Re: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- From: Dave <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:48:52 +0000
I think that if you are getting duplicate resources then somewhere along the line those resources are being sourced from different places. Do the resources differ in any way (spelling, hyphenation, capitalisation, initials etc.)?
I am a bit confused by your set-up. As I understand it, you receive copies of plans which you convert into a consolidated master. This master is then levelled, but insofar as I can tell, the changes resulting from levelling are not fed back into the original plans.
Additionally, if you are creating a consolidated master with *copies* of plans, then what is the point of using a resource pool. Every time you insert a plan, the resources in the consolidated master should be augmented by any new resources you bring in (note comments above about ensuring uniqueness of resource descriptions).
If you simply create a master as described above and don't worry about a resource pool then you can level that master. If you really want a resource pool (and as I say I don't understand yet why you do because the levelled changes are not fed back to the original plans) then save a copy of your master with a different name, delete all the activities from it and connect your original master to it.
Amy wrote:
Ok, this was partly user error, if you havent guessed. The plan was pointing to the original resource plan that was on my harddrive before I moved it to the network. The lack of a path when selecting resource plans obscured this..
With that sorted out, I have duplicate resources. My purpose in this resource pool was to take my master plan which has a forecast of projects for 2 years, insert the actual in-progress projects as subplans and level resources (manually) against all projects using the resource usage view. I knew I could not change the assignments for the inserted plans- only for my native master plan tasks. When I used to copy and paste the in-progress plans, I couldnt tell which projet the tasks were for in the resource usage view.
Now, I have a resource pool and I have in-progress plans both inserted and inserted with broken link. Those that are inserted are duplicating my resources and those that are inserted with the link removed do not list the project they are from (same as my original problem).
How do the get the result I need? Is the problem that not all of the inserted plans are using the resource pool the issue?
"Dave" wrote:
The resource pool absolutely does not have to be in the same directory as the plans.
If you want to create archives, then you need to disconnect the plans from the pool first otherwise they will simply accumulate resources and give distorted information. What happens to the archived masters if you set them to use local resources only as part of the archive process?
Have you disconnected the archived plans from the pool? If so, they cannot be contributing to the resource allocations in the current master, unless I have misunderstood something.
Amy wrote:I believe my problem was that the resource pool file was not in the same directory as the plans I was opening. I created a workaround by storing the master, resource, and any emailed plans all in the same network directory.
Then I realized that in my saving versions of the master plan (my habit is to just append a number at the end of each major update), somehow my resource plan got loaded up with phantom plans (old versions I had since actually DELETED). I went in to the Resource Pool and "Broke" the link to the old plans, but in my master, which is still connected to the resource pool, those old plans are showing up under my resource usage tab.
Now each resource appears to have several duplicate assignments each from a different version of the master. I'm going crazy.
I had hope of abandoning the resource pool if the UNLINK on project insert worked so that the resources were not duplicated in my plan, but the problem with that is that it seems to be essentially the same as a cut and paste. So in resource usage view, where I do all my resource planning, I cannot tell which plan the task assignment is from which hinders my ability to work. That is the whole reason I went down the path of a resource pool.
Any ideas on how to get out of this mess? I have wasted soooo many hours, I'm getting really behind with my actual work!
"Rod Gill" wrote:
Emailing copies which I assume you use to over-write the older versions is dangerous. Every time you do so you roll the dice and the wrong numbers will corrupt one or more files. Adding a Resource pool simply means rolling the dice twice every time you over-write a file. I strongly recommend you always insert projects into a new blank project each week and DESELECT the Link option. This creates a snapshot of all files for posterity and consolidates Resource data (no need for a pool).
To speed this process, simply record a macro of you inserting all projects. Make sure the first recorded action is creating a new master project!
If you want to continue the current process then I recommend you unattach all files from the master and resource pool then create a new master and resource pool each week. This is the only safe way, anything else rolls the dice again and its when not if one or more files corrupts. It's the old Windows DDE technology that causes this.
--
Rod Gill
Microsoft MVP for Project
Author of the only book on Project VBA, see:
http://www.projectvbabook.com
"Dave" <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:49b8be8e$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThere is no problem having the plans all in the same directory.
The problem may well be due to the fact that you have them emailed to you. Can you see the folder in which the plans reside? If so, why are they being emailed to you as you can create a dynamic master directly with the plans in that location? If you want to take snapshots then you can use the many baseline fields.
If you cannot see the plans directly, then the problem is probably because the path to the resource pool as seen by the project managers is different to the path you are using.
The option to use the resource pool is normally greyed out if the application can't see a file to use as a resource pool. Try opening another file (a new empty one will do) and see if the option becomes available.
In short, I think that by having the plans emailed to you, the path to the resource pool they are using in their original location has become invalid.
Amy wrote:At present, the sub plans are inserted as sub projects and they did not all have the resource pool specfiied since I introduced it mid-stream. They are not he original files though, they are copies sent to me by the project managers.
I did not expand all the component plans prior to attempting to change the resource pool. I did so no and there are no resources under any task in any plan- native tasks or inserted subprojects.
I dont understand why the option to connect to a resource pool is grayed out. Im trying to see if I can use an earlier version that I did not unconnect from to try to fix it. Is it a problem not to have the subprojects all on the same folder/drive? They usually email me them.
"Dave" wrote:
No, you don't get a single shot at creating a resource pool.
In your master plan, are your component projects linked dynamically to the actual sub-projects or are they copies?
When you opened the master plan, did you expand all of the component projects?
Moving/deleting a resource pool is dangerous and I think you may well find you have to start again by disconnecting the individual projects from the pool and then reconnecting to it.
Is the network connection on which the resource pool lies reliable?
Amy wrote:Also, I cannot seem to change a resource pool. I deleted a local copy and tried to point to a shared directory and that seems to have been a mistake! So I selected use local resources intending to then go back and select a new resource pool file. No dice! It grays out the resource pool option entirely now. You get one shot to define a resource pool then you are committed for life? Is that right??!
"Amy" wrote:
I have a master project plan with mostly strawman plans for future releases and a few inserted, detailed project plans. After having this plan for a while, I decided I need to go to a resource pool so I could see which projects they were assigned to (could only see summary tasks) in resource usage view.
I created a resource pool by making a copy of the master plan and deleting the tasks. I told everyone to connect to it for their subplans. Today when I opened my master plan, all the resource assignments were gone from the tasks. If I look at the resource pool file, you still see them assigned to the tasks in that plan in the usage view (as there are no native tasks in the resource pool file).
What did I do wrong? What happened to my resources on invidviudal tasks in the master file? Was it becuase I switched to a resource pool mid-plan? I did not delete the master plan resources, I just changed the option to point it to the resource pool file.
I am using Office 2007.
- Follow-Ups:
- References:
- adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- From: Amy
- RE: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- From: Amy
- Re: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- From: Dave
- Re: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- From: Amy
- Re: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- From: Dave
- Re: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- From: Rod Gill
- Re: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- From: Amy
- Re: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- From: Dave
- Re: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- From: Amy
- adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- Prev by Date: remaining work and capacity - issue
- Next by Date: Re: remaining work and capacity - issue
- Previous by thread: Re: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- Next by thread: Re: adding Resource Pool on existing plan
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
