1. The document discusses various ways to manage resource assignments and costs in Microsoft Project, including delaying resource start times, applying work contours, setting different cost rates, and assigning material resources.
2. It provides exercises for applying predefined contours to assignments, manually editing assignment values, changing cost rate tables, and addressing overallocation through reassignment.
3. The summary examines resource availability, scheduling unassigned tasks, and addressing overallocation issues visible in the timeline view.
Apache Hive is a data warehouse infrastructure built on top of Hadoop for providing data summarization, query, and analysis. While developed by Facebook.
Streaming, Database & Distributed Systems Bridging the DivideBen Stopford
There is something very interesting about stream processing. It builds upon messaging, rather than using a file system, as a more typical database does. But stream processing engines themselves are really a type of database. A database designed specifically to blend streams and tables so you can query continuous results. As such they span an architectural no-mans-land that sits between Database and Distributed Systems fields.
This talk will look at Stateful Stream Processing. Can a streaming engine provide the guarantees of a database? When is a streaming engine best? How do they work, under the covers?
Methods of Forecasting for Capacity ManagementPrecisely
Forecasting is the process of making statements about events in the future. Events related to capacity management are typically things like the state of resource consumption, service levels, and computing environment changes at future points in time. Making statements or predictions about these future events requires analysis of information to determine a future state. Knowing what information is needed to make accurate forecasts is a critical step for any analysis.
Forecasts are made to answer questions. Understanding the questions, and things that affect answers to those questions, is the first step to creating an accurate forecast. Required accuracy of a forecast should determine which methods are used to create it. Assumptions can be made to limit the amount of data and time required for creating forecasts. Validating forecast accuracy, after events happen, is an important part of continually improving future forecasts, and building credibility. This webinar describes the important task of forecasting as it relates to capacity management.
This presentation covers the following topics:
• Why do we forecast?
• Forecasting scenarios
• Forecasting Techniques
• Forecasting and Virtualization
• Summary
Tez is the next generation Hadoop Query Processing framework written on top of YARN. Computation topologies in higher level languages like Pig/Hive can be naturally expressed in the new graph dataflow model exposed by Tez. Multi-stage queries can be expressed as a single Tez job resulting in lower latency for short queries and improved throughput for large scale queries. MapReduce has been the workhorse for Hadoop but its monolithic structure had made innovation slower. YARN separates resource management from application logic and thus enables the creation of Tez, a more flexible and generic new framework for data processing for the benefit of the entire Hadoop query ecosystem.
How Does MS Project Works 6- Task Controlling FactorsSHAZEBALIKHAN1
MS Project is scheduling software. It takes multiple factors into account to schedule a task. The article explains all the inputs and their respective effect on the scheduling ability of the MS Project.
Project NameCommunication PlanOverviewEffective and .docxwkyra78
Project Name
Communication Plan
Overview
Effective and timely communication is a key element in project plan, as it is in the business world. Without knowing when and how to communicate important information, momentum lags and projects slowly unravel. A strategy covering routine and extraordinary circumstances helps key project personnel stay on track and coordinated.
For our course project’s communication plan, we will cover the scheduling of routine and ad-hoc meetings, and the flow of documents. Be creative and open minded because this subject is not covered in the textbook. Research, if needed, for further understanding. This document is in Doc Sharing for use as a template.
Example Of A Communication Plan
This plan is presented as two sub plans; one for meetings and one for documents.
MEETING PLAN
Project – “Project Name here”
WHAT
WHEN
WHERE
OWNER
ATTENDEES
Project Status Meetings
Ad-Hoc Meetings
Other – be specificDOCUMENT PLAN
Project – “Project Name here”
WHAT
DUE WHEN
METHOD OF DELIVERY
SENDER
RECEIVERS
Action Item Log
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Minutes
Other – be specific
Status Reports to Project Manager
Updates to Project Schedule
MS Project - Lesson #7 - Tracking Project Progress
Objectives - MS Project 2010
· Track the actual progress of tasks
· Updating a Project
· Compare baseline data to actual and scheduled data
· Viewing a Network Diagram
· Earned Value Overview
Once the project starts, it's time to begin tracking the actual progress of tasks and resources. Tracking is the process of gathering and entering task information into the schedule. You can track progress by entering all or some of the actual information.
In the previous lesson, we complete our scheduling and resource assignments. For this lesson, we will assume our project is underway and that several tasks have either finished or are partially finished. We will then determine if our project is behind or ahead of schedule.
Tracking Progress
Before we can begin tracking progress, the project schedule should be fully developed and a baseline plan should be set. Once work begins, progress should be tracked throughout the project. The more often we update the information, the easier it is to identify problems and take corrective action.
