msproject 7

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Setting up Resources

PAN-AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES. Email: [email protected] Page 1

Section 7

Resource Management


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Section Objectives

Upon completion of section 7, you will be able to:

Understand resource terminology

Substandard and setup work, material, and cost resources

Create a resource calendar

Set-up a resource pool

Understand resource costs

Assign resources

Access resource information

Define resource availability options


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Field Names in the Resource Sheet

Resource Name resources are the people, equipment, materials that are required for thework activities to be performed.

Resource Type:

Work ResourcesPeople and equipment required

Materials ResourcesConsumable items (i.e paint, wood, concrete)

Cost ResourcesA new type in used to enter, and manage budget costs

Material LabelUsed when you identify a material resource. The data should represent the

quantity consumed. For instance, a ton of steel, a sq ft of carpet, 5 gallon of paint etc.

Initials: Project automatically populates this field with the first initial of the firstname.The initials for the resource should be unique, and you can enter additional ones,

if desire. By default, when a resource is assigned to a task, both the first and last names

automatically show to the right of the task bars in the Bar Chart. If you had 5 to 10

people assigned to a task, that is a lot of extra information on the chart. You can

reformat the Bar Chart to show the resource initials, instead of the full name.


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Group:this field can help you extract data by groups of resources. Typical groups could

include both internal and external resources. Examples external resources could be

consultants, contractors, vendors and suppliers. Example of internal resources could be

department names, such as marketing, human resources, production, sales, IT etc.

Max Unit: This field defines the maximum capacity of the resource. If a resourcenormally works an 8 hour day, but 20% of that day is lost to functional work, breaks,

email, etc then you would enter 80% capacity in this field. Project looks at the calendar

assigned to the resource, and schedules the task using 80% of each days available time.

Std Rate: Enter the rate for a material or work resource. The default is per hour,

but other increment can be used. Pay rate are define as follows:

o /hper hour

o /dper day

o

/wper weeko /moper month

o /yper year

If you use per day, week, month, or year, Microsoft Project will calculate to the hour, in order

to calculate the costs for a task. For example, if you entered a standard rate of $60,000 per

year, and your regular work week is 40 hours for a five day week. Project calculates the hourly

rate by the following calculation.

40 hrs per week x 52 weeks2080 hours per year

60,000/208028.85 per hour

You could then assign a salaried employee to perform work on a 10 hour task, and Microsoft

Project would calculate the labour cost of the task at 5288.50.

Overtime Rate: Enter the overtime rate in this field. There may be some

management resources that work, but do not receive overtime pay. At the very least

you should repeat the standard rate for that for the resource in the overtime rate field

to capture a more accurate cost for the task. Of you leave the overtime would be free to

the subsequently record overtime. For a resource, that overtime would be free to the

project. This would not be an accurate reflection of the true project costs.

Cost per Use: This field would represent the cost that accrues every time you assignthat resource to a task. It does not vary with the amount of time that a resource is used.

The best use for this field is to assign a cost per use value, when a resource charge a set

fee, you could also use this cost in applied at the start of the task, and you would not be

able to accrue that cost

Accrue At:


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Pro-Rated: The cost is to be applied as work progress (10% of work completes, then 10% of cost

is applied)

Start: All the task cost is applied when any percentage complete is entered that exceeds 0%.

Base Calendar: The default is the Standard Calendar, however, any base calendar

or resource calendar can be assigned in this field. You may have many calendars set up,especially when working with project teams spread across several countries, or teams

who simply have different work hours than are set up in the standard base calendar.

Code:Thisfield could be useful when you want to enter a specific code such as a project

code, product code, country code, department code, cost centre code, etc.

Exercise:

a) Enter the following information in the resource sheet (all other information remain

as the default information)

b)

c) In addition, for all resources, except Philips Construction, click on the drop down

arrow in the base calendar column, and choose the Class Base Calendar for each

resource.

d) SAVIC COMPANY does not work the same hours each week that the rest of the

resources work, but does work a five day (Monday to Friday work week), and will

have the same statutory holiday as reflected in the base calendar.

Set up a new resource calendar and call it SAVIC Resource Colander

Make a copy of the class Base Calendar, so that the 5 day work week, and the statutory

holidays will be established.

Change the work hours for Monday to Thursdays inclusive at 7am to 5pm, with 1 hour

to lunch from 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Change the hours for Friday as 7am to 12pm (they will leave at noon and not come

back, so make sure the afternoon hours are cleared). Save the calendar

Assign the new calendar to SAVIC COMPANY in the resource sheet.

Accessing Resource Information

Resource Form

An alternate way to enter the resource information is to access the Resource Form.


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To display the Resource Form

Click View, and More Views(a More Views dialogue box appears)

Clickon Resource Form

Click apply

As illustrated below a Resource Form appears on the screen. All the information that you

previously entered in the resource sheet can be entered and reviewed in the form.

