Managing Enterprise Resources in Resource Center

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In this view, users can perform the following functions:

  • Save Link ” This will create a link and add this view as a link in the sidepane, as shown in Figure 27.2.

    Figure 27.2. Functions that can be performed when viewing the Resource Center.

    graphics/27fig02.jpg

    Once the link has been created, it will show up in the left sidepane, under a new heading: Saved Links. Once a link is created, a new option will also appear at the bottom of the left sidepane ”Organize Your Saved Links. Selecting this option will open up a new window where users have the option of renaming the links (select Organize Your Saved Links, then Rename) or deleting links. Note that the deletion of a link is irreversible.

  • View Availability ” This will display the availability for a specific selected resource. Note that you can view the availability for a maximum of 30 resources at a time.

  • Edit Resource ” This displays resource details and enables users to change the attributes associated with this resource.

    NOTE

    Only users with specific authorization with the Project Server can edit the details of resources. This is to prevent accidental alteration of resources details.


  • Open ” This opens the Enterprise Resource pool, enabling users to edit the resource attributes in the Global Enterprise Resource pool view.

CAUTION

You have the option of selecting a single or multiple resources to be opened in Project Professional 2003 for editing. If you go back to Project Web Access and select additional resources to be opened, then the second group of resources will open with a new session of Microsoft Project Professional 2003. Make sure you treat each instance where you have Enterprise Global Resource Pool opened as a separate session. This means that you must save changes in both sessions for changes to occur.


Changes to the Enterprise Resource Global Pool will not be reflected immediately. You need to select Refresh in Project Web Access to view the updated information.

Using the Resource Center's View Options

You can use the Resource Center's View Options tab to refine the content of the data being displayed. By clicking in the View Options tab, you will see the list of View options available, or you can click the plus and minus sign icons at the left side of the tab to expand or collapse the View Options display. All of the Resource Center View Options are listed below, organized by View.

View Enterprise Resources

Under the View Enterprise Resources there are three options from which you can select to display the desired view:

  • Show Multi-valued Fields At ” From a drop-down box, you can select the outline level you want for the resource attributes to be displayed. To select all the outline levels select the value Bottom Outline Level.

  • Show ” You can select a second view from the value list of a drop-down menu. To select all outline levels, select the corresponding value from the drop-down list box. For example, if Level 2 is selected, any attribute that has three or more levels of detail will be excluded.

  • Show Time with Date ” This option adds the time, in the HH:MM:SS format, to the date in each of the appropriate date values when this box is checked. If the box is left unchecked, only the date is displayed.

View Availability

Under the View Availability there are three options from which you can select to display the availability of resources:

  • Include Proposed Bookings ” When this box is checked, the view will display all resources, committed and proposed. This will enable resource managers to fully understand the demand and be prepared to take appropriate actions.

  • Date Range ” You can specify the date range by either typing the date into the box or by selecting the date from the calendar that is displayed if the drop-down list box is selected.

  • Units ” You can select units of either days or weeks by using the drop-down list box and choosing the desired option.

After all the desired options have been selected, click on the Set Dates button to generate the graphic representing resource availability.

View Resource Assignments

Under the View Resource Assignments you will find:

  • Show Time with Date ” This option adds the time, in the HH:MM:SS format, to the date in each of the appropriate date values when the box is checked. If the box is left unchecked, only the date is displayed.

  • Show Summary Tasks ” This option will either show or hide (depending if the box is checked or not) all summary tasks, where summary tasks are defined as tasks that are marked with Yes in the summary field in Microsoft Project Professional.

  • Summary Rollup ” This option will either show or hide (depending if the box is checked or not) rolled up summary tasks. See definition of the summary tasks above.

  • Show To-do Lists ” By checking this box, you can see the contents of each resource's to-do lists added to the list of displayed tasks.

  • Administrative Tasks ” You can check the Administrative tasks check box if you want the Administrative projects time added to the list of displayed tasks for each resource.

  • Show (Outline Levels) ” This option is a drop-down list box. The user can select to restrict task displays that are at or above the specified outline level. For example, if Level 2 is specified, any task that is at level 3 or below in the Work Breakdown Structure will be excluded.

Using the Resource Center's Filter, Group, Search Tab

You select the Filter, Group, Search tab to display or hide the Resource Center's filtering, grouping, and searching options.