When actual information is entered, the project is automatically recalculated. For this reason, task progress should be entered starting at the top of the task list and continuing down the list.
There are three types of dates stored for each task:
Scheduled: Tasks that haven't started yet or are in progress.
Actual: Tasks that are in progress or are completed.
Baseline: Originally planned dates. These dates are used to compare the original plan with the actual dates and scheduled dates. Baseline dates do not change.
There are five types of actual data that can be entered in MS Project:
Actual start and finish dates
Percentage completion
Actual duration and remaining duration
Actual ...
Apache Hive is a data warehouse infrastructure built on top of Hadoop for providing data summarization, query, and analysis. While developed by Facebook.
Streaming, Database & Distributed Systems Bridging the DivideBen Stopford
There is something very interesting about stream processing. It builds upon messaging, rather than using a file system, as a more typical database does. But stream processing engines themselves are really a type of database. A database designed specifically to blend streams and tables so you can query continuous results. As such they span an architectural no-mans-land that sits between Database and Distributed Systems fields.
This talk will look at Stateful Stream Processing. Can a streaming engine provide the guarantees of a database? When is a streaming engine best? How do they work, under the covers?
Methods of Forecasting for Capacity ManagementPrecisely
Forecasting is the process of making statements about events in the future. Events related to capacity management are typically things like the state of resource consumption, service levels, and computing environment changes at future points in time. Making statements or predictions about these future events requires analysis of information to determine a future state. Knowing what information is needed to make accurate forecasts is a critical step for any analysis.
Forecasts are made to answer questions. Understanding the questions, and things that affect answers to those questions, is the first step to creating an accurate forecast. Required accuracy of a forecast should determine which methods are used to create it. Assumptions can be made to limit the amount of data and time required for creating forecasts. Validating forecast accuracy, after events happen, is an important part of continually improving future forecasts, and building credibility. This webinar describes the important task of forecasting as it relates to capacity management.
This presentation covers the following topics:
• Why do we forecast?
• Forecasting scenarios
• Forecasting Techniques
• Forecasting and Virtualization
• Summary
Tez is the next generation Hadoop Query Processing framework written on top of YARN. Computation topologies in higher level languages like Pig/Hive can be naturally expressed in the new graph dataflow model exposed by Tez. Multi-stage queries can be expressed as a single Tez job resulting in lower latency for short queries and improved throughput for large scale queries. MapReduce has been the workhorse for Hadoop but its monolithic structure had made innovation slower. YARN separates resource management from application logic and thus enables the creation of Tez, a more flexible and generic new framework for data processing for the benefit of the entire Hadoop query ecosystem.
How Does MS Project Works 6- Task Controlling FactorsSHAZEBALIKHAN1
MS Project is scheduling software. It takes multiple factors into account to schedule a task. The article explains all the inputs and their respective effect on the scheduling ability of the MS Project.
Project NameCommunication PlanOverviewEffective and .docxwkyra78
Project Name
Communication Plan
Overview
Effective and timely communication is a key element in project plan, as it is in the business world. Without knowing when and how to communicate important information, momentum lags and projects slowly unravel. A strategy covering routine and extraordinary circumstances helps key project personnel stay on track and coordinated.
For our course project’s communication plan, we will cover the scheduling of routine and ad-hoc meetings, and the flow of documents. Be creative and open minded because this subject is not covered in the textbook. Research, if needed, for further understanding. This document is in Doc Sharing for use as a template.
Example Of A Communication Plan
This plan is presented as two sub plans; one for meetings and one for documents.
MEETING PLAN
Project – “Project Name here”
WHAT
WHEN
WHERE
OWNER
ATTENDEES
Project Status Meetings
Ad-Hoc Meetings
Other – be specificDOCUMENT PLAN
Project – “Project Name here”
WHAT
DUE WHEN
METHOD OF DELIVERY
SENDER
RECEIVERS
Action Item Log
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Minutes
Other – be specific
Status Reports to Project Manager
Updates to Project Schedule
MS Project - Lesson #7 - Tracking Project Progress
Objectives - MS Project 2010
· Track the actual progress of tasks
· Updating a Project
· Compare baseline data to actual and scheduled data
· Viewing a Network Diagram
· Earned Value Overview
Once the project starts, it's time to begin tracking the actual progress of tasks and resources. Tracking is the process of gathering and entering task information into the schedule. You can track progress by entering all or some of the actual information.
In the previous lesson, we complete our scheduling and resource assignments. For this lesson, we will assume our project is underway and that several tasks have either finished or are partially finished. We will then determine if our project is behind or ahead of schedule.