In addition, if you want to display other resource information you can:

Click on Format (on the command line) and Detail (you will see other resource detail

that can be displayed).

Simple click on the details you want to display (schedule, cost, work etc)


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Resource Information

Additional resource information can be viewed by accessing the Resource Information dialogue

box.

Ensure you have a resource view activated. Depending on the resource view you haveactivated, you can either:

Double click on the resource information, or click on the resource name and click on the

information icon (looks like a white clipboard).

The following dialogue box appears. Click on the tab to view the information.


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Resource Availability

You have the ability to define when a resource is available for work on the project. This would

be particularly helpful if you have an external resources working for a specific period of time

(i.e. A student working on a student work program for the summer months only)

To define resource availability click on the General Tabin the resource information dialogue box

Clickthe down arrowin the Available Formfield, and the Available To date field, and

choose the appropriate dates.

Click ok

Understanding Resource Scheduling

Microsoft Project uses specific information schedule work that resources have been assigned to

perform. They are as follows:

The calendar assigned to the resource is used to access the available resource time, andwork is schedule during this time.

Work will be assigned according to the maximum units (capacity) of that available time

(for example, if available time is defined as an 8 hour day, and the resource capacity is

defined as 25% then the work scheduled would be 2 hour).

Work will start on the scheduled start date, and will continue until all work hours are

complete (generally work is distributed as a flat contour across the time frame, unless

otherwise defined).

If you have a resource group (i.e Painters) assigned at 200%, and yo u assign painters

to the task, Ms Project assumes you are only assigning 1005. however if you assign the 2

painter to an 8 hour task, then the total of 16 hours of work be schedule, and cost

would reflect those hours.

The default task type is fixed unit. Effort Driven unless the options have been changed

and based on the formula work would be calculated only after the resource has been

assigned. Project looks at the duration and the number of resources assigned and

calculates the work hours. (WorkDuration x # Resources)

Assigning Multiple Resources to a Task

By default the task are effort Driven tasks. This means, the more resources you subsequently

assign to a task, the shorter the duration will become. This will be important when you wish to

initially assign more than one resource. To do so without changing the duration, highlight all

names first and then assign them, using the assign button in the dialogue box.With all of the knowledge in mind, we will now assign resources to the tasks.


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Assigning Resources

The quickest way to assign resources that you have established in the resource sheet, to a task,

is to use the Assign Resources Function.

To Access the Assign Resource Function

Click the Assign Resources function

An Assign Resource dialogue box will appear. You can use this dialogue box to assign, add,review, or to make changes to resources.

Details within the Assign Dialogue Box are defined below (to see all the functions as displayed

on the illustration, click on the Resource List expand button (+) to the left of Resource List

option button. The details are:

Resource Filters: Select the checkbox, to filter by category of resource (you will see a drop

down list showing various criteria, and can click on the appropriate selection). You could also

choose to filter by group, and if that category is chosen, you would be prompted to type in the

group name.

Available to Work: Select the checkbox, to filter by the amount of time a resource is

available to work, followed by entering the minimum hours the resource must be available. You

will then see a list of resources that meet criteria (Note: any resources already assigned to a

task, even if they do not meet the minimum requirements, will remain in the list).


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Add Resources: Click on the down arrow, to select resources from the Microsoft Active

Directory, or from the Address Book.

Resource Name: The resource list display the list of resources that was established in the

resource sheet. By default these resources are listed alphabetically. If you have applied

Resource filters, then only those that meet the filter criteria will appear.Units: Level of effort in percentages (by default, or by decimal if changed in the options

function). The default shows the maximum units defined in the resource sheet, up to 100%

maximum.

If resource maximum units is 100% the assigned units will show 100%

If resource maximum units is 50% the assigned units will show 100%

If resource maximum unit is 150% the assigned units will only show 100% (to show

150% you would have to change this manually in the Units column).

Cost: Calculated from the standard rate or cost per use value as entered in the resource

sheet. If the assigned resource is a cost reassure, you can change the cost in this field.

Command Buttons within the Assign Resources Dialogue Box

Assign:Assign selected resource

Remove: removes a resource already assigned

Replace: Replaces a resource already assigned, and opens a dialogue box to choose the

replacement name.

Exercise

a) Assign the resources to the tasks as you see in the Gantt Chart Below:

Important note:When you need to assign multiple resource to one task such as Train Staff,

make sure you highlight both names first, and then click on the Assign button if you select the

resource one at a time and assign then, the duration will be shortened as these are effort

driven tasks by fault.


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b) With you Assign Resource dialogue box still open,

Highlight task 16 and 17 and replace project engineer with civil engineer, by the Replace

button.

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