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Resource Loading

13 replies [Last post]
Thu, 2003-05-01 01:32
Nishikant Choudhary
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Planners ,

Q1. Please can u tell me the easiest and fastest way for loading resources and cost into the P3 schedule.
do i need to have additional tools to enter the information .

Q2. How can i get all the activities to have a common resource loading, so that it becomes easier to assess the progress .Cos , what is happening is some of the quantities are assessed based on the quantities completion while others are related to cost, which are manually fed to the P3 sheet , after updating the Excel information.
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Wed, 2003-07-30 03:09
#1
Neeraj Agarkar
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another way for loading resources and costs.

Create Activities table in Database along with Bill of Quantity and unit of measurement.

Create a standard material and labour resources table with its cost.

Assign material and labour resources to activities.

Use P3 batchloader to import into P3. All resources will also be copied into P3. In P3, plan durations and linkages. and you have your Plan ready.

Everytime you want to update, mark actual workdone in Database and use batchloader to see result in p3. The progress % will be based on Actual Qty / BOQ Qty.

On creating further tables like Indirect costs, Advances, retention terms, Liquidated damages conditions, credit period for payments etc. you can have automatic cashflows generation every time you update P3 schedule.

This is timetaking but we also use the same database for tendering, purchase, accounts and human resources.

I too really wish if one software was able to do all of this. Saves a lot of programming headache.
Neeraj
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Fri, 2003-07-18 06:13
#2
Se de Leon
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Hi guys,

The postings here concluded my experiences that entering resource data to P3 is very tedious as what my buddy Jorge(pare si Se de Leon to remember me?) wrote in one of his posts.

It is my belief that computer softwares should should make our life easier not giving us problems like studying other programming techniques or other database softwares. Why cant we have one software to do all of these? Just asking.

My idea here is to have a software which we can prepare a productivity database/gang database within the software and using only a copy paste procedure when preparing the activities with assigned resources already.

Se de Leon.
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Thu, 2003-07-17 03:08
#3
Zq qz
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Yes, thanks
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Thu, 2003-07-17 03:05
#4
Steven Oliver
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Moises,

My apologies, I misinterpreted your original post. In my terms "distribution" is the allocation of the resource value over time. Allocation would be the method of attaching a resource to an activity.
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Thu, 2003-07-17 02:48
#5
Zq qz
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Steve , actually MS access will only distribute the resource per Craft,descipline etc. from a cetain budget quantity / cost. but distribution along the duration of the task or activity will be done in P3 upon complete importing data from access.
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Thu, 2003-07-17 02:39
#6
Steven Oliver
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But how, in MS Access do you accomodate different working patterns, holidays, resource lags, constraints etc?.

Whilst P3 isnt the best Tool for manipulation of resources at least it does give credible and interrogatable results.

If a properly resource loaded plan is what you want, then it is worth the effort to have all the info in P3 and then take advantage of all the advanced features available.

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Thu, 2003-07-17 02:20
#7
Zq qz
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Hello there specially my kabayan>>>>>
You can use access database to load resource faster and easier by using unique code. But first, make a standard table for the standard distribution of resources for a certain kind of task/ activity then assign it with a unique code. example: Concreting :Code is "CO" , Resources : Mason (30%), Labor (60%),etc.... =100%. this % will be multiplied with the budget MDays or man-hours etc....but access will do the distribution.
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Fri, 2003-07-11 03:58
#8
Jorge Taguinod
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Sorry, buddy. I cant do that as the spreadsheet is a property of the company. I have given you the detailed idea how this works, though and you could probably develop the spreadsheet yourself.

Goodluck.

Jorge
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Wed, 2003-07-09 21:51
#9
Nishikant Choudhary
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Thanks guys for the response to my querry.
But could you confirm to me that i will not be losing any Successor / Predecesssor relationship in between exporting and importing the quantities.

Jarge
, Could you send me on sample spreadsheet , cos i do not think i have got you completely on this X-Y Spreadsheet updating and quantity filling.

would appreciate if you send it to my Rediffmial account,
nishikantvc@rediffmail.com

Thanks again.

Nishi
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Tue, 2003-07-08 22:57
#10
Jorge Taguinod
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Managing resources in P3 is a very common problem --- its tedious. Thats why we developed a resource loading spreadsheet matrix.

The procedure for this is:
1. We export P3 activities into the spreadsheet. The activities are then listed vertically at the left part of the spreadsheet.

2. We perform batch processing to export the defined resources in from the resource dictionary. We place these resources at the top part of the spreadsheet.

3. In an X-Y axis perspective, the X-axis lists the activites and the Y-axis lists the resources. Clear?

4. Using this matrix, we then just put in the BQ of each resource required by each activity. We then run a little macro to convert this data into P3 format and import it back into P3.

Limitations:
1. Make sure that matrices are not mixed up. Meaning, if youre putting in labor, be consistent and just put in labor and use the field UPT (units per timeperiod). You can also use UPS for equipment and facilities. But when youre loading material quantities, then the values should correspond to BQ (budgeted quantities) and not with UPT.

2. For activities that are level of effort types, such Project Management, wherein the resources loaded are not really divided among detailed activities but are carried throughout the project, (e.g., Project Mangement needs resources: PM, secretary, field engineers, etc.), just assign resources to one common activity since assigning a PM onto each and every activity will give you an overwhelming BQ.

Advantage:
You can check your spreadsheet if your resource quantities balance evern before you import it back into P3. This ensures that what you are putting into P3 is correct.

Goodluck!

Jorge
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Tue, 2003-07-08 22:57
#11
Jorge Taguinod
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[ Message removed - duplicate entry (see above post) ]
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Fri, 2003-05-02 06:28
#12
Forum Guest
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I would be careful about exporting resource information as if you export resource without cost codes (that have been assigned) when importing back in, it will add a new instance and not overwrite existing information.

I would suggest global change as being the best way to update the best method to use across a large number of activities
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Thu, 2003-05-01 03:28
#13
Tara Muddappa
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Hi Nishant,

Once you create/Add resource in P3 and then export to .dbf or .wk1 format.Now against each activity in excel fill the budgeted quantity (i.e mandays,quantity or cost).Now Import this back to P3.

I presume this is the easiest way.

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