Tracking Progress
Before we can begin tracking progress, the project schedule should be fully developed and a baseline plan should be set. Once work begins, progress should be tracked throughout the project. The more often we update the information, the easier it is to identify problems and take corrective action.
When actual information is entered, the project is automatically recalculated. For this reason, task progress should be entered starting at the top of the task list and continuing down the list.
There are three types of dates stored for each task:
Scheduled: Tasks that haven't started yet or are in progress.
Actual: Tasks that are in progress or are completed.
Baseline: Originally planned dates. These dates are used to compare the original plan with the actual dates and scheduled dates. Baseline dates do not change.
There are five types of actual data that can be entered in MS Project:
Actual start and finish dates
Percentage completion
Actual duration and remaining duration
Actual ...
PrintNetwork Diagrams and Resource UtilizationIntroduction B.docxChantellPantoja184
Print
Network Diagrams and Resource Utilization
Introduction | Building a Network Diagram | Building an AIB Manually | AIB Simulation | Resource Constrained Planning | Resource Leveling | Adding or Modifying Resources | Summary
Introduction
Back to Top
Last week, we learned more about how to begin planning a project. We established the project charter, scope statement, work breakdown structure, and created the activity list. This week, we will talk about one of the most important aspects of project management—building a project schedule. We'll use a tool called a network diagram. There are several ways to build a network diagram. In this course, we will use the Activity in Box (AIB) method.
Building a Network Diagram
Back to Top
Now that we know what needs to be done, we need to sequence all of the activities and establish a network diagram. With the concept of a network diagram, you will be able to determine: (1) a project's scheduled completion time, (2) the slack or float of project activities, and (3) the critical path of your project.
Depending on the size of the project, the network may be built in pieces or as a large group. Either way, the step-by-step process to build a project network is used.
Build a Project Network (or a Partial Network)
1. Brainstorm activities that are required to complete the work packages, recording those activities on Post-it notes (without regard to sequencing).
2. Sequence those activities. Determine:
· The order of activities
· Which activities can occur at the same time
· Which activities need dependencies
1. Mandatory: requires the completion of another task.
2. Discretionary: a best practice or convenience. However, the subsequent task can begin if the discretionary dependency is not completed.
3. External: from another project or process, such as permits.
4. Internal: dependencies within the control of the project team.
3. Put the notes on a wall using the above information.
4. Build a network using the notes.
Next, the activities are assigned to the people who will be doing the work. They build duration estimates for the activities. The most accurate estimates are built using actuals from previous, similar projects. Then, the activities can be loaded into an automated scheduling tool like Microsoft Project. At that point, you will be able to determine the project's scheduled completion time, the slack or float of project activities, and the critical path of your project.
Building an AIB Manually
Back to Top
The good thing about using a tool like Microsoft Project is that it makes it easy to build a network diagram. The bad thing about the tool is that it makes it so easy; project managers don't always understand what they are doing, and cannot see when they have made a mistake. They just plug in the activities and move on.
It's like adding—you should first do it manually, and then use a calculator. Every project manager should know how to build an AIB manually so that he or she really understands the.
SCM435 – Project Management MICROSOFT PROJECT ASSIGNMENT.docxbagotjesusa
SCM435 – Project Management
MICROSOFT PROJECT ASSIGNMENT (COMBINED)
THE PALMERS GOLF COURSE PROJECT
Project background
Palmers Golf Course is a two-year-old signature golf course based in Auckland, NZ. Being unique, the
number of memberships is increasing and putting strain on the existing information system.
The current system is used only by Accounts Department to process Accounts Payables and Receivables.
With the steep increase in the memberships, Bookings and Maintenance the Human Resource department is
getting overwhelmed with the paper work. Therefore, there is a need to add these functions to a new system.
You are the Project Leader for SoftSystems Ltd., which has been contracted by Palmers Golf Course to
undertake this project. You need to advise how to develop the new system in a tightly constrained time
period. Specifically, you have been advised that the project can start no earlier than Mon, January 4th 2016
and must be completed by Thu, May 19th 2016.
You report to Ms Smith, the Project Manager for SoftSystems Ltd, who liaises with Palmers Golf Course.
You will report your progress and plans of the project to Ms Smith.
Note: There is a lot of information included to provide context for what you will do in this assignment.
Please read carefully, and thoroughly to ensure the directions are followed. Also, to make it more clear, the
steps that you will perform in Microsoft Project are all written in the Courier New font.
Setting the Project Start Date
Click on the Project Tab in the Ribbon, and then go to Project
Information. Set the project start date to Mon, January 4th 2016. Do NOT
enter finish date. Click OK.
