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Leveling
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On Fri, 29 May 2009 11:01:19 +0800, "Trevor Rabey - Perfect Project Planning" <trevorATperfectproject.com.au
I have a friend who proposed this:
starts monday.
4 x tasks, a, b, c, d, 1 day each, all fixed units, effort driven (default).
no predecessors.
3 x resources assigned, bill, tom and Mr3days.
8x5 calendar for all tasks and bill and tom.
special calendar for mr3days has only monday, tuesday, wednesday as working days.
all three resources assigned to each task but assignment done one-by-one in the assign resources dialog, so that duration of each task drops to 0.33 days.
level, day by day, standard, no checkboxes.
Mr3days has 2.67 Hours on the last task which gets pushed to monday.
my friend argues that MSP should know ("it's obvious") that bill and tom will do more hours on wednesday and the job will get finished on wednesday without having to wait until monday.
I told him that's just wishful thinking and further explained as below, but he wants a second opinion. Any volunteers?
Leveling can only delay tasks.
It can't change resource assignments and it can't change the Work on a Task.
When MSP comes up with a solution, it only gives the best solution that it can come up with, which the planner can accept or change.
This applies also when the assignments are first made.
It assumes, because not told otherwise, that one resource is equivalent to another and durations will decrease as the units are increased (with the default task type and effort driven.
But it does not assume that bill's and tom's assignments can be increased on Thursday to make up for Mr 3 Days not being there on Thursday.
If the Task gets extended to Monday, until Mr 3 Days is available to finish his Hours, while tom and bill only do their original 2.67 Hours each on the task, this is only the best that MSP can do.
MSP sort of says, "this is what will happen unless you change it".
It may not be a perfect solution but it is a feasible solution, which is pretty clever in itself and 1 more than we would have on our own, and provides a starting point for further fine tuning by the planner.
The planner, who knows more about the project than MSP, may be able to go one step better from this starting point and adjust the individual assignments for the day, using the Task Usage View or Resource Usage View, to increase bill's and tom's Work 2.67 + 1.33 = 4.00, 2.67 +1.33 = 4.00 on Thursday, and zero Mr 3 Days' Work on Monday.
We can't expect the software to deliver what we might think is a perfect (or even obvious) solution when there is a number of similar possible solutions and each might be the one we think we want.
--
Trevor Rabey
0407213955
61 8 92727485
PERFECT PROJECT PLANNING
http://www.perfectproject.com.au
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"<HTML<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3492" name=GENERATOR<STYLE</HEAD<BODY bgColor=#ffffff<DIV<DIV<DIV<DIVeffort driven (default).</FONT<DIV<DIVMr3days.</FONT<DIVtom.</FONT<DIVtue sday, wednesday as working days.</FONT<DIVassignment done one-by-one in the assign resources dialog, so that duration of
each task drops to 0.33 days.</FONT<DIVcheckboxes.</FONT<DIVpushed to monday.</FONT<DIVobvious") that bill and tom will do more hours on wednesday and the job will
get finished on wednesday without having to wait until
monday.</FONT<DIVexplained as below, but he wants a second opinion. Any volunteers?</FONT<DIV<DIV<DIVTask.</DIV<DIVcan come up with, which the planner can accept or change.</DIV<DIV<DIVanother and durations will decrease as the units are increased (with the default
task type and effort driven.</DIV<DIVon Thursday to make up for Mr 3 Days not being there on Thursday.</DIV<DIVhis Hours, while tom and bill only do their original 2.67 Hours each on the
task, this is only the best that MSP can do.</DIV<DIV<DIVpretty clever in itself and 1 more than we would have on our own, and
provides a starting point for further fine tuning by the planner.</DIV<DIVable to go one step better from this starting point and adjust the individual
assignments for the day, using the Task Usage View or Resource Usage View, to
increase bill's and tom's Work 2.67 + 1.33 = 4.00, 2.67 +1.33 =
4.00 on Thursday, and zero Mr 3 Days' Work on Monday.</DIV<DIV(or even obvious) solution when there is a number of similar possible solutions
and each might be the one we think we want.</DIV<DIV92727485<BRhref="http://www.perfectproject.com.au"
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On Fri, 29 May 2009 08:00:05 -0400, "Dale Howard [MVP]" <dale(dot)howard(at)msprojectexperts(dot)com
Trevor --
I believe your opinion is absolutely correct. Since the software cannot redistribute assigned Work to other resources on a task, it will do its best to schedule the work for Mr3days when he is available. Since he only works Monday through Wednesday, it will look for pockets of availability during that time window into which to reschedule his work. Your friend's assumption is invalid, since the built-in leveling tool cannot redistribute assigned work to other resources on the task. So, for whatever it's worth, that is my second opinion and I'm sticking to it! :)
--
Dale A. Howard [MVP]
VP of Educational Services
msProjectExperts
http://www.msprojectexperts.com
http://www.projectserverexperts.com
"We write the books on Project Server"
"Trevor Rabey - Perfect Project Planning" <trevorATperfectproject.com.au I have a friend who proposed this:
starts monday.
