Adding Work Resources to the Project


The following types of resources can accomplish work on your tasks :

  • People

  • Equipment

  • Materials

Microsoft Project consolidates these resources into two resource types. Work resources consist of people and equipment, which use time as a measure of effort on a task. Material resources are consumable supplies , which use quantity as a measure of effort on a task.

Cross-References  

For more information about material resources, see "Adding Material Resources to the Project," later in this chapter.

Add resources to your project simply by entering their names into your project plan. To automate the process, you can select resource names from your company's e-mail address book. If you have a resource list in a Microsoft Excel workbook, you can import it into your project plan. After your resources are in place, you can add information regarding their availability, costs, notes, and more.

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Project Management Practices: Staffing Management

Ongoing operations such as accounts payable or shipping and receiving always need to be staffed "forever." In projects, however, that's not the case: Because projects have a specific beginning and ending point, there's a definite starting point when you begin to need resources. There's also a definite ending point when resources are no longer needed because the project is complete. In between the start and finish dates, there are likely to be ramp-up and ramp-down periods, which often take place at a variety of times for different phases or functions.

Given this condition of project staffing, it's important to have a clear sense of when you actually need people to work on projects, what you need them for, at what point you don't need them anymore, and what happens to them after that point.

A staffing management plan is considered a subset of your project plan. It describes when and how your human resources will be brought on and taken off your project team. An excellent way to develop your staffing management plan is to develop your task list and preliminary schedule using generic resources, which can help you to determine your staffing needs based on specific tasks in the schedule.

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Adding Resource Names Manually

To add resources to your project by simple data entry, follow these steps:

  1. Click View, Resource Sheet to switch to the Resource Sheet view (see Figure 6-1).

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    Figure 6-1: Enter Resource information on the Resource Sheet.

  2. Make sure the Entry table is applied. Click View, Table, Entry.

  3. In the first Resource Name field, type the name of a resource and then press Enter.

  4. Enter the names of other resources in the same way.

If a piece of equipment will be integral to the successful completion of a task, enter its name as a work resource, just as you would a human resource.

Tip  

Sort your resource names       When you have all the resources entered, you might want to sort them in a particular order and keep them in that order. In the Resource Sheet, click Project, Sort, Sort By. In the Sort By field, click the field you want the resources sorted by; for example, Name, or Group . Select the Permanently Renumber Resources check box and then click Sort. This procedure makes this particular order permanent because it renumbers the Unique ID for each resource.

Whenever you select the Permanently Renumber Resources check box and click Sort, it's a very good idea to open the Sort dialog box again, click Reset and then click Cancel. This process clears the Permanently Renumber Resources check box. This way, the next time you sort your resources for some temporary need, you won't inadvertently renumber the resources again.

You can enter actual names of resources or you can enter generic resources . A generic resource is a title or other similar description of the resource instead of an actual name; for example, Accountant, Marketing Specialist, Sales Representative (see Figure 6-2).

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Figure 6-2: Use either actual resource names or generic categories of resources to get started.

As you bring resources into the project, you can either leave the generic names or you can replace the generic names with the actual names. Whenever you change resource names in the Resource Sheet, the names are changed on any assigned tasks automatically.

Tip  

Apply the Entry “ Work Resources table       If you're entering a significant number of work resources or if you don't expect to enter any material resources, apply the Entry “ Work Resources table. This table has only those resource fields applicable to work resources.

With the Resource Sheet showing, click View, Table, More Tables. Click Entry “ Work Resources and then click Apply.

Troubleshooting: You have duplicate resource names, and information is being tracked separately for each instance
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Whether you enter actual names or generic names, be aware that Microsoft Project allows duplicate entries of the same name. Through the use of a unique identifier (Unique ID) for each resource record you enter, the duplicate entries appear unique to the Microsoft Project database. The problem is that when you assign tasks to a duplicated resource, you might assign some tasks to one instance of the resource and other tasks to another instance. Microsoft Project tracks the resource and assignment information as if they are separate resources, so your information is skewed.

If you've entered a long list of resources, it's a good idea to sort the resource list and review the sorted list to check for duplicates. In the Resource Sheet, click Project, Sort, By Name.

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Tip  

Mark generic resources and automatically substitute them       If you're using Microsoft Office Project Professional 2003 with Project Server 2003 and the enterprise features, you can mark generic resources as such. Double-click the resource name to open the Resource Information dialog box. Make sure that the General tab is displayed and then select the Generic check box.

When your project is connected to Project Server, you can use the Resource Substitution Wizard to search throughout the enterprise resource pool to find the resources with the skill set and availability you need. When the right resource is found, the Resource Substitution Wizard replaces the generic resource with the real resource who can now work on your project.

Cross-References  

For information about the Resource Substitution Wizard and the Team Builder, see "Building Your Team Using Enterprise Resources".

