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Resoucre Pools and rolled up resource availibility ??

5 replies [Last post]
Sat, 2007-05-05 05:24
Andrew Dick
User offline. Last seen 9 years 2 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 14 Feb 2007
Posts: 295
Groups: Regional Representatives, The GrapeVine
Ok Boys and Girls,

The time has come that I ask the question about resources in P5.

What I’m after is a resource leveled schedule which will give me guidance as to how many resources of a particular type I will need in the future to execute projects.

Example –
We do railway signal engineering, and to say that these resources are abundant would be a small stretch of the truth and friendship.

What I want to know is, how you set up a resource pool using your existing resources, and simply using the rolled up availability of all of the resources I have on hand, which will therefore predict my requirements for the future when I schedule, (not leveling resources).

My Illustrious Primavera administrator is reluctant for me to go down this route as it may mean he will need to create these resources (currently as the senior planner I’m not allowed to do this as our company books timesheets through the system)

For shame that I must now mention OPP, which has this function and it works a treat. I have also used other scheduling tools which allow for pool resources based on the rolled up availability.

I’ve only been using P5 for 4 months and have been hurriedly removing all the constraint dates from my 10 projects and replacing them with logic.

It is now with much pleasure I can move onto these other things.

If anyone can provide guidance or even ridicule (with a positive spin of course) I would be appreciative.

Many Thanks
Andy
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Replies

Sun, 2007-05-06 00:41
#1
Andrew Dick
User offline. Last seen 9 years 2 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 14 Feb 2007
Posts: 295
Groups: Regional Representatives, The GrapeVine
Thanks Rodel,
That was going to be my next planned way forward.

Just proves to me that the resource engine in P5 falls short of the OPP engine.....

Now I’m really scared..............

It’s all well and good when you are able to have this type of set up, however it seems that our company got the full resource engine sales pitch from Primavera with the shiny top coat and all the bells and whistles.

From what I see it is not very good for predictive analysis.

So you know how it goes, you try and hammer a nail in with a screwdriver it isn’t going to work real good.....


Thanks again

Andy
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Sat, 2007-05-05 21:25
#2
Rodel Marasigan
User offline. Last seen 2 weeks 5 days ago. Offline
Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Posts: 1699
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
Andy,

Yes your understanding with RBS is correct. They don’t role up because it was treated as individual resource. P5 RBS and Role are just a group used to set individual resources for reporting purposes only. The set-up that I usually do is to set the max limit of each RBS resource to recognize the number of resources involve. Same thing with Role, first I have to setup the Roles for individual resources. Like what you said, individual resources have multiple roles. When assigning Role to activity, I have to add Role first then assign resources to that role. When all individual resources and roles assignment are done for each activity or task, then I can produce a roll up report by RBS and by Role.

Note:
P5 behaviour is to use the individual resources based on individual timesheet and not a group timesheet. You can always set a maximum number of resources or unit/time when assigning resources. When creating RBS and you want an automatic roll up of resources to your RBS, you have to set the max time/unit of your parent on the number of children under your parent.

Ex:
1. LB.Labour – max unit/time = 32/d
1.1 TM1.Tradesman1 max unit/time = 8/d
1.2 TM2.Tradesman2 max unit/time = 8/d
1.3 TM3.Tradesman3 max unit/time = 8/d
1.4 TM4.Tradesman4 max unit/time = 8/d

On this method when you assign LB.Labour on your task as default you have an automatic unit/time 32/d or 4person/day depends on your unit/time setup. Use same logic when adding role assignment. (ie:Add Role and select LB.Labour as resources.)

Hope this help.

Rodel
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Sat, 2007-05-05 18:21
#3
Andrew Dick
User offline. Last seen 9 years 2 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 14 Feb 2007
Posts: 295
Groups: Regional Representatives, The GrapeVine
Thanks Guys,

All sounds good.

Yes we do have an RBS, but unlike the RBS in OPP, it seems not to behave like a parental object, in that the sum of the children (availibility) don’t seem to add up at the parent????

No I’ve been led to beleive that this is correct (sounds dodgy to me that a resource tool wont do this).
Anyway I’ve left al my text books and manuals at work this weekend so I can only give detail as my mind sees it, cloudy at best.

The administrator wants me to do all my forecast on ’roles’ and not resources, but, we have multiple roles assigned to each resource as you would expect, and I beleive that you cant assign availibility to roles and the scheduling engine wont level roles?????

I guess what I need to do is build a strong case to take to my managers to override the administrator, and thus letting me make some ’dummy resources’ or parent pool resources which will have to be managed as people leave and enter the organisation.

Thanks
Andy
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Sat, 2007-05-05 11:34
#4
Rodel Marasigan
User offline. Last seen 2 weeks 5 days ago. Offline
Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Posts: 1699
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
Hi Andy,

The best way of doing it is by creating a Resource Breakdown Structure and assign your existing resources to RBS. In P5 there is a facility to create RBS. In this method you can roll up your resources by RBS. You can assign RBS or group in your activity or assign it individually.

I hope this answer your query.

Rodel
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Sat, 2007-05-05 10:38
#5
hamed planner
User offline. Last seen 17 years 37 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 18 Apr 2007
Posts: 16
Groups: None
Hi Andy,

I start with an example, you have 3 activities related to engineering and completion of those task depends on having Engineers spending time on those task, now you need to have engineer in your resources lets assume there is no differnce between Jack & Joe (as you said you cant Seprate them) but steel you could allow a limit for your engineering Pool, for doing that you need to go to your res tab , then look for limit under engineers ( I dont have access to P5 at home ) let me know if you cant find it and i will give you more step by step , by assigning limit to your resources ( you have 10 engineers that can work 400Hours per week), after that go to your resource usage winow, and on bar section click on resource usage profile and check mark limit, ( so many planner dont believe on resource levelling function as an option for scheduling , it is a good tool to show you how your resources should look a like but the main work is with you as a planner to put the logic and simply plan the job to meet your resources)when you have a limit identified you are able to see your resources based on avaialblity - using other great option of Enterprise you can go to each time period and see what activity you have there and then plan your job by ,
another way- you can make your activity as resource dependent activity which i have not used myself yet!!

Hope it helps,

Hamed



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