Over booked resources?

Maureen McDonald

Hello,

 

I'm fairly new to Smartsheet, but have been using MS Project for a while and pretty comfortable with project management tools.  I have a sheet that is over booking resources, I have no clue why!  I have two tasks that have a duration of 3 days requiring the same resource, they are both dependent on an earlier task.  Smartsheet is scheduling both tasks to be done over the same 3 day period!  I have resource managment and dependencies enabled, and have set a 5 day work week with 8 hour days.

 

I assume/hope I'm just missing some obvious setting!

 

Thanks,

Maureen

J. Craig Williams

Maureen,

 

If both tasks are dependent on an earlier task, then they can start as soon as that task finishes (assuming FS)

Smartsheet won't auto-correct for over-allocation

Assuming each 3 day duration task requires 100% allocation, that is 200% for the 3 days. 

If the task only requires half-time, you can change the Allocation % to 50% for each.

If that column is not available, you can add it and the connection on the Project Settings dialog.

 

If they each require full time (or more than half time), you need to manually fix it.

One task could have the other as a predecessor (this is a resource dependency, not a task dependency and I would note it in the assumptions for the task if I were PM)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Craig

Maureen McDonald

Hi Craig,

 

It does help, thank you...but it's very disappointing!  This one issue alone will make me go back to MS Project!  

 

Thanks for your help!

Maureen

J. Craig Williams

Maureen, 

That's the only one?

I recall having to fix the resource issues manually in MS Project too.

 

Or do like my boss would - ignore them and hope the problems went away.

(I didn't do that)

 

Craig

 

Maureen McDonald

Well no, that's not the only one but it's the one that's killing me right now!  I also can't find the allocation % column, in the project settings where I should be able to select the column to be used, my only options are Priority, Comments, Start,  Finish...

 

I've never had to manually fix resource issues in MS Project, I can configure the calendar, set my dependencies and priorities and all works well!

 

Thanks for your help!
Maureen

J. Craig Williams

Maureen,

 

Sometimes, I miss MS Project, but since I'm not actively running projects (except very short engagements), MS Project is overkill.

 

Unlike the Duration and Predecessor columns, which will be added by the system automatically (nearly) when setting the project Dependencies, the Allocation % needs to be added manually first.

 

Unfortunately, there's also not a lot that can be done using the API as the project columns are locked down there too.

But I'm investigating.

Craig