Assign Resources dialog box

Use the Assign Resources dialog box to enter, review, or change resource assignments for the selected task. You can:

• Assign an existing resource to a task.

• Filter resources.

• Add a new resource.

• Change a resource's assignment units for a task.

• Specify whether a resource assignment for a task is a request.

• See the resource cost for a task.

• Replace one resource with another.

• Remove a resource assignment from a task.

Dialog box location

In any task sheet, click the task name. Click Assign Resources .

Details

Task field

Displays the name of the task for which resource assignment information is displayed. If more than one task is selected, displays Multiple tasks selected.

Resource list options section

Click next to Resource list options to review and select from the available choices. Click to hide the choices.

Resource filters    Select the check box under Filter by if you want to filter by a particular category of resource criteria. Then in the list, click the resource filter you want to use. The resources who meet those criteria are then listed in the resource table.

For example, to find the resources who belong to a specific group, select the check box, click Group in the list, type the name of the group in the Group dialog box, and then click OK.

Available to work    Select this check box if you want to filter by the amount of time a resource is available to work. Then in the box, enter the minimum number of hours the resource must be available to work. The resources who meet those criteria are then listed in the resource table.

You can select both Filter by check boxes, then select the criteria and enter the minimum number of hours. The resources who meet all your criteria are then listed in the resource table.

Note: Any resources already assigned to the selected task remain in the resource table, even if they do not meet the filter criteria.

More Filters    Displays the More Filters dialog box, which you can use to edit an existing filter or create a custom filter. For more information about creating a custom filter, see Filter Definition dialog box.

Add Resources    Provides choices for adding resources from other sources to the resource table. Depending on your computing environment, you might be able to import resources from Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Active Directory, or Microsoft Office Project Server 2007.

If you add resources from another source, all resources from that source will be added to your resource table and to your project, not just the ones who meet any filter criteria you previously applied. To reapply the filter criteria to the newly added resources, select and apply the filters again.

Resource Sources

From Active Directory    Finds resources in the Microsoft Active Directory, where you can select resources to add to the project. This option can save you the time of having to reenter resources in Microsoft Office Project 2007 that already exist in Active Directory. If you click the alias name for a group of resources, each resource is added individually to your project.

From Address Book    Displays the Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Address Book, where you can select resources to add to the list of resources. If you click the alias name for a group of resources, each resource is added individually to your project.

From Project Server    Displays the Build Team dialog box, in which you can select enterprise resources to add to the project team.

Resource table

The resource table lists all the resources in the project or shared resource pool. If you've applied a filter under Resource list options, only those resources that meet the filter criteria are listed along with resources previously assigned. Those displayed with a check mark are already assigned to the selected tasks.

Resource Name    The name of the resource. Click a resource name to select it for further action.

R/D    Request/Demand. When preparing projects for resource substitution, specify whether the selected resource must do the task or whether any resource with the required skills can do the task.

Units    The level of effort, expressed as a percentage or decimal, for this assignment. For example, to assign a work resource to work half-time on a task, enter 50%. The default for assignment units is the same as the resource's maximum units, up to 100 percent. That is:

• If a resource's maximum units is set to 100%, the default assignment units setting is 100 percent.

• If a resource's maximum units is set to 50%, the default assignment units setting is 50 percent.

• If a resource's maximum units is 300%, the default assignment units setting is still 100 percent.

Assignment units based on the resource calendar

The assignment units percentage is based on the working time available as set in the resource calendar. If the resource calendar indicates that the resource is available for 8 hours on Monday, then 100 percent on a task scheduled for Monday means 8 hours of work on the task. If the resource calendar indicates that the resource is available for 4 hours on Tuesday, however, then 100 percent on a task scheduled for Tuesday means 4 hours of work on the task.

Material resource units

To assign a material resource to a task, enter the quantity of material to be used. The unit of measurement label (tons, boxes, yards, and so on) that you used to define the material resource appears in the Units field, and the default is 1. You can also define a rate of consumption for material resources. For example, if a task consumes 20 units of a material every hour the task is in progress, type 20/h in the Units field.

Entering work instead of units

If you're assigning a resource to a task that is not effort-driven, you can enter work (for example, 2 days) instead of units in the Units field.

Cost    The cost of the resource for this assignment. This cost is calculated from the standard rate or cost per use value entered for the resource in the Resource Sheet. If the resource being assigned is a cost resource, you can change the cost in this field. If you assign a resource to multiple tasks at the same time, the Cost field will show dashes unless the costs for each of the multiple tasks are the same.

Command buttons

Assign    Assigns the selected resource to the selected task(s).

Remove    Removes the selected resource from the selected task(s).

Replace    Opens the Replace Resource dialog box, which you can use to replace the selected resource with another on the selected task. If the task has not yet started, the new resource completely replaces the old one. If work is in progress on the task, the new resource is added to the task. The old resource is credited with the amount of work already completed, while the new resource is assigned to the remaining work.

Graphs    Opens the Graphs dialog box, which you can use to display graphs that show timephased data for Work, Assignment Work, and Remaining Availability for the selected resource(s).

Note: 

• You can enter new resources in a blank row of the resource table. Double-clicking a resource name in the resource table opens the Resource Information dialog box, which you can then use to add resource information for any new resources you've entered.

• You can enter a work amount in the Units field and then let Project calculate units. For example, suppose you enter a new task and assign it a duration of 5 days. Then you use the Assign Resources dialog box to assign Mary to the task. In the Units field, you enter 20 hours. Project automatically calculates 50 percent units.