Do not resource level flag / Must Start On constraint.

As initially proposed by Vladimir it is starting to look like it is easier and safer to:

• Just make an exception in the resource calendar at the "must" activities time period and do not assign resources to activities that are must. This way overallocations are avoided and resources may interrupt jobs they are doing for attending seminar, conference of president. In any case these activities usually do not represent real work.
  • All you need is a single exception per "must activity" you assign to the calendars of resources that will be required for the "must activity". The trick is that you will not assign these resources to the "must activity" but will mark them as unavailable via the calendar exception. It is easy to report calendar exception assignments as well as to make changes to the exceptions that will be automatically applied to all calendars with such exception. 
• You can create additional dummy resource and assign this resource to "must" activities, then create resource center adding dummy resource to the real one, and then get reports on resource center. You will get full information on total resource workload.
• It is not necessary to apply special calendars to dummy resources in the model. Assign 24/7 calendar with no exceptions. In any case they shall be assigned to activities that have special calendars and dates and will be used only on these activities.

Best Regards,

Rafael

Evgeny,

there are many ways to achieve the same in Spider Project.

Using high priority activities for exceptions will require to use variable resource assignments on all other activities or set other activities as splitable. It will make calculations slower and may take more time than entering time exceptions for several resources, creating dummy resources and resource centers.

Exceptions activities with manually entered dates shall be created in both cases.

I don’t understand what do you mean by succeeding exception. I understoof that exception is an activity that does not depend on anything in the project (like visit, vacation, etc.).

If it is project activity then other competing activities shall become splitable with lower priority.

The problem with interruptible activities may be created if other activities (not exception activities) have higher priority. It may lead to unwanted interruptions.

I think that an approach that I suggested is more safe but other described above may work also.

Below is an example of the same project when calendar exceptions are not used but activities are set as splittable.

I would suggest this

When resource assignments are variable it is better to use activity of Productivity type.

Thanks Vladimir,

Very easy indeed.

Rafael

Evgeny and Rafael,

it is not necessary to apply special calendars to dummy resources in the model I described. I would assign 24/7 calendar with no exceptions. In any case they shall be assigned to activities that have special calendars and dates and will be used only on these activities.

So it is much easier than Evgeny described: Show certain exceptions as activities, create dummy resources with large quantity (Rafael is right), assign these resources to exception activities, create resource centers combining real and dummy resources.

Now any report may be created including those that Evgeny described. If necessary, dummy activities may be hidden.

When Vladimir said: By the way you can create additional dummy resource and assign this resource to "must" activities, then create resource center adding dummy resource to the real one, and then get reports on resource center. You will get full information on total resource workload.

• I believe he also meant to say use additional dummy resource; for Visits of presidents etc, Trainings, scheduled externally and Actually any activity, which is not influenced by a scheduler, however which he has to take into account.
  • The dummy resource is a meeting resource, this means shall be on every team on "must" activities and the activities will be scheduled to happen only when all meeting resources are available.
  • Meeting Resource shall be assigned a special calendar where availability is only on dates they must be assigned.
  • Meeting Resource shall be of a very high quantity as it not to delay activities because of quantity limits but to use it only to schedule activities when all meeting resources are available because of a common calendar. 
  • A must date constraint will not do it, it will allow impossible assignments.

Say you fix Rafael meeting in Cuba this Monday 7am GMT, Rafael meeting in Sochy this Monday 7am GMT, by brute force it is possible but it is wrong. 

• You assign Rafael and Meeting Resource to Cuba Meeting and do the same for Sochi meeting.
• The meeting resource will not prevent both activities to happen simultaneously because it was set very high quantity it is the single Rafael resource that will prevent the two meetings to be scheduled the same day. 

Say you need three activities to happen on Monday. 

• The meeting resource will not prevent any activity to happen simultaneously because it was set very high quantity but activities will be scheduled to happen when Meeting Resource and activities resources are available at the same time. Assign the activities a high priority so they will not be scheduled on Monday if for some reason is imposible otherwise they will. 

For Vacations the calendars exceptions is enough for resources to be assigned on vacations and the dummy resource is enough to show vacation activities.

• To show a calendar as an activity you assign the dummy resource to the activity and it will be scheduled only when available based on his calendar, the dummy resource will be available on vacation calendar.

Whenever you adjust any calendar the above activities would be automatically adjusted. The idea on RCP - Resource Critical Path scheduling is on making sure there are no resource overload if you fix by brute force activities it will not work.

Best Regards,

Zulu Time

Hi Evgeny

I would put this type of "interuptions" on a calendar and apply them to the resource. That would over ride the task calendar.

Best regards

Mike Testro

In such cases we just made an exception in the resource calendar at the president visit time period and do not assign resources to activities that are must. This way overallocations are avoided and resources may interrupt jobs they are doing for attending seminar, conference of president. In any case these activities usually do not represent real work.

By the way you can create additional dummy resource and assign this resource to "must" activities, then create resource center adding dummy resource to the real one, and then get reports on resource center. You will get full information on total resource workload.