4 x tasks, a, b, c, d, 1 day each, all fixed units, effort driven (default).
no predecessors.
3 x resources assigned, bill, tom and Mr3days.
8x5 calendar for all tasks and bill and tom.
special calendar for mr3days has only monday, tuesday, wednesday as working days.
all three resources assigned to each task but assignment done one-by-one in the assign resources dialog, so that duration of each task drops to 0.33 days.
level, day by day, standard, no checkboxes.
Mr3days has 2.67 Hours on the last task which gets pushed to monday.
my friend argues that MSP should know ("it's obvious") that bill and tom will do more hours on wednesday and the job will get finished on wednesday without having to wait until monday.
I told him that's just wishful thinking and further explained as below, but he wants a second opinion. Any volunteers?
Leveling can only delay tasks.
It can't change resource assignments and it can't change the Work on a Task.
When MSP comes up with a solution, it only gives the best solution that it can come up with, which the planner can accept or change.
This applies also when the assignments are first made.
It assumes, because not told otherwise, that one resource is equivalent to another and durations will decrease as the units are increased (with the default task type and effort driven.
But it does not assume that bill's and tom's assignments can be increased on Thursday to make up for Mr 3 Days not being there on Thursday.
If the Task gets extended to Monday, until Mr 3 Days is available to finish his Hours, while tom and bill only do their original 2.67 Hours each on the task, this is only the best that MSP can do.
MSP sort of says, "this is what will happen unless you change it".
It may not be a perfect solution but it is a feasible solution, which is pretty clever in itself and 1 more than we would have on our own, and provides a starting point for further fine tuning by the planner.
The planner, who knows more about the project than MSP, may be able to go one step better from this starting point and adjust the individual assignments for the day, using the Task Usage View or Resource Usage View, to increase bill's and tom's Work 2.67 + 1.33 = 4.00, 2.67 +1.33 = 4.00 on Thursday, and zero Mr 3 Days' Work on Monday.
We can't expect the software to deliver what we might think is a perfect (or even obvious) solution when there is a number of similar possible solutions and each might be the one we think we want.
--
Trevor Rabey
0407213955
61 8 92727485
PERFECT PROJECT PLANNING
http://www.perfectproject.com.au
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"<HTML<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18702"<STYLE</HEAD<BODY bgColor=#ffffff<DIV<DIV<DIVSince the software cannot redistribute assigned Work to other resources on a
task, it will do its best to schedule the work for Mr3days when he is
available. Since he only works Monday through Wednesday, it will look for
pockets of availability during that time window into which to reschedule his
work. Your friend's assumption is invalid, since the built-in leveling
tool cannot redistribute assigned work to other resources on the task. So,
for whatever it's worth, that is my second opinion and I'm sticking to it!
