Resource allocation is a critical element of any project and should be treated as such. A well-thought-out resource allocation plan helps ensure that the available resources are used in an efficient and effective manner. It also ensures that all resource manager are aware of how resources are being allocated in their team, allowing for improved workload. It helps ensure that resources are used in a way that is most beneficial to the project and its objectives. Resource allocation also helps reduce risk by ensuring that all necessary activities are adequately resourced before they begin. In summary, effective resource allocation is vital for successful project management. Below, we will show you how to manage resources and their workload.
How to manage resource in project ? #
Resource allocation on a project #
Foxplan will allow you to assign resources to tasks and assign a workload to them. This can be a static load (in man.days) or a dynamic load (in % of the task duration). Thanks to Foxplan you will be able to manage your workload plan in a complete way.
1-Go to the project planning
2-Open the Edit task panel
3- Click on the + in the “Resources” block, then choose the resource.
4- Choose the allocation mode
4.1 in man days :
The number of man-days entered will be distributed (smoothed) over the duration of the task.
4.2 as a percentage of the task duration
Unlike the man-day mode, this type of allocation is dynamic and follows the duration of the task: if you choose to have a resource work 50% of the task duration, then if the start and end dates of the task are modified, then the load will also be modified accordingly.
5- Press the validation icon (in green). Your resource is allocated. Note that you can allocate as many resources as you wish to a task.
Through the lower part of the gantt :
It is also possible to allocate workload (in man-days) specifically on selected days. To do this, you must :
1- Choose a period in the lower part of the gantt
2- double click, then enter the number of days you want.
3- The resource load on the task will be updated. Note that it is possible to tabulate to make a “mass” allocation. It is also possible to allocate over a period longer than one day. For example, 10 days over the whole month of March. In this case, it is the same as doing it via the panel on the right: a smoothing will be made on the duration of the task.
Monitoring allocations in the resource portfolio #
1- Go to the “Charge” screen of the Resources Menu.
2- Unfold the resource and then the chosen project. It is possible to enter the load at task level. It is possible to enter the load at the task level. This allows for resource allocation at a multi-project level.
3- Double click on a period, and enter the load (in d.h). Here 22 days for the month of June.
Resource calendar #
There are two kinds of calendars :
- Project calendar
- Resource calendar
Project calendar :
This calendar is associated to the project, you can have multiple calendars per project.
It is mainly used for the planification of the project.
You can access it by selecting a project and clicking on “Definition & Calendar”
then by clicking on the “Calendar” tab on the “Manage Project” window.
Click “Edit”.
Then edit the daily availability (100% = 1 man.days).
Resource workload #
Resource view displays detailed assignments in man.days over a period of time.
This view is sorted by resources and displays the workload decomposed by: Assignment, Actual and Estimate to Completion (ETC).
You can change the scale of the view using the “Zoom In” or “Zoom Out” buttons:
You can also drill down a section to know where the allocation stands:
If you have the authorization to modify the projet, on the right and side gid, by clicking on a white cell at the resource level, you can change corresponding resource assignments. It can be done in order to estimate completion (ETC) as well. The assignment can be set before the start or after the end of the task. New start and finish dates will then be set accordingly.
In this same view, you can edit a task by clicking directly on its name.
You can then quickly perform operations like:
- Assigning a new resource
- Changing task start and finish date
- Closing the task (in this case the estimate to completion will be set to 0)
Define a resource manager #
Defining a resource manager for a given resource allows performing the following operations on behalf of the resource:
- Editing the profile
- Updating the calendar
- Entering or modify a timesheet
To associate a resource manager, first you need to first select the resource. You have 2 options:
- From the environment, by clicking on the name of the environment on the right side of the screen and then “Members”
- From the project, by clicking on “Members”
Select the resource by clicking on the display icon on the right side of the name:
Click on “Edit Profile”.
In the tab “Resource manager”, enter the resource manager’s email. Click on “Add a new resource manager” then “Save”.
Estimate to completion (ETC) #
The estimate to completion is the amount of workload it would take to finish a task. A classic pitfall is to confuse the estimate to complétion with the remaining budget to get consumed. These are two different notions. In reality, a resource can consume more or less depending on the reality of the execution of a task.
On a task with a 10-day workload, I have 10 days of planned work, 0 days of completed work and 10 days of estimate to completion. When I have completed the work, this naturally decreases the etimate to completion. On the same task, if I complete 2 days, I have 8 days left to do.
If the person in charge of the task discovers that the task is going to take more or less time than planned, they can indicate this by modifying the etimate to completion.
I can have a task with a 10-day workload, have completed it in 2 days and then realise (due to a problem, for example) that it will take another 15 days to finish the task. The difference between the planned and the completed + estimate to completion is called the estimate to completion delta. In this example the delta is 10 – (2 + 15) = 7. In other words, 7 additional days are needed to completely finish the task. This difference will be displayed in the Estimate to completion delta cell. This information is used to indicate to the project manager that he/she should schedule an additional 7 days for the resource on the task (or adjustment if he/she does not agree). Once this has been done and the resource has been allocated 17 days on the task, the Etimate to completion delta changes to 0. Activity is back to normal on this task.
