Standard Rate, Overtime Rate, and Per Use Cost numbers. When you enter new rates, you can enter a fixed rate or a percentage increase or decrease from the rate in the first row; for example, you can enter +10% to indicate a 10% rate increase.

    click to expand

  7. If you want to enter a second rate table, click the B tab and repeat steps 2ñ6. Repeat these steps as necessary for tabs C, D, and E.

Assigning a Cost-Accrual Method

The cost-accrual method is the way the costs will be paid out after the project starts. You have three accrual choices:

Prorated is the default choice; it attributes costs to the project as the resources are used.

Start is the choice you want to make if the costs are due at the beginning of the project.

End is appropriate if the costs are due as the project is completed.

Because cost accrual cannot be assigned to individual rate tables, you must create a separate resource if the resources within a group have different accrual methods. For example, let’s say you have a resource called Conference Rooms that you rent when you need to hold a large meeting. One conference room is owned by a facility that accepts a purchase order for you for payment, whereas another requires payment up front. You would need to list these facilities as separate resources, so you could list the first one with an End accrual method and the second one with a Start accrual method.

To assign a cost-accrual method to the costs, select your choice from the Cost Accrual drop-down list on the Costs tab of the Resource Information dialog box.

Handling Costs That Don’t Fit

For many projects in which you are using outside consultants to complete all or part of the project, you may be obligated to pay them upon completing a specific task, reaching a milestone, or beginning work on a subproject. This type of cost arrangement does not lend itself to assigning costs directly to resources. In these cases, you can get a more accurate picture of a project’s costs and cash flows by assigning fixed costs to specific tasks in the project. If some of the resources for a project work on a fixed rather than an hourly basis, don’t assign costs to those resources. Assign fixed costs directly to the fixed-cost tasks. For more information about assigning fixed costs, see “Entering Fixed Costs,” later in this chapter.

Adding Notes about Resources

You can add any additional information you want to store about a resource on the Notes tab of the Resource Information dialog box, shown in Figure 9.7. For instance, you can

  • Enter new notes about a resource

  • Revise or add to existing notes

  • Format notes

  • Insert objects into a note

    click to expand
    Figure 9.7: Use the Notes tab to enter notes and attach documents.

Table 9.4 provides an overview of the Notes toolbar.

Table 9.4: Notes Tab toolbar options

Button

Button Name

Description

Format Font

Opens the Font dialog box to change font, font size, font style, underline, color, and script.

Align Left

Aligns paragraphs on the left.

Center

Centers paragraphs.

Align Right

Aligns paragraphs on the right.

Bulleted List

Inserts a bullet and a tab. Bullets stay on until you click the Bulleted List button or press Enter twice.

Insert Object

Inserts an object created in another application, such as a Word document, an Excel workbook, a graphic, or other object.

You can insert plain or formatted text into a note, or you can insert an object, such as a file from Word, Excel, or other similar program. When you insert an object, you can choose to insert the contents of the document, as shown in Figure 9.8, or you can include an icon like this to represent the document:

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Figure 9.8: Insert the entire contents of an object.

Whether you insert the object as an icon or insert the entire object, you can link the object to the original by clicking Create from File and selecting the Link check box on the Insert Object dialog box, shown in Figure 9.9. Any changes made to the original object are immediately reflected in the linked object, as long as the original object and the project continue to be stored in the same file locations.

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Figure 9.9: Link an object to its source by selecting the Link check box.

To insert an object into a note, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Insert Object button on the Notes tab of the Resource Information dialog box. It may take a few seconds for the Insert Object dialog box to open.

  2. Choose Create New if you want to create a new object from one of the applications listed in the Object Type list, or select Create From File if you want to attach an existing object.

  3. If you chose Create New in step 2, Project launches the application. Create the object and then close the application. Project inserts the new object into the Notes tab.

  4. If you chose Create From File in step 2, enter the complete file path or click the Browse button to locate the object file. When you find it, select it and then click OK. Project enters the file name in the File box.

  5. Choose whether you want to link the file to the original object by clicking the Link check box.

  6. Click the Display as Icon check box if you want to insert an icon and not display the entire document. If you choose this option, you can change the icon by clicking the Change Icon button.

  7. Click OK to insert the object.

If you do not link the object and choose the Display as Icon option, Project displays the object’s type as the name of the icon (for example, Spreadsheet) rather than the actual file name.

Closing the Resource Information Dialog Box

You have now completed entering all of the information in the Resource Information dialog box. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Much of the information you entered in the Resource Information dialog box is available in the Resource Sheet view. If you added a note to a resource, a Note icon appears in the Indicators column of the Resource Sheet, as you can see in Figure 9.10. Point to the icon to see all or part of the note, or double-click the Notes icon to read the entire note.

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Figure 9.10: Read all or part: of a note

Adding Resources Using Resource Pools

In addition to creating resources for each individual project, Project includes two other methods for using resources:

  • Share resources being used in another project.

  • Use resources from a resource pool.

Both of these options allow you to create resources once and use them again. In both cases, you are sharing resources. The only difference is whether you are sharing resources with another active project, or creating a separate resource pool. A resource pool is a project file created solely for the purpose of storing resource information that is shared among multiple projects. Creating a resource pool is generally the preferred method of sharing resources because it makes it easier to manage task assignments between the resources shared in the pool.

For more about resource pools, see “Using Resources from Another Project or Resource Pool” in Chapter 14.

Adding Resources Automatically

When you begin assigning resources to tasks, as you’ll do in Chapter 10, you can create resources as you assign them. Any name you enter in the Resource Name field is automatically added to your list of resources.

This is an option that you can disable if you prefer by selecting Tools Ø Options, selecting the General tab, and deselecting the option to Automatically Add New Resources and Tasks. With this option disabled, if you enter a resource into the Gantt chart or other task view, you are warned that this resource is not in the pool and you are given the option to add it.

Disabling this option provides protection against inadvertently adding a variation of a resource’s name that is already in the pool—Pat Summitt, rather than Patricia Summitt, for example.



Mastering Microsoft Project 2002
Mastering Microsoft Project 2002
ISBN: 0782141471
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 241

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