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From: Silene on 29 Apr 2010 06:45 Is taking me quite a while to understand this subject, so I have more questions. 1) I don't schedule the resources by the hour, how can I prevent overallocated (referred in your answer 2)? 2) I have duration of PDR/CDR meetings of 3 hours. Also I have a resource that only works 4 hours a day. Maybe this is why I have broken duration (4.5, 5.6)!? 3) Can you explain more about duration/effort estimating methodology, I may be working in a wrong way? Thank you so much for all the answers, Silene "Andrew Lavinsky" <(Catapult Systems)> wrote in message news:c4abab722fc528cc96f65350e371(a)msnews.microsoft.com... > A couple of things: > > 1) Are you sure the resource calendars are also set to 9 hours per day? > If not, they would show up overallocated when assigned to 9 hours of > tasks. > 2) Project calculates overallocations to the minute. If you have two > tasks, both assigned to the same resource, and both scheduled on the same > day from 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM, the resource will show up as overallocated, > despite the fact that there's only 1 hour of effort logged for the same > day. I'd look at overlapping tasks as your culprit. > > To look for overlapping tasks, expose the Resource Management toolbar, and > click on that first icon to get the split screen view with Resource Usage > at the top and the Gantt Chart at the bottom. Then, zoom in to whatever > level of granularity you require to identify where the overlap resides. > > I'd also point out that I am a bit concerned that you have hours showing > up as 4.5, 5.6, etc. Are you really assigning work on that granular a > level, or do you have Fixed Duration tasks, to which you are assigning > work estimates? What is your duration/effort estimating methodology? That > may be the true culprit. > > > - Andrew Lavinsky > Blog: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/epm > >> I work with a calendar that is setting 9 hours work/day for all the >> resources. In the resource usage I see that more than 8 hours of work >> is shown in red, but also sometimes all kinds of hours like 4.5, 5.6, >> 4.8 hs is red as well, even though is a normal working day. What is >> going on here???? >> >> txs >> > >
From: Andrew Lavinsky on 29 Apr 2010 08:46 1) I don't schedule the resources by the hour, how can I prevent overallocated (referred in your answer 2)? If you don't schedule them by the hour, then why does it matter if they're overallocated? I would just ignore that indicator. 2) I have duration of PDR/CDR meetings of 3 hours. Also I have a resource that only works 4 hours a day. Maybe this is why I have broken duration (4.5, 5.6)!? Possible. Why are you scheduling tasks of less than a day or so? The general rule of thumb is not to schedule a task less than 1% of the overall duration, or more than 10% of the overall duration of the project. What would be the point of scheduling a meeting. Does that shift all subsequent tasks out for three hours? 3) Can you explain more about duration/effort estimating methodology, I may be working in a wrong way? I think where the confusion may be is in understanding what kind of schedule you're trying to build. Are you trying to estimate when things will happen, or estimate how many man hours each task will take? Based on your answer to that question, you'd go build a schedule in different ways and pay attention to different metrics. For instance, if all you're looking at is a duration based schedule, the question of overallocation is irrelevant. If you're doing an effort-based schedule, the goal is to accurately map resource allocation, and to a certain extent, have that drive the schedule. Which is your goal? When you assign duration to a task, what two variables do you know? 1) Duration 2) Number of Resources 3) Man Hours Required by the Task In IT, typically, I would say that the task is 80 man hours, and I have two developers working on it - then using the tool to calculate the duration of 1 week. In construction, I'd say that we have a team of 10 working on a task for 2 weeks, then derive the man hours from those two variables. My recommendation is to go enroll in a Microsoft Project (or general scheduling) class in your vicinity. It will help you significantly. - Andrew Lavinsky Blog: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/epm > I have duration of PDR/CDR meetings of 3 hours. Also I have a > resource >
