Discussion

Resources and Scheduling?

March 31, 2015 - 03:23 am
SeanM
2 comment(s)

Why is it that resource allocation has no affect on scheduling? Perhaps I'm missing something but in my use case (where there are many specific tasks which do not necessarily depend on each other, but must all be done by the same person) the gantt chart scheduling doesn't seem very intuitive. I can set a dependancy between two tasks in order to ensure prerequisites are done first and the scheduling adapts, but when multiple tasks are assigned to the same resource then remain at the same point in the schedule, even if it causes the resource to be utilized above it's maximum.

Even though one task is not necessarily a prerequisite for another, they can't be completed simultaneously as they depend on the same resource (employee) to do both. I can't get them to schedule at different times without creating a false dependancy, or manually changing the scheduled date. Am I missing something, or is this not yet implemented?

 

Thanks, Sean

2 Comments

April 16, 2015 - 07:43 am

I became frustrated with this aspect too, i.e. I had created resource data that was quite specific in that the resource works 2 hours per day 5 days per week. The resource is then assigned 100% to a task estimated to have 15 hours of work. In simple math this resource would take 7.5 days to complete the task. ProjectLibre quite doggedly insisted that the task would be completed in 1.87 days i.e. using the assumption the resource was working an 8-hour day. I was able to sledge-hammer through a reasonable outcome by applying this particular resource's calendar as the Task Calendar. However this will obviously not work where mutliple resources with different work habits are assigned to any one task. 

Love the Libre thing overall though - well done on the initiative people.

April 16, 2015 - 21:46 pm

I'll take a look at the assigning calendars to tasks. However, I'm not sure that is exactly my issue:

In my case the bulk of the project is being done by a single resource working 40 hours per week. So the default Calendar might be appropriate there. But the issue is that the resource is being allocated well beyond 100% because any task which is not manually scheduled with a specific start date (which isn't ideal because the start and end dates are going to be fluid as tasks are or aren't finished on time) or manually set with a dependancy relationship (which isn't ideal because many tasks can be done in any order, and that order will be determined on a week by week basis.).

In terms of your example, my problem is that Bill is working 40 hours a week, 100% utilization. But Bill is the resource assigned to both Planning 1 and Planning 2. But planning 2 doesn't depend on planning 1 to be completed, and may in fact be completed first. This leads to Planning 1 and Planning 2 both starting at the first possible date, and running concurrently, utilizing Bill at 200%.

Sean