Setting default values
Set Current Date
The computer's internal clock initially determines the date listed in the Current Date text box.
To access the Current Date, click again on the Project Tab, then Project
Information.
The current date box appears. Changing this date box has several implications:
• The date determines the location of the dashed (current) date line on the Gantt chart timeline.
• The Current Date appears in the header of the Project Summary standard report. You can also display the
Current Date in headers or footers on other reports.
• You can use the Current Date to track the progress of the project, specifically to record the progress of all
tasks scheduled to be in progress or finished as of the date in the Current Date text box.
For this assignment, you will, initially, leave the Current Date as defined by the computer clock, please
check that it is correct.
Click OK, to close the Project Information box.
Click on File, then in Project Information, choose Advanced Properties,
then Summary tab and in the Title box type PALMERS GOLF COURSE. This names the
project, which will then appear on your printouts. You should also enter your name (Author) and other
optional data.
Set the Calendar
.
Before beginning a new project, an organization must determine whether the project fits its strategic goals. Executives should classify proposed projects that focus on mission-critical activities as high-priority and projects that are peripheral to organization goals as lower priority.
Before work begins, an executive sponsor should be identified. The organization should complete a high-level evaluation of the project’s business case , its limitations, and its technical and financial requirements. Finally, a project manager should be identified, who can then set up a project plan in Microsoft Project 2010.
In this chapter, you will learn how to:
✔ Set up basic resource information for the people who work on projects.
✔ Adjust the maximum capacity of a resource to do work.
✔ Set up cost information for work resources.
✔ Change a resource’s availability for work.
✔ Enter cost resource information for financial tracking.
✔ Record additional information about a resource in a note.
In this chapter, you will learn how to:
✔ Start Microsoft Project Standard or Professional and save a new project plan.
✔ Enter task names.
✔ Estimate and record how long each task should last.
✔ Create a milestone to track an important event.
✔ Organize tasks into phases.
✔ Create task relationships by linking tasks.
✔ Switch task scheduling from manual to automatic.
✔ Set nonworking days for the project plan.
✔ Check the project plan’s overall duration.
✔ Record task details in notes and insert a hyperlink to content on the Web.
In this chapter, you will learn how to:
✔ Use the Backstage view to open and save Project files.
✔ Work with commands on different tabs of the ribbon interface, the major visual
change introduced in Project 2010.
✔ Use different views to see Project information presented in different ways.
2. Delay the start of a resource assignment.
Control how a resource’s work on a task is
scheduled by using work contours.
Apply different cost rates for a resource to account
for different kinds of work performed by the
resource.
Assign a material resource to a task.
See resources’ capacities to do work.
3. Work resources are often the most expensive part of a
project, understanding how to make the best use of their
time is an important project management skill.
1. In this chapter, you apply a variety of Microsoft Project
2010 features to manage resources’ assignments to
tasks and costs of assignments.
4. If more than one resource is assigned to a task, you might not
want all the resources to start working on the task at the same
time. You can delay the start of work for one or more resources
assigned to a task.
1. For example, assume that four resources have been assigned a
task. Three of the resources initially work on the task, and the
fourth later inspects the quality of the work. The inspector
should start work on the task later than the other resources.
5. Exercise : delay the start of a resource assignment on a
task.
Change Gantt Chart view > Task Usage view.
Task Copyeditors > Task tab > Editing group > Scroll to Task.
two resources
assigned
6. The intent of task 18 is that Author will review the edits made to his book
manuscript, and shortly afterward, the copyeditor will begin to incorporate the
author’s feedback.
Right now, both resources are assigned work throughout the duration, We’d
like to delay the start of the copyeditor’s work by two days. We’ll make this
adjustment in the Task Usage view.
• Format tab > Assignment group > Information > General tab
• Start > 4/30/12.
7. Project adjusts the copyeditor’s assignment
Duration changed - the finish date moved out two working days
The duration of this task
has increased as the
work is over a longer
period of time.
Time phased > zero
hours of work for
copyeditor for 2days
8. CONTOURS
Resources are usually human beings and therefore they bring a lot of
unpredictability with them - dates can change, resources may be
assigned too much of work or they may have to leave in the middle of a
project. We have to leave room for changes in assignments and work
distributions. Project allows you to arrange for resources to start or finish
work at different dates, interrupt assignments to allow for work on other
tasks and also assign overtime work if necessary - in other words a
contouring of assignments is possible. The Task Usage View and the
Resource Usage Views offer such possibilities.