From: Silene on 6 May 2010 02:22 Thanks a lot for the answers but to continue understanding: 1) I don't schedule by the hour but I need to know the occupancy of my resources/day. Should I look in the resource usage view only and relocate them? 2)I schedule meetings to track the dates and considering the resources are high tech people the cost of a 3 hour meeting is significant. Can you comment on that, please? 3)I understand my goal is estimate when things will happen, an effort-based schedule, so I should have a accurately map resource allocation. "Andrew Lavinsky" <(Catapult Systems)> wrote in message news:c4abab723210b8ccb587375030f0(a)msnews.microsoft.com... > 1) I don't schedule the resources by the hour, how can I prevent > overallocated (referred in your answer 2)? > > If you don't schedule them by the hour, then why does it matter if they're > overallocated? I would just ignore that indicator. > > > 2) I have duration of PDR/CDR meetings of 3 hours. Also I have a resource > that only works 4 hours a day. Maybe this is why I have broken duration > (4.5, 5.6)!? > > Possible. Why are you scheduling tasks of less than a day or so? The > general rule of thumb is not to schedule a task less than 1% of the > overall duration, or more than 10% of the overall duration of the project. > What would be the point of scheduling a meeting. Does that shift all > subsequent tasks out for three hours? > > 3) Can you explain more about duration/effort estimating methodology, I > may be working in a wrong way? > > I think where the confusion may be is in understanding what kind of > schedule you're trying to build. Are you trying to estimate when things > will happen, or estimate how many man hours each task will take? Based on > your answer to that question, you'd go build a schedule in different ways > and pay attention to different metrics. For instance, if all you're > looking at is a duration based schedule, the question of overallocation is > irrelevant. If you're doing an effort-based schedule, the goal is to > accurately map resource allocation, and to a certain extent, have that > drive the schedule. Which is your goal? > > When you assign duration to a task, what two variables do you know? > > 1) Duration > 2) Number of Resources > 3) Man Hours Required by the Task > > In IT, typically, I would say that the task is 80 man hours, and I have > two developers working on it - then using the tool to calculate the > duration of 1 week. In construction, I'd say that we have a team of 10 > working on a task for 2 weeks, then derive the man hours from those two > variables. > > My recommendation is to go enroll in a Microsoft Project (or general > scheduling) class in your vicinity. It will help you significantly. > > > - Andrew Lavinsky > Blog: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/epm > >> I have duration of PDR/CDR meetings of 3 hours. Also I have a >> resource >> > >
From: Andrew Lavinsky on 6 May 2010 08:41 Ok - so we are developing an effort-based schedule where hours are tracked. In that case, your goal is to use MS Project to develop a model of resource allocations. Typically, here's how you would do that: 1) Make sure your WBS includes PM activities. For the PM activities, generally, create hammock tasks for the duration of the project and assess how many hours the PM would probably allocate to the project - then add those to the task. This will shave perhaps 10-20% (if not more) of the PM time away from general availability. Consider adding contours as appropriate (check that in the help screen). 2) Add recurring meetings to the PM deliverable. Generally, for recurring weekly meetings, I would again create a hammock task, and then calculate which resources attend, and then do a rough calculation of let's say 3 hrs X No. of weeks in the entire project. This accounts for the availability hit from my recurring meetings. For one off meetings, add them to your schedule and consider putting a Start No Earlier Than constraint on them as well as a Deadline. Generally, I would set the duration of the meeting to one day (or one week), but allocate 3 hours of each resource's time. From a scheduler perspective, I don't care so much about what day the meeting happens, as long as I capture the work load of preparing for and attending the meeting. As long as the effort is accounted for in your model, the specific meeting details may be irrelevant. 