Resources and Skills on Project Pro 2002

[Munky]

Hi all

I'm having a bit of bother with Project. I can't get it to do something, but can't believe that such a sophisticated product wouldn't be able to do what I want.
Please note I'm using a stand alone version of project - not the SERVER version.

I want to be able to set up a task (easy!) and then assign resources to it (again, easy!). BUT, I want to have a look at the skills and the availabilty of those resources, and assign accordingly.

So I guess I need to set up and assign skills to my resources. This I can do by changing the Text1, Text2, etc. fields to be a skill, but that's as far as I get.

Any, and I mean ANY help is bound to be a bonus.

Cheers

~Munky~

 

[PDQBach]

For the record, however, multivalue fields are available as Enterprise multi-value resource fields and are not available in the standalone products. They were first made available in P2003 Enterprise.

You really haven't given the readers much information have you?

It's one thing to initially build your database or repository of skillsets; it's an entirely different matter to keep it updated. (Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt).

But let's assume you are prepared to do all of your normal tasks and add this additional responsibility to your workload. Why? What will you be getting out of it and what will it be used for?

When you can answer those questions to your own satisfaction, let me know the answers plus all the relevant information: how many projects are active in your company, how many you track, how many resources you have in the company, how many you track.

 

[Munky]

Hi

Thanks for your reply. I didn't put down much information because I've only just started putting together the document - so how it gets done doesn't matter. If I scrap the document and start again then that would be perfectly acceptable.

The reason we want to set this document up is so we can track the usage of our staff. Then, when a new project comes up, we can see their workload and assign new staff to it as appropriate.

I'm not even sure if MS Project is the right way to do this. A bit of training wouldn't go amiss!

We would probably arrange for each individual to assess their skills on a periodic basis. It is in their own interest to get it right. We only have about 30 staff we track, and about 60 active 'projects' at one time. Although for historical reasons we would be keeping a record of the projects that resources had been assigned to. I have not set up a MS Project file for each project, but simply created a task. We only want to track the resource usage, not do any project planning.

Like I said, maybe I'm using the wrong software. But with it's resource allocation %, and skills (of a sort) then it appears it should be well suited to the job.

Many thanks again for your help.

~Munky~

 

[PDQBach]

For 30 people that seems like a _lot_ of work. I think a simple spreadsheet with the names in one column and a column for each skill (with a 3 values: no knowledge, some knowledge; proficient). It's tempting to have more levels. Don't. Too much work for too little incremental value.

After you've done that, you'll need to track availability. Some people will tell you to use a Resource Pool; others will tell you to create a temporary Master Project with the current projects inserted into it. A resource pool makes certain everyone is using the same resource names but as things grow you will encounter a performance penalty. A Master Project is an easier way to go but if someone uses a resource named Val Smith and someone else uses Valerie Smith can you be absolutely certain they are the same person.

In the end it comes down to four questions:

What are you doing now?
What are the failings?
What does the new process do to eliminate those failings?
What does the new process to to add additional business value?

I'm a tool user, myself. Sometimes the right tool is a pencil and paper.

 

[Munky]

I think you're right. I've pressed on with the Project document, and it's got messy! As you say, too much admin/work involved for not much gain.

I'm going to go back to the spreadsheet that we currently use, and see if it will be easier to build on that.

Thanks for your help - I really appreciate it.

Regards

~Munky~