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Estimate Resource Requirements Using Generic Resources

Entering generic resources can help you estimate which resources and how many of a type of resource you need to meet your project finish date within a targeted budget. Enter your generic resources in the Resource Sheet and then assign them to tasks.

Cross-References  

For more information about associating resources with specific tasks, see Chapter 7, "Assigning Resources to Tasks."

Check the calculated project finish date to see if you need additional resources to meet the targeted project finish date. Check the total project costs to see if you need to change your resource mix to meet your budget.

When you finish tweaking your project plan to meet your requirements, you'll know which resources you need.

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Proposing Tentative Resources

 New  Feature     If you're using Project Professional 2003, you can specify that a resource be proposed or committed to your project. Adding proposed resources and assigning them to tasks can help you decide whether a particular resource is needed without locking up their availability on other projects. You and other project managers and resource managers can search for resources and include or exclude proposed resources.

All resources you add are booked as committed to your project by default. To specify that a resource be proposed rather than committed, follow these steps:

  1. Display the Resource Sheet.

  2. Click the resource you want to specify as proposed.

  3. On the Standard toolbar, click Resource Information.

  4. In the Resource Information dialog box, be sure the General tab is showing.

  5. In the Booking Type box, click Proposed.

Adding Resources from Your E-Mail Address Book

If Microsoft Project is installed on the same computer as your company's Microsoft Exchange e-mail connection, you can add resources to your project plan from the e-mail address book. To do this:

  1. Click Insert, New Resource From, Address Book.

    If the Choose Profile dialog box appears, click the profile name for your e-mail system.

    The Select Resources dialog box appears.

  2. Click the resources you want and then click the Add button to add the selected resources to your project plan.

    You can add all resources contained in a group or distribution list. Add the name of the group to your list, just as you would add an individual resource. When you click OK, Microsoft Project asks whether you want to expand the group to list the individual resources in the project plan.

    Tip  

    Add resources from Project Server       If you're connected to Project Server to use the enterprise features, Project Web Access 2003, or both, you have access to all existing resources identified in the server. Click Insert, New Resource From, Microsoft Project Server. The Build Team dialog box appears. Under Enterprise Resource, select the team members you want to add to your project and then click Add. The names are added to the Team Resource table. When finished, click OK.

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Add Resources Using the Project Guide

You can also use the Project Guide to help add resources to your project plan. It can walk you through the steps to enter resources manually; to add them from your company address book or directory, or from Project Server. To add resources using the Project Guide:

  1. On the Project Guide toolbar, click Resources.

  2. In the Project Guide pane, click the Specify People And Equipment For The Project link.

  3. Read the succeeding panes and make choices as directed (see Figure 6-3).


    Figure 6-3: Make the choices you want, follow any directions, and click the controls provided. The Project Guide walks you through the process.

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Using Resource Information from Microsoft Excel

Suppose you have a list of resources in a Microsoft Excel workbook. You can easily use it to populate your project's Resource Sheet. You can copy information or you can import the file.

To copy a resource list from an Excel workbook, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Excel workbook that contains the resource list.

  2. Select the resource names. On the Standard toolbar in Excel, click Copy.

  3. Open the project plan. If necessary, click View, Resource Sheet.

  4. In the Resource Name column, click the cell where you want to begin inserting the copied resources.

  5. On the Standard toolbar in Microsoft Project, click Paste.

You can also use the Microsoft Project Plan Import Export Template to import resources from Excel to Microsoft Project. The standard Excel importing process involves mapping the Excel columns to the corresponding Microsoft Project columns to ensure that the right information ends up in the right locations in your Resource Sheet. The Microsoft Project Plan Import Export Template is set up to enter more detailed resource information in the format needed by Microsoft Project. To do this, make sure that Excel and the Microsoft Project Plan Import Export Template are installed on the same computer as Microsoft Project, and then follow these steps:

  1. Start Microsoft Excel.

  2. Click File, New.

  3. In the New Workbook task pane, click General Templates.

    The Templates dialog box appears.

  4. Click the Spreadsheet Solutions tab (see Figure 6-4).

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    Figure 6-4: Two templates are available in Microsoft Excel to facilitate entering information in Microsoft Project.

  5. Double-click the Microsoft Project Plan Import Export Template.

    The template creates a new file with columns that correspond to the most commonly used fields in Microsoft Project.

  6. At the bottom of the workbook window, click the Resource_Table tab.

  7. Enter resources and any other resource information in the columns provided (see Figure 6-5). Save the file.

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    Figure 6-5: The Resource_Table sheet of the Microsoft Project Plan Import Export Template in Excel contains the most commonly used resource fields.

