Resource Planning/utilization

harrison zucker

Hello,

 

My client is implementing SmartSheet for their custom job shop.  I want to induce a capacity model so they can better plan their workloads.  

 

Once all resources are set up in SmartSheet, how do I report their weekly utilization/planned utilization?  

Thanks,
Harrison

Zac

Harrison,

First, on any sheet your client has, you'll need to make sure resource management is enabled. This can be done by clicking the drop down arrow for a column, selecting "edit project settings", then clicking resource management on the left side of the dialog box.

Second, all of your users in your user management have email addresses tied to them. When assigning a row to someone or a resource, be sure you don't just type the name in and call it good. You'll need to be sure this email is tied to the name. Once you enter in someone's name correctly with their email address once it will do it automatically for you after that.

Then on your home tab below any sheet folders or workspaces you may have will be the resource views. By default there is probably an "All users" view. You can use view and set your date range you want otherwise you have the option to create any new views you want showing whatever resources you would like to show. These resource views can be exported to excel also, otherwise just view them from the home tab.

Zac

You may want to set up a column for resource allocation % as well. Otherwise SmartSheet will assume 100% and then you will run into overallocation issues if you do multiple tasks in one day.

harrison zucker

Zac, thank you for your reply!  Very helpful. 

J. Craig Williams

Harrison,

 

In regards to Zac's comment "Once you enter in someone's name correctly with their email address once it will do it automatically for you after that", here's a tip I had to learn the hardway.

 

If you assign people to tasks before they are users in the system, they go into your personal (local) contact list. The system thinks there are two people.

 

To find them create a report and in the "Who?" selection, the persons with a valid user will show up with their name ("   Bob Example   ") only. The ones in your personal contact list will have single quotes around them ("   'Bob Example'   ").

I select both and then use the report to copy/paste the good names over the bad ones. Pretty soon, 'Bob Example' won't be an option for the report and you can delete the personal contact.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Craig

Zac

That is a very helpful tip Craig! Thank you! It drives me nuts when I open up project sheets and the assigned to column just has names and no email addresses. This will be a good way for me to fix all of them in one shot!