What does the term contour mean in Project? It is the shape of the
distribution of work within an assignment. Usually, if a resource is
assigned 100% to a 40-hour task with no predecessors, the task will
begin immediately with 8 hours of work/day for 5 days. This is the default
flat work contour where each unit's work is spread evenly across the
duration of the task.
9. Sometimes, you may need to change the distribution of an
assignment's work by applying a predefined contour or creating a
custom contour for it. MS Project includes 8 predefined contours as
listed below:
1. Flat: The default contour with an even distribution of work.
2. Back-loaded: Peak activity happens at the end of the project.
3. Front-loaded: Peak activity is at the beginning of the project.
4. Double Peak: A Project that has two major periods of peak activity.
5. Early Peak: the same as the Front-loaded but with a ramp up to
peak activity
6. Late peak: a Back-loaded contour with a ramp.
7. Bell: single peak in the middle of the project
8. Turtle: A bell with a ramp up and ramp down.
12. Sometimes, you may need to change the distribution of an
assignment's work by applying a predefined contour or creating a
custom contour for it. MS Project includes 8 predefined contours as
listed below:
1. Flat: The default contour with an even distribution of work.
2. Back-loaded: Peak activity happens at the end of the project.
3. Front-loaded: Peak activity is at the beginning of the project.
4. Double Peak: A Project that has two major periods of peak activity.
5. Early Peak: the same as the Front-loaded but with a ramp up to
peak activity
6. Late peak: a Back-loaded contour with a ramp.
7. Bell: single peak in the middle of the project
8. Turtle: A bell with a ramp up and ramp down.
13. In addition to viewing assignment details, you can change the
amount of time a resource works on a task in any given time
period. There are various ways to do this:
1. Apply a predefined work contour to an assignment. Predefined
contours generally describe how work is distributed over time in
terms of graphical patterns.
• For example, the Bell predefined contour distributes less work to the
beginning and end of the assignment and distributes more work
toward the middle. If you were to graph the work over time, the
graph’s shape would resemble a bell.
2. Edit the assignment details directly.
• For example, in the Resource Usage or Task Usage view, you can
change the assignment values directly in the timescaled grid.
14. Exercise : Apply a predefined contour to an assignment and
manually edit another assignment .
1. Task 38 > Carole Poland > Task tab > Editing group > Scroll to
Task.
two resources are scheduled
to work on this task four
hours per day . and a third
resource is scheduled to
work full time on this task
15. You want to change Carole Poland’s assignment on this task so that
she starts with a brief daily assignment and increases her work time
as the task progresses.
To accomplish this, you will apply a back-loaded contour to the
assignment. Note that task 38, Final review is a fixed-duration task
type, not the default fixed-units task type.
1. Format tab > Assignment group > Information > Work Contour > Back
Loaded > OK.
16. You see that in each successive day of the task’s duration, Carole
Poland is assigned slightly more time to work on the assignment
The contour indicator matches the
type of contour applied - back-
loaded in this case
The back-loaded contour causes
Project to assign very little work to
the resource initially and then add
more work each day
17. Applying a contour to a fixed-duration task will cause Project to recalculate
the resource’s work value so that the resource works less in the same time
period.
For example, Carole’s total work on task 38 was reduced from 20 to 12
hours when you applied the contour. Depending on the task type, applying a
contour to this assignment may cause the overall duration of the task to be
extended. Task 38 is a fixed-duration task, so applying the contour did not
change the task’s duration. For a fixed-work or fixed-unit task, however, it
would. If you do not want a contour to extend a task’s duration, change the
task type (on the Advanced tab of the Task Information dialog box) to Fixed
Duration before applying the contour
18. Exercise : Manually edit another assignment .
Hany is currently assigned four hours per day for each day of the
assignment’s duration. Why four hours?
Hany normally has eight working hours per day on these particular days (as
determined by her resource calendar). She was assigned to this task at 50
percent assignment units, however, so the resulting scheduled work is only
four hours per day
19. You want to increase Hany’s work on the last two days of this task so
that she will work full time on it. To accomplish this, you will manually
edit her assignment values.
• Timescaled grid > 8h
20. In the “Entering Multiple Pay Rates for a Resource”
section of Chapter 8, we set up a second rate table for
• Hany Morcos to be applied for any assignments in
which she is functioning as a content editor.
• Hany is currently assigned to task 36, Proof and review,
as a content editor rather than her default role of a
project editor, but her assignment still reflects her
default pay rate as a project editor.
21. Exercise: change the pay rate table to be applied to an
assignment.
Task Name column > below task 36 > Hany Morcos > View tab >
Data group > Tables > Cost.
In the Cost table you can see the
tasks and each assignment's total
cost. To see other assignment cost
values such as actual cost or
variance, scroll the table to the
right.
