Resource skill sets and task skill requiremens

[jensmaigaard]

Hi,

I'd like to achieve the following:

1) Tasks require different skills, though never more than one skill
2) Resorces may posses any number of skills
3) Some tasks should only have ressources with matching skill assigned
4) Some tasks could have any ressource assigned
5) I'd like to view the ressource load pr skill (e.g. 2 out of 4 holediggers are digging holes on july 1st)

is this possible in a standalone project 2003 environment?

Thanks a lot,

Jens

 

[PDQBach]

It's *possible* but I don't think you understand how much work has to be done behind the scenes.

"Some tasks should...", "Some tasks could..." - what are the criteria for identifying these tasks?

Once you get over the manual effort of encoding the resources with their skill sets (just create a value list on a resource text field) and then repeat the process with encoding each task with the required skill sets (just create ...) then you'll have done the easy part.

All you have to do is to decide which tasks need resources with matching skills and which don't; which tasks need specific resources and which ones don't. In the top half of a split screen go through each task to determine the skillset needed, in the bottom half display the resources with that skillset, back in the top half assign the resource to the task.

The resource report will be a piece of cake in VBA (make sure you understand TimeScaleData before you start coding).

 

[jensmaigaard]

Thanks,
To clarify:

Ressources must be able to have one or more skills - I can't see how I can do this with a value list on a ressouce text field. Would it make sense to create e.g. 10 such text fields on ressources?

The "should" and "could" can be boiled down to this: if task has value in skill field, only ressources with same value in (a) skill field can apply. If task has no value in skill field, any ressource can apply.

The whole ressource assignment bit would (with my limited knowledge of MS Project) be much easier to build in MS access - but i'd like to make use of all that is given in MS Project)

 

[PDQBach]

I read your initial question too quickly.

Yeah, it looks like you'll have to have multiple text fields to do your matching when a resource can have multiple skills. As a workaround, you could have a single text field but have it include multiple "values" as in "Programmer,Analyst,C,C++,Java" and then periodically review the entries in that column to make sure they are entered consistently (e.g., typos like "Programmer" vs. "Programer", etc.)

So the trade-off is:
1. Multiple skill columns in the resource table means that a task's single-skill must be checked across multiple Resource columns for each resource. Multiple skill columns means that you can establish a consistent "pick list" in both Task skill column and the multiple skill columns for each Resource.

2. A single skill column in the resource table means that a task's single-skill must be "In-stringed" against a single column in the Resource table and there is no way to limit the entries in the Resource skill column (though you can restrict the Task skill by using a pick list).

If you want to "mess around" you could export the project to an Access database, update the database, import the database back into Project. It's not something I have ever tried so I have absolutely no idea how well or how poorly this will turn out. If you do this, please report back.

No matter which approach you use, if you go for an automated matching, what will you do when a task Skill matches multiple Resources? or when a task Skill does not match? Regardless of whether it's automated or it's a manual selection/assignment then you'll have the issue of determining how to select a resource when there is no skill match (i.e., you want C, but the resource has only be "coded" with C++). It's an interesting set of issues you are working with.

(Multi-value select is, btw, available in Project Server.)