The options associated with the Resource Center's Filter, Group, Search tab are identical to that of the Project Center, the only difference being that you are operating on resource data instead of project data.

See "Using the Project Center's Filter, Group, Search Tab," Chapter 26, p. 1032 , for details on filtering, grouping and searching related to resources.


Edit Resource Details View

By selecting a resource from the initial Resource Center view and selecting Edit Resource Details, you can see and edit (if you have the appropriate permissions) the resource's enterprise resource outline codes, as shown in Figure 27.3.

Figure 27.3. Use the Edit Resource Details screen to view and edit Enterprise resource outline codes.

graphics/27fig03.gif

You can have only one resource selected when you navigate to the Edit Resource Details screen. If you have more than one resource selected, you are prompted with an error message.

Resource Availability Views

Four predefined Resource Availability views are available from the Choose a View pull-down list:

  • Assignment Work by Resource ” The Assignment Work by Resource view, shown in Figure 27.4, displays assignment work by the resources that have been selected for this view, where assignment work is the total work currently defined for the resource(s) from all Published projects.

    Figure 27.4. The Assignment Work by Resource view displays all the work currently defined for the selected resource(s) from all Published projects, by resource.

    graphics/27fig04.jpg

    Resource capacity is shown on the graph, making it easy to determine whether and when the selected resources are under allocated or over allocated. Resource capacity is the total amount of effort that can be assigned to the resource without over allocation, and it is based on the resource's availability and resource calendar.

  • Assignment Work by Project ” The Assignment Work by Project view, shown in Figure 27.5, displays assignment work by the resources that have been selected for this view, but instead of the assignments displayed by resource (regardless of project), this chart shows the data by project. It could be more useful to look into the details of the assignments in order to understand the resource loading and timeline.

    Figure 27.5. The Assignment Work by Project view displays all the work currently defined for the selected resource(s) from all Published projects, by project.

    graphics/27fig05.jpg

    Figure 27.5 shows the assignment work for Florian Voss, but this is difficult to know because the resource's name is not visible on the top of the display. You have to scroll down into the details section and expand the name field in the left pane.

  • Remaining Availability ” The Remaining Availability view, shown in Figure 27.6, displays the amount of time that the selected resource (Florian Voss) has available for work.

    Figure 27.6. The Remaining Availability view displays the amount of time that the selected resource has available for work, over time.

    graphics/27fig06.jpg

  • Work ” The Work view, shown in Figure 27.7, displays the amount of work that the selected resource is assigned to do and over time, if applicable .

    Figure 27.7. The Work view displays the amount of work that the selected resource (Florian Voss) is assigned to do.

    graphics/27fig07.jpg

The Resource Center views provide ways for you to look at resource utilization across the enterprise. If you select the resource Florian Voss and click the View Availability button, for example, you can immediately see Florian's allocation displayed graphically, as shown in Figure 27.7.

Analyzing Resources in Portfolio Analyzer

If you navigate to Projects, Analyze Projects in Portfolio Analyzer, you get exactly the same view, and tools, as if you were in Web Access and selected Resources, Analyze Resources in Portfolio Analyzer.

For descriptions of the Analyze Projects in Portfolio Analyzer view, see "Analyzing Projects in the Portfolio Analyzer," Chapter 26," p. 1049 .


Viewing Resource Assignments

The Viewing Resource Assignments screen is similar to Project's Task Usage view in that it displays details for each assignment (for example, task name, percentage of work complete) per resource, as shown in Figure 27.8. This view is useful for those who need access to this type of information but don't have access to Microsoft Project.

Figure 27.8. Assignments for the selected resource (Florian Voss) are grouped by resource, by project.

graphics/27fig08.jpg

To view the resource assignments, you have the option of selecting all resources or only specific ones. This can be accomplished through Add/Remove Resources tab in the View Resource Assignment view. The screen will display two panes. The left pane is a scroll-down list from which you select the resources you wish to view the assignments for, and the right pane tells you what resources have been selected for display. You have the option of adding all resources, or removing all resources. Click the Apply button to set the parameters once your selection is complete.

After selecting a task, you can click the Link to Issues icon to navigate to the Issues page for the selected task. From the Issues screen you can create a new issue or create a link to an existing issue. After changes have been saved via the Save Changes tab, you can return to the Resource Assignments screen by selecting the Go Back to Assignments option.