    Note  

    If you're working with a version of Microsoft Excel 2000 or earlier, you can still use the Microsoft Project Plan Import Export template. Open Excel and then click File, New. Click the 1033 or Spreadsheet Solutions tab. Double-click the Microsoft Project Plan Import Export Template.

When you're ready to import the resource list into your project plan, follow these steps:

  1. If necessary, open the project plan.

  2. On the Standard toolbar, click Open.

  3. Go to the location on your computer or network where the Excel workbook is saved.

  4. In the Files Of Type list, click Microsoft Excel Workbooks (*.xls).

    The task list appears in the list of folders and files.

  5. Click the task list workbook and then click the Open button.

    The Import Wizard appears (see Figure 6-6).

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    Figure 6-6: The Import Wizard helps you import the resource information from your Excel workbook into your project plan.

  6. In the first wizard page, click Next.

  7. Click Project Excel Template and then click Next.

  8. Specify whether you want to import the file as a new project, append the resources to the currently active project, or merge the data into the active project.

  9. Click Finish (see Figure 6-7).

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    Figure 6-7: The resource information is imported into Microsoft Project as you specified.

    Cross-References  

    For more information about using Microsoft Project with other applications, see "Importing and Exporting Information" and Chapter 17, "Integrating Microsoft Project with Microsoft Excel." For more information about adding resources to your project plan from a shared resource pool file, see "Sharing Resources Using a Resource Pool". For more information about adding resources from the enterprise resource pool, see "Building Your Enterprise Project Team".

Specifying Resource Availability

It's likely that many of your resources will work full-time on your project. But suppose you have two part-timers: one is available half-time, and the other is available three out of the five working days.

You can specify this kind of resource availability by setting the resource's maximum units , also referred to as resource units . The full-time resources are each available at 100 percent maximum units. The half-time resource is available at 50 percent maximum units. The other part-timer is available at 60 percent maximum units. When you assign resources to tasks, those tasks are scheduled according to that resource's availability.

But 50 percent of what, you might ask? The maximum units is the percentage of time shown as available in the resource's working time calendar. If a resource calendar shows working time of Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M., with an hour off for lunch , then 100% maximum units means a 40-hour workweek. 50% maximum units means a 20-hour workweek. Likewise, if a resource calendar shows working time of Monday through Friday, 9:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M., then 100% maximum units means a 20-hour workweek. 50% maximum units for this resource would be a 10- hour workweek.

Here's another scenario: suppose that you have three engineers, two architects , and four drafters, all working a full-time schedule. Instead of naming them individually, you decide you want to name your resources by their functions and consolidate them into a single resource representing multiple individuals. You can do that with maximum units as well. The three engineers together are available at 300 percent, the two architects at 200 percent, and the four drafters at 400 percent.

If you have three full-time drafters and one half-time drafter, your Drafters resource is available at 350 percent maximum units.

To enter maximum units, simply type the percentage in the Max. Units field in the Resource Sheet (see Figure 6-8).

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Figure 6-8: You can enter maximum units when you enter resource names, or come back to it later. The default for the Max. Units field is 100%.

Now, suppose your staffing plan specifies that you'll start the project life cycle needing four drafters. After three months, you'll need only three drafters. Two months later, you'll need only one. To specify variable resource quantity or availability over time, follow these steps:

  1. In the Resource Sheet, click the resource whose maximum units you want to adjust.

  2. On the Standard toolbar, click Resource Information. Or simply double-click the resource name.

    The Resource Information dialog box appears. Make sure the General tab is displayed (see Figure 6-9).

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    Figure 6-9: Use the Resource Information dialog box to enter detailed information about an individual or consolidated resource.

  3. Under Resource Availability, enter the first date range for the resource's units specification.

    That is, enter the beginning date, the ending date, and the maximum units that will be available during those dates. For example, in the first row enter 1/5/04 under Available From; enter 3/26/04 under Available To; enter 400% under Units.

  4. In the second row, enter the second date range for the resource's units specification.

    For example, enter 3/29/04 under Available From; enter 6/25/04 under Available To; enter 300% under Units.

  5. Continue in this manner until your entire resource availability specification is set.

    For example, enter 6/28/04 under Available From; enter 8/27/04 under Available To; enter 100% under Units (see Figure 6-10).


    Figure 6-10: Use the Resource Availability table in the Resource Information dialog box to specify multiple levels of maximum units throughout the project.

    Tip  

    Switch units from percentage to decimal       By default, maximum units are expressed as a percentage. You can represent them as a decimal if you prefer. Click Tools, Options and then click the Schedule tab. In the Show Assignment Units As A box, select Decimal. Now, instead of 100 percent, one full-time resource is shown as having1max unit.




Microsoft Office Project 2003 Inside Out
Microsoft Office Project 2003 Inside Out
ISBN: 0735619581
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 268

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