Re: Isn't there a "Machine" Resource Type???

In article <FD7A7B1E-6E5F-4FCE-81A1-DF53C9FC9F15@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Jim Rodgers <JimRodgers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Thanks for responding, John. You seem like you know enough
to show me what I don't understand about using MS Project 2003.

You said "When you tried setting up a single task with the two
resources I'm not sure why only one resource had work."

-- I'm not sure either, but I don't really understand Project yet.

Anyway, What I am doing is not trying to shorten any task. My
tasks must remain constant in duration. Maybe I need a better
analogy for what I am doing...

Imagine you are scheduling buses and drivers. All trips are of
known length. All trips require (and can use no more than) one
driver and one bus. However, I have only so many drivers, and
so many buses -- but many trips to schedule. Also, after each
trip, each bus must remain reserved for maintenance and
cleaning after each trip.

METHOD 1: I create two tasks with concurrent start points.
I cannot use fixed dates to start them, because _I_ am creating
the schedule with Project, not vice versa. Instead, I would use
start/start links to synchronize the bus task and the driver task
at the beginning of each trip. The driver task get 100%Bof one
driver and a duration of 2.5 days. The bus task gets 100% of
one bus and a duration of 3.0 days. When I tried this, the buses
kept driving away without drivers. Project would start a bus as
soon as one was available even if the driver was not ready yet.

METHOD 2: I create two tasks: one with both a driver and a bus
lasting 2.5 days; the second with only a bus, connected by a
finish/start link, lasting 0.5 days. In the Resource Usage view I
get a bunch of "0d" entries where the bus drivers utilization
should be. It is as if the driver were not needed to schedule the
trip. If I enter only one of these resources first, and then
close/reopen the task and enter the second, then the duration is
cut in half. In my plan, this Project behavior makes no sense.

In either case, entering many trips at once causes some to be
delayed until (supposedly) both a driver and bus are available.
I enter the trips as many successions of trips to to the same
place -- each dependent upon the return of the current trip
before the next trip to that place is possible. Now, say, I am
scheduling trips to eight places, and the trip times to some
places are not the same, i.e., not exactly 2.5 days. Trips to
Dallas are 3 days. Trips to Chicago are 2 days. Trips to LA
are 4 days, etc. Thus, I have eight such paths in the project
(each being a schedule of trips to one particular city). They
interact because they share drivers and buses.

I also am concerned that the schedule would be bogus
because Project would swap buses around during a trip. In
other words, may bus #12 to Detroit would magically turn
into bus #7 to an hour. I'll have to think about that. Maybe
this means nothing mathmatically.

Anyway, if this works, then I will use VBA to randomly vary
these trips times a little bit to see what happens. Then
maybe I will add one extra bus and one extra driver and
have them randomly go out of servce upon return from a trip.
Maybe.

But first, I need to pick Method 1, or 2, or 3?, etc., and get it
to work. I really was pissed off when I realized I'd been
simulating this schedule for a week and there were "0" drivers
hours showing up on certain days in the Resource Usage view.

By the way, my buses are sunk cost and the drivers are on
payroll, so their cost is irrelevant to the scheduling process, per
se. At least I don't have to worry about that right now. (On
the other hand, I'm using an analogy here; there are no trips.)

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!

Jim,
First of all, you're welcome.

Allow me to clarify something. Your original post said you had fixed
unit type tasks, effort-driven, but from your current description, what
you really want is fixed duration type tasks. With an effort driven
task, duration will change based on how many resources are assigned -
more resources, less time. That's why in my example the original
estimated duration of 20 days was cut to 10 days. The best way to set up
fixed duration is via Tools/Options/Schedule tab. Set the default task
type as Fixed Duration and uncheck the option that says new tasks are
effort driven. For an overview of the interaction between duration, work
and units, read the Project help file "about task types".

Somehow your bus & driver analogy doesn't seem to track with your
original post. Except for maintenance, the buses working time and the
driver's working time are "married" - The bus can't go without a driver.
Therefore they must have the same calendar.

Why create two tasks? In your latest example each trip is a task. The
duration is fixed and both a driver and a bus are needed for each task.
We know the calendars are the same for both resources so it's pretty
simple to assign one driver and one bus to a fixed duration task. When
you look at the Resource Usage view what you should see is driver and
bus happily packing in the miles for 2.5 days. However I tend to think
that in the bus industry, the working calendar is probably 24 hours but
drivers are changed and buses are not for any given trip. After all,
drivers get tired, buses don't.

Hope this helps.
John


"John" wrote:

In article <5BE5F3D2-1853-4F4F-BF30-A67780E7A3E5@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Jim Rodgers <JimRodgers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

QUESTION: Can Project 2003 be used to schedule an R&D project where one
needs to level equipment/machine resources as well as team members?

I am scheduling a development team and I need to reserve more resources
than
just people working. I need to reserve certain limited equipment (e.g.,
development systems). When I add one person at 100% and one machine at
100%,
one of them gets no work because, I guess, my attempt to create a machine
is
only creating a person.

I have the impression that if I try to use "Material" resources to do
this,
Project will only tell me how many CAD machines or simulators I would
"consume." I need to allocate not consume.

Next I tried to schedule separate tasks (one person and one machine)
connected with start/start links. However, Project often would start one
and
not the other! I need for each person/machine pair to start at the same
time. Also, I need the machine to have a different calendar. Finally,
even
though they start together, the machine duration usually needs to be
longer
because it will continue to process the task (sometimes overnight) after
the
engineer has moved on to another task.

I am using Project 2003 with effort-driven fixed units tasks and splits
disabled. The product behavior is non-ideal, and I am finding it VERY
difficult to get any really good help sources. (It looks like the Project
consulting market must be pretty good.)

So, can Project 2003 be used to schedule an R&D project where one needs
to
level equipment/machine resources as well as team members?

And if so, HOW???

- Desperate in Atlanta...

Jim,
There are various ways to set up non-labor type resources. If you need
to allocate and have limits on a non-labor type resource (e.g. machine),
it should be classified as a Work type resource on the Resource ***
(i.e. not a material type resource). Whether it is "man" or "machine" is
in the details. For example, you don't mention if your development
system has a user cost associated with it. It might be a capital asset
and therefore charges for using it are included in company overhead and
not charged directly to a project. Or, it might be something the company
rents and has an hourly rate, (and maybe even a setup fee), just like a
labor resource.

When you tried setting up a single task with the two resources I'm not
sure why only one resource had work. As an example I used the following
simple scenario and it seems to do what I think you want. First I
entered a single task and gave it an estimated duration of 20 days. Then
I created the two resources - "man" and "machine". I gave each a max
unit of 1 and the man a rate of $50/hr. I gave the machine either
$100/hr or $0/hr depending on whether it would be a capital asset or
not. I also gave the machine a 24 hour calendar. Then I assigned both
resources to the task - the man first, then the machine. Since the task
is fixed units effort-driven, the duration was reduced to 10 days. On
the Resource Usage view, both resources are shown. The "man" resource
has the expected 8 hr/day over the full ten days with a total cost of
$4K. The "machine" however shows 16 hr the first day (determined by the
task start time) and then 24 hours for the next two days, including all
day Saturday, and finally 16 hours on Sunday to make up the total of 80
hours for the machine. Now, if I want the machine to run an extra two
days, I use a split window, Gantt Chart on top and Task Form on the
bottom, and adjust the finish date for the machine. This of course
greatly increases the total work for the machine but the man is still at
80 hours.

So, does this work for you?

John
Project MVP

.