3) Add your project tasks. Estimate duration and effort separately - or estimated effort first, then calculate how many resources you will have dedicated to the task, and allow that to guide the duration calculation. Ensure the tasks are all linked appropriately. Once you've done all of that, you'll have a good model of overall resource allocation. You can then look to optimize the schedule by reviewing such items as the Critical Path, Slack, and Resource Overallocations. This is where the art of scheduling comes in as you'll need to make critical decisions as to which constraint you wish to optimize for. I'd strongly recommend you consider taking a Microsoft Project training course in your area or online. It will probably help you out significantly. - Andrew Lavinsky Blog: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/epm > Thanks a lot for the answers but to continue understanding: > 1) I don't schedule by the hour but I need to know the occupancy of my > resources/day. Should I look in the resource usage view only and > relocate > them? > 2)I schedule meetings to track the dates and considering the resources > are high tech people the cost of a 3 hour meeting is significant. Can > you comment on that, please? > > 3)I understand my goal is estimate when things will happen, an > effort-based > schedule, so I should have a > accurately map resource allocation. > "Andrew Lavinsky" <(Catapult Systems)> wrote in message > news:c4abab723210b8ccb587375030f0(a)msnews.microsoft.com... > >> 1) I don't schedule the resources by the hour, how can I prevent >> overallocated (referred in your answer 2)? >> >> If you don't schedule them by the hour, then why does it matter if >> they're overallocated? I would just ignore that indicator. >> >> 2) I have duration of PDR/CDR meetings of 3 hours. Also I have a >> resource that only works 4 hours a day. Maybe this is why I have >> broken duration (4.5, 5.6)!? >> >> Possible. Why are you scheduling tasks of less than a day or so? >> The general rule of thumb is not to schedule a task less than 1% of >> the overall duration, or more than 10% of the overall duration of the >> project. What would be the point of scheduling a meeting. Does that >> shift all subsequent tasks out for three hours? >> >> 3) Can you explain more about duration/effort estimating methodology, >> I may be working in a wrong way? >> >> I think where the confusion may be is in understanding what kind of >> schedule you're trying to build. Are you trying to estimate when >> things will happen, or estimate how many man hours each task will >> take? Based on your answer to that question, you'd go build a >> schedule in different ways and pay attention to different metrics. >> For instance, if all you're looking at is a duration based schedule, >> the question of overallocation is irrelevant. If you're doing an >> effort-based schedule, the goal is to accurately map resource >> allocation, and to a certain extent, have that drive the schedule. >> Which is your goal? >> >> When you assign duration to a task, what two variables do you know? >> >> 1) Duration >> 2) Number of Resources >> 3) Man Hours Required by the Task >> In IT, typically, I would say that the task is 80 man hours, and I >> have two developers working on it - then using the tool to calculate >> the duration of 1 week. In construction, I'd say that we have a team >> of 10 working on a task for 2 weeks, then derive the man hours from >> those two variables. >> >> My recommendation is to go enroll in a Microsoft Project (or general >> scheduling) class in your vicinity. It will help you significantly. >> >> - Andrew Lavinsky >> Blog: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/epm >>> I have duration of PDR/CDR meetings of 3 hours. Also I have a >>> resource >>>
From: Silene on 16 May 2010 01:13
Thanks a lot Andrew, I will try all that, I think I am on the right path but defenetely I will have to have some outside help. Silene "Andrew Lavinsky" <(Catapult Systems)> wrote in message news:c4abab72327748ccbb06ac2d2ae0(a)msnews.microsoft.com... > Ok - so we are developing an effort-based schedule where hours are > tracked. > > In that case, your goal is to use MS Project to develop a model of > resource allocations. Typically, here's how you would do that: > > 1) Make sure your WBS includes PM activities. For the PM activities, > generally, create hammock tasks for the duration of the project and assess > how many hours the PM would probably allocate to the project - then add > those to the task. This will shave perhaps 10-20% (if not more) of the PM > time away from general availability. Consider adding contours as > appropriate (check that in the help screen). > > 2) Add recurring meetings to the PM deliverable. Generally, for recurring > weekly meetings, I would again create a hammock task, and then calculate > which resources attend, and