After selecting a task, you can click the Link Documents icon to navigate to the Documents page for the selected task. From the Documents screen you can upload a new document, or you can link the task to an existing one. After changes have been saved via the Save Changes tab, you can return to the Resource Assignments screen by selecting the Go Back to Assignments option.

Resource assignments can be shown in either a Gantt chart format or a timesheet format. The Show Assignments Using section assumes a Gantt chart format, with items that are unique to a timesheet format.

You have the option of displaying all assignments or restricting the view to current assignments, where current assignments are defined as those already in progress or that start within a specified number of days from the current date. The specified number of days is set by the administrator.

The assignments are displayed in a grouped structure of tasks by resource, by projects. Both generic and specific named resources are displayed.

For each resource within each project, the tasks are sorted in the same sequence in which they would be found in the project plan (by task ID). If you click on the Task Name column heading cell , the fields are sorted into alphabetically ascending sequence within project. If you click the cell again, the sort sequence is changed to alphabetically descending.

Viewing Resource Assignments in Timesheet Format

Resource assignment data can also be displayed in timesheet format, which shows the actual effort recorded against each assignment.

There are two differences between the Timesheet format view and the Gantt chart view:

  • The standard Office Zoom buttons and the Go To option are replaced with start and end dates for the window in which timesheet data will be displayed (the date range and arrows that will move this window forward and backward in time). If these arrows are used, the date range is automatically set to two weeks and the dates in the View Options tab are updated.

  • The Gantt Chart is replaced with a tabular report showing actual effort for each assignment. The data is displayed in the units specified in the View Options tab, and there are as many columns as there are units in the specified data range.

Adjusting Actuals

Project Web Access provides for a new feature that allows project managers to adjust actual work previously submitted. There are two main benefits of this new feature:

  • Erroneous data can be adjusted and be prevented from propagating throughout the system.

  • The Gantt Chart is replaced with a tabular report allowing the project manager to enter timesheet data for a person that cannot enter their own timesheet information.

Project managers use the Resource Center Adjust Actuals function to modify time data. By clicking on Add/Remove Resources tab, the project manager will select the individual resources for timesheet data adjustment. When you click on the Apply button, the timesheet data for the selected resource(s) is displayed for editing. Once the desired timesheet view is displayed, the project manager can then enter the corrected actual work for the appropriate dates. To complete this operation, you must click on the Update Actuals button to apply the changes to the project schedule; otherwise all changes will be lost. The changes are sent to the project manager for action as a normal project time update request, as shown in Figure 27.9.

Figure 27.9. Corrected actual work for the date range is also being sent to the project manager for final approval

graphics/27fig09.gif

NOTE

The Update Actuals function also alters the Actual Work Protected data in the date range for the affected task(s). This allows you to alter timesheets data even if the date range is closed for edits. The team member whose timesheet has been altered will see the new time entries in their personal timesheet view. You should create a business process to ensure timesheet data integrity is maintained .


View Timesheet Summary

When all projects are published, the team members will see their assigned tasks within their personal timesheet. Team members fill in the amount of time they spend on each project (including the Administrative projects tasks), and submit their time for regular timesheet updates.

Approved Timesheets

Project Web Access 2003 now provides the ability for multiple people to approve timesheet information before the time data is updated to a project schedule. The benefit of this function is to distribute responsibility for timesheet approval to people other than the project manager(s).

After Project Web Access administration settings are complete, the home page of approvers (who may be project or resource managers, portfolio managers, or any other individual nominated to approve timesheets) will display messages indicating that there are timesheets awaiting approval. You can then accept or reject individual task timesheet rows submitted by the team members.

NOTE

It is up to the organization's senior and/or executive management to decide who has the authority to approve timesheets, and business processes should provide clear instructions in this regard.


The timesheet approver marks the tasks as Accept or Reject, as appropriate. As a timesheet approver, click the Save button to forward the accepted tasks to the project manager for update to the project schedule; rejected tasks will be returned to the timesheet submitter for revision.

Project Web Access 2003 also has a new feature to allow timesheet approvers to track the status of timesheets of team members within their direct supervision. A timesheet approver will see messages on their Home page indicating what timesheets have not yet been submitted.

This feature provides an improved method to determine which resources within an organization have not yet submitted their timesheets.

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Special Edition Using Microsoft Office Project 2003
Special Edition Using Microsoft Office Project 2003
ISBN: 0789730723
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 283
Authors: Tim Pyron

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