22. • Format tab > Assignment group > Information
• Cost Rate Table > select B
1. Project applies Hany’s cost rate table B to the assignment.
23. When assigning a material resource, you can handle
consumptions and cost in one of two ways:
Assign a fixed-unit quantity of the material resource to the
task. Project will multiply the unit cost of this resource by the
number of units assigned to determine the total cost. (You’ll
use this method in the following exercise.)
Assign a variable-rate quantity of the material resource to the
task. Project will adjust the quantity and cost of the resource
as the task’s duration changes
24. Exercise : Assign a material resource to a task and enter a
fixed-unit quantity of consumption.
• Task tab > View group > Gantt Chart > Task Name > task 38
• You anticipate that you’ll need 20 bound galley proof copies for
this review.
• Task tab > Editing group > Scroll to Task.
• Resource tab > Assignments group > Assign Resources.
25. • Assign Resources > Units field for the Bound galley proofs
resource > 20 > Assign.
26. When you assign a material resource to a task, its label value appears
in the Units column and next to the Gantt bar to which it is assigned
27. Recall that the amount of time that a resource is able to
work on tasks in a project plan is called its resource
capacity, and in Project, this is measured in units.
• By default, such units are presented as a percentage value,
with 0% meaning no capacity and 100% meaning the full or
maximum capacity of a single resource with a normal
working schedule of 40 hours per week. In Project, a
resource’s maximum capacity to do work is tracked as the
resource’s Max Units value
28. Project planning you can expect one of the following
conditions:
• Planned work is less than the working capacity of the
team. You may be able to use some portion of your
resources’ time for other projects, or to do more work in
this project.
• Planned work exceeds the working capacity of the
team. You may need to reduce the scope of work or
secure more resources.
• Planned work is approximately equal to the working
capacity of the team.
29. Exercise : look at individual resource capacity per day,
week, and month during the time span in which the
project plan is now scheduled.
• View tab > Resource Views group > Resource Usage.
30. Here, our focus is on seeing availability for the resources. To
begin, you’ll switch the timephased view to show resource
availability.
• Format tab >Details group > check Remaining Availability
31. • Format tab > Details group > clear the Work
• Project hides the Work details, leaving the Remaining Availability detail
visible.
32. • Resource Name > View tab > Data group > Outline > Hide
Subtasks
33. Next, you’ll adjust the zoom level of the timephased view to see
availability per month.
• View tab > Zoom group> Months >Timescale box.
•
34. In the Team Planner view, you see tasks organized by the
resource to which they are assigned (like the Resource
Usage view) and any unassigned tasks. Both assigned
and unassigned tasks may be either:
Scheduled tasks Scheduled for a specific time period
and displayed in the Team Planner view at a specific
point in time.
Unscheduled tasks Manually scheduled tasks, with or
without an assigned resource.
35. Exercise B: Examine resource assignments and address some
overallocation problems, as well as assign some unassigned and
unscheduled tasks in the new book project plan.
View > Resource Views > Team Planner > Resource Name
column, select Carole Poland.
Task tab > Editing group >Scroll to Task.
37. You’d like Carole’s unscheduled task, Launch planning, to start in the
beginning of August, so you’ll move it there.
• Horizontally scroll the view until the week of August 5th is visible in
the timescale.
38. • Click and drag Carole’s unscheduled task, Launch planning, in
Carole’s row so that the task start date is Monday, August 6
39. • Point your mouse pointer at the task that you just scheduled.
• A ScreenTip appears and contains the essential task details.
• Still a manually scheduled task, and it will remain so until it is
switched to automatic scheduling.
40. Next, you’ll schedule the unscheduled task assigned to Hany Morcos,
and you’ll also reassign it to Carole.
You’d like this task to be completed in early August as well.
• Click and drag the name of Hany Morcos’s unscheduled task,
Assign launch team members, to Carole’s Poland’s row so that the
task start date is Tuesday, August 7.
41. Next, you’ll assign the two unassigned and unscheduled tasks. Both of
these tasks should be assigned to Hany Morcos
• Click and drag the first unassigned task, Complete author
questionnaire, to Hany Morcos’s row so that the task start date is
Monday, August 13.
42. • Click and drag the remaining unassigned task, Schedule author
interviews, to Hany Morcos’s row so that the task start date is
Tuesday, August 14
43. Now both tasks are assigned and scheduled, though they remain
manually scheduled tasks.
44. To conclude this exercise,
you’ll address some of the resource overallocation problems that are
visible in the Timeline view.
45. Exercise: you’ll address some of the resource
overallocation problems that are visible in the Timeline
view.