:)</FONT<DIVServices<BRhref="http://www.msprojectexperts.com"href="http://www.projectserverexperts.com"write the books on Project Server"</DIV<DIV<DIV<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"
dir=ltr <DIV <trevorATperfectproject.com.au> wrote in message <A
href...@westnet.com.au" <DIV <DIV <DIV <DIV units, effort driven (default).</FONT <DIV <DIV Mr3days.</FONT <DIV tom.</FONT <DIV tuesday, wednesday as working days.</FONT <DIV assignment done one-by-one in the assign resources dialog, so that duration of
each task drops to 0.33 days.</FONT <DIV checkboxes.</FONT <DIV gets pushed to monday.</FONT <DIV obvious") that bill and tom will do more hours on wednesday and the job will
get finished on wednesday without having to wait until
monday.</FONT <DIV further explained as below, but he wants a second opinion. Any
volunteers?</FONT <DIV <DIV <DIV Task.</DIV <DIV it can come up with, which the planner can accept or change.</DIV <DIV <DIV to another and durations will decrease as the units are increased (with the
default task type and effort driven.</DIV <DIV on Thursday to make up for Mr 3 Days not being there on Thursday.</DIV <DIV finish his Hours, while tom and bill only do their original 2.67 Hours each on
the task, this is only the best that MSP can do.</DIV <DIV <DIV pretty clever in itself and 1 more than we would have on our own, and
provides a starting point for further fine tuning by the planner.</DIV <DIV able to go one step better from this starting point and adjust the individual
assignments for the day, using the Task Usage View or Resource Usage View, to
increase bill's and tom's Work 2.67 + 1.33 = 4.00, 2.67 +1.33
= 4.00 on Thursday, and zero Mr 3 Days' Work on Monday.</DIV <DIV (or even obvious) solution when there is a number of similar possible
solutions and each might be the one we think we want.</DIV <DIV 92727485<BR href="http://www.perfectproject.com.au"
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On Sat, 30 May 2009 08:31:37 -0400, "Steve House" <sjhouse at hotmail dot com
I concur with you and Dale. I explain to my classes that a: resource
*leveling* is not resource *optimizing*; and b: when multiple resources are
assigned to a task, Project treats each assignment separately, almost as if
your example task is in fact 3 separate tasks being done by 3 different
resources. While those three "tasks" initially start at the same time and
place, that doesn't mean they necessarily will remain coincident.
--
Steve House
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
"Trevor Rabey - Perfect Project Planning" <trevorATperfectproject.com.auwrote in message news...@westnet.com.au...
I have a friend who proposed this:
starts monday.
4 x tasks, a, b, c, d, 1 day each, all fixed units, effort driven (default).
no predecessors.
3 x resources assigned, bill, tom and Mr3days.
8x5 calendar for all tasks and bill and tom.
special calendar for mr3days has only monday, tuesday, wednesday as working
days.
all three resources assigned to each task but assignment done one-by-one in
the assign resources dialog, so that duration of each task drops to 0.33
days.
level, day by day, standard, no checkboxes.
Mr3days has 2.67 Hours on the last task which gets pushed to monday.
my friend argues that MSP should know ("it's obvious") that bill and tom
will do more hours on wednesday and the job will get finished on wednesday
without having to wait until monday.
I told him that's just wishful thinking and further explained as below, but
he wants a second opinion. Any volunteers?
.....
--
Trevor Rabey
0407213955
61 8 92727485
PERFECT PROJECT PLANNING
http://www.perfectproject.com.au
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On Sat, 30 May 2009 14:49:59 +0200, "Jan De Messemaeker" <...@prom-ade.be
Hi,
To complete Steve's explanantion:
..... unless you deselect the leveling parameter "Leveling can adjust
individual assignments on a task"
This is the one and only way to force resources to work together in Project.
Very important when you have to schedule man-machine combinations or even
meetings with several participants!
Greetings,
--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf
"Steve House" <sjhouse at hotmail dot comn...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
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