then do a rough calculation of let's say 3 hrs > X No. of weeks in the entire project. This accounts for the availability > hit from my recurring meetings. For one off meetings, add them to your > schedule and consider putting a Start No Earlier Than constraint on them > as well as a Deadline. Generally, I would set the duration of the meeting > to one day (or one week), but allocate 3 hours of each resource's time. > From a scheduler perspective, I don't care so much about what day the > meeting happens, as long as I capture the work load of preparing for and > attending the meeting. As long as the effort is accounted for in your > model, the specific meeting details may be irrelevant. > > 3) Add your project tasks. Estimate duration and effort separately - or > estimated effort first, then calculate how many resources you will have > dedicated to the task, and allow that to guide the duration calculation. > Ensure the tasks are all linked appropriately. > > Once you've done all of that, you'll have a good model of overall resource > allocation. You can then look to optimize the schedule by reviewing such > items as the Critical Path, Slack, and Resource Overallocations. This is > where the art of scheduling comes in as you'll need to make critical > decisions as to which constraint you wish to optimize for. > > I'd strongly recommend you consider taking a Microsoft Project training > course in your area or online. It will probably help you out > significantly. > > - Andrew Lavinsky > Blog: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/epm > >> Thanks a lot for the answers but to continue understanding: >> 1) I don't schedule by the hour but I need to know the occupancy of my >> resources/day. Should I look in the resource usage view only and >> relocate >> them? >> 2)I schedule meetings to track the dates and considering the resources >> are high tech people the cost of a 3 hour meeting is significant. Can >> you comment on that, please? >> >> 3)I understand my goal is estimate when things will happen, an >> effort-based >> schedule, so I should have a >> accurately map resource allocation. >> "Andrew Lavinsky" <(Catapult Systems)> wrote in message >> news:c4abab723210b8ccb587375030f0(a)msnews.microsoft.com... >> >>> 1) I don't schedule the resources by the hour, how can I prevent >>> overallocated (referred in your answer 2)? >>> >>> If you don't schedule them by the hour, then why does it matter if >>> they're overallocated? I would just ignore that indicator. >>> >>> 2) I have duration of PDR/CDR meetings of 3 hours. Also I have a >>> resource that only works 4 hours a day. Maybe this is why I have >>> broken duration (4.5, 5.6)!? >>> >>> Possible. Why are you scheduling tasks of less than a day or so? >>> The general rule of thumb is not to schedule a task less than 1% of >>> the overall duration, or more than 10% of the overall duration of the >>> project. What would be the point of scheduling a meeting. Does that >>> shift all subsequent tasks out for three hours? >>> >>> 3) Can you explain more about duration/effort estimating methodology, >>> I may be working in a wrong way? >>> >>> I think where the confusion may be is in understanding what kind of >>> schedule you're trying to build. Are you trying to estimate when >>> things will happen, or estimate how many man hours each task will >>> take? Based on your answer to that question, you'd go build a >>> schedule in different ways and pay attention to different metrics. >>> For instance, if all you're looking at is a duration based schedule, >>> the question of overallocation is irrelevant. If you're doing an >>> effort-based schedule, the goal is to accurately map resource >>> allocation, and to a certain extent, have that drive the schedule. >>> Which is your goal? >>> >>> When you assign duration to a task, what two variables do you know? >>> >>> 1) Duration >>> 2) Number of Resources >>> 3) Man Hours Required by the Task >>> In IT, typically, I would say that the task is 80 man hours, and I >>> have two developers working on it - then using the tool to calculate >>> the duration of 1 week. In construction, I'd say that we have a team >>> of 10 working on a task for 2 weeks, then derive the man hours from >>> those two variables. >>> >>> My recommendation is to go enroll in a Microsoft Project (or general >>> scheduling) class in your vicinity. It will help you significantly. >>> >>> - Andrew Lavinsky >>> Blog: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/epm >>>> I have duration of PDR/CDR meetings of 3 hours. Also I have a >>>> resource >>>> > > |