View tab > Zoom group> Timescale box > Weeks
Scroll the view horizontally until the week of June 24 is visible in
the timescale
46. Because you need Hany’s full attention on the Interior illustration and
design task, you’ll reassign the Copyedit incorp task to someone else.
• Right-click Hany’s task, Copyedit incorp, and in the shortcut menu
that appears, click Reassign To, and then select Carole Poland
47. There are still overallocation issues in the project plan, but they are
minor issues that don’t require additional attention.
48. ● You can change when a resource will start work on an
assignment without affecting other resources assigned to the
same task.
● Project includes several predefined work contours that you
can apply to an assignment.
● When working with resource costs, you can specify different
cost rates for different assignments.
● When assigned to a task, material resources can have a fixed
or variable consumption rate.
● In a usage view, you can see remaining availability of work
resources at whatever time increment you wish.
● The Team Planner view allows easy dragging of assignments
between resources (Project Professional only).
Editor's Notes
As you can see, this task currently has two resources assigned to it: a copyeditor and the new book’s author, Tad Orman.
The Assignment Information dialog box appears. Click the General tab if it is not already selected.
Project adjusts the copyeditor’s assignment on this task so that he works no hours on Thursday or Friday.
How you contour or edit an assignment depends on what you need to accomplish. Predefined contours work best for assignments in which you can predict a likely pattern of effort
For example, a task that requires gradual ramp-up time might benefit from a back-loaded contour to reflect the likelihood that the resource will work the most toward the end of the assignment
As you can see in the timescaled data at the right, two resources are scheduled to work on this task four hours per day (that is, 50 percent of their available working time) and a third resource is scheduled to work full time on this task.
All these assignments have a flat contour; that is, work is distributed evenly over time. This is the default work contour type that Project uses when scheduling work.
You want to change Carole Poland’s assignment on this task so that she starts with a brief daily assignment and increases her work time as the task progresses. To accomplish this, you will apply a back-loaded contour to the assignment. Note that task 38, Final review is a fixed-duration task type, not the default fixed-units task type.
Project applies the contour to this resource’s assignment and reschedules her work on the task
You see that in each successive day of the task’s duration, Carole Poland is assigned slightly more time to work on the assignment. You also see a contour indicator in the Indicators column displaying the type of contour that is applied to the assignment
Applying a contour to a fixed-duration task will cause Project to recalculate the resource’s work value so that the resource works less in the same time period. For example, Carole’s total work on task 38 was reduced from 20 to 12 hours when you applied the contour. Depending on the task type, applying a contour to this assignment may cause the overall duration of the task to be extended. Task 38 is a fixed-duration task, so applying the contour did not change the task’s duration. For a fixed-work or fixed-unit task, however, it would. If you do not want a contour to extend a task’s duration, change the task type (on the Advanced tab of the Task Information dialog box) to Fixed Duration before applying the contour
Point to each day label in the timescale (M, T, W and so on) and that day’s date value will appear in a ScreenTip.
Hany is now assigned eight hours per day on these days.
Project displays a contour indicator in the Indicators column showing that a manually edited contour has been applied to the assignment.
Here are a few more capabilities that you can apply in a usage view:
● In addition to editing work values manually at the resource level as you did before, you can edit work values at the task level. When you change a work value at the task level, Project adjusts the resulting work value per resource in accordance with each resource’s units value on that assignment. For example, assume that on a specific day, two resources were assigned four hours each to a task that had a total work value of eight hours. If you then change the total work on the task for that day to 12 hours, Project will increase the work per resource from four to six hours.196
You can split a task in the Gantt Chart view to account for an interruption in the task, as you did in Chapter 7. You can also split a task in the Task Usage view by entering “0” work values in the task’s row in the timephased grid for the date range that you want. To preserve the total work on the task, you should add the same amount of work to the end of the task as you subtracted with the split. For example, assume that a task starts on Monday and has eight hours of total work per day for four days. Its work pattern (in hours per day) is 8, 8, 8, and 8. You interrupt work on the task on Tuesday and then add those eight hours to the end of the task (in this case, Friday). The new work pattern would be 8, 0, 8, 8, and 8.
● When editing values in the timephased grid, you can work with the cells somewhat like you might work in a Microsoft Excel worksheet—you can drag and drop values and use the AutoFill handle to copy values to the right or downward
Recall from Chapter 8, “Fine-Tuning Resource Details,” that you can set as many as five pay rates per resource, which allows you to apply different pay rates to different assignments for a resource;
for example, a different pay rate might depend on the skills required for different assignments. For each assignment, Project initially uses rate table A by default, but you can specify that another rate table should be used.
Project displays the Cost table.
Note the current cost of Hany’s assignment to this task: $1,550.00.
The new cost of the assignment, $1,800.00, appears in the Total Cost column. The new cost value is also accounted for in the summary tasks and project summary task .
If you frequently change cost rate tables for assignments, you will find it quicker to display the Cost Rate Table field directly in the Resource Usage or Task Usage view. Display the right edge of the table portion of a usage view, click Add New Column, and then select Cost Rate Table
In our new book project, we are interested in tracking the use and cost of the bound galley proofs of the new children’s book.
Project assigns the material resource to the task and calculates the $300 cost of the assignment ($15 per copy times 20 copies).
Because Bound galley proof is a material resource, it cannot do work. Therefore, assigning a material resource does not affect the duration of a task.
When you assign a material resource to a task, its label value appears in the Units column and next to the Gantt bar to which it is assigned
Bound galley proof is a material resource, it cannot do work. Therefore, assigning a material resource does not affect the duration of a task.
You just assigned a material resource with a fixed amount, or fixed consumption rate, to a task. Another way to use material resources is to assign them with a variable consumption rate.
The advantage of using a variable rate of consumption is that the rate is tied to the task’s duration. If the duration changes, the calculated quantity and cost of the material resource will change as well. When you need this level of cost tracking for a material resource, use a variable consumption rate.
The advantage of using a variable rate of consumption is that the rate is tied to the task’s duration. If the duration changes, the calculated quantity and cost of the material resource will change as well. When you need this level of cost tracking for a material resource, use a variable consumption rate.
At this point in the planning for the new book project, you’ve set up an initial task list and initial resource details, as well as some of the resources’ working time exceptions such as planned days off. Viewing the working capacity per resource now will give you a better understanding of overall capacity for this project. This in turn can help inform you and the project’s stakeholders about any possible adjustments to the scope of the project to better match that capacity of the team (or vice versa
Recall that in this view, the left pane organizes tasks under the resources to which the tasks are assigned. The right pane shows assignment and other values organized
on the timeline.
Here, our focus is on seeing availability for the resources. To begin, you’ll switch the timephased view to show resource availability
Now you can see the daily remaining availability values for all work resources. The full-time resources, like Carole Poland, have the expected 8 hours per day available for the days in which they have no assignments. Dan Jump, the half-time resource with 50% max. units, has just 4 hours per day available.
Project hides the Work details, leaving the Remaining Availability detail visible.
Now you can see the daily remaining availability values for all work resources. The full-time resources, like Carole Poland, have the expected 8 hours per day available for the days in which they have no assignments. Dan Jump, the half-time resource with 50% max. units, has just 4 hours per day available.
Project shows available hours per resource, per month.
The Task and Resource Usage views are powerful views in which you can accomplish intricate goals, like manually contouring resource assignments. If these views present more details than you want, Project Professional includes a simple but powerful view called the Team Planner view.
What the Team Planner view enables that the usage views do not is a simple drag-and-drop method of rescheduling or reassigning tasks.
First, you’ll schedule the assigned but unscheduled (that is, manually scheduled ) tasks. Carole has one unscheduled task, as well as several scheduled tasks. In fact, her scheduled tasks have caused her to be overallocated. The red formatting of her name communicates the fact that she is overallocated, and the red horizontal lines that run through the middle and end of April tell you when she is overallocated
First, you’ll schedule the assigned but unscheduled (that is, manually scheduled ) tasks. Carole has one unscheduled task, as well as several scheduled tasks. In fact, her scheduled tasks have caused her to be overallocated. The red formatting of her name communicates the fact that she is overallocated, and the red horizontal lines that run through the middle and end of April tell you when she is overallocated.
As on the Gantt Chart, the width of a scheduled task bar corresponds to its duration. Depending on the timescale zoom level, you may not see full task names in some task bars.
Note that although this task is now scheduled for a specific time, it is still a manually scheduled task, and it will remain so until it is switched to automatic scheduling.
Project schedules and reassigns the task .
Now both tasks are assigned and scheduled, though they remain manually scheduled tasks.
Most of the resource overallocations in the project plan are due to the weekly editorial status meeting overlapping with other tasks. Since each occurrence of the editorial status meeting is only one hour long, you’re not concerned with addressing this level of overallocation. You can see a more severe overallocation for Hany Morcos the week of June 24, however
Project reassigns the task but does not change the task’s start or finish dates or duration.
You can also reassign tasks by dragging them from one resource to another. To better control the scheduling of tasks when you reassign them this way, set the timescale to daily (to do this, on the View tab, in the Zoom group, click Days in the Timescale box).