Resource Allocation across multiple Smartsheet accounts

Shaun Matthews

I'm experimenting with Smartsheet to assess suitability to manage multiple engineering projects. Question I have on resource management - if I have a number of projects within my work-space and a colleague has similar but seperate (but we do not access or collaborate on each others) and we need to share a common resource (e.g. a draftsman) will the time I allocate to this user on my projects/account reflect on the others % allocation, and visa-versa?

 

 

J. Craig Williams

Shaun,

 

If the same user is assigned to tasks on multiple sheets that have had Resource Management enabled, the resource allocation will be shown.

 

If the sheet(s) where the resource is allocated is not shared to you, then the first warning you will get is when they become over allocated - at which time you will see on the Resource View an "Other Sheets" line but won't know for sure which sheets those might be.

There should always be a person in your org that is shared to all resource sheets to settle disputes - even if it is just a SysAdmin to ask "who took my draftsman?!"

 

Craig

Shaun Matthews

Thanks,

 

The intention is have all resource sheets shared ultimately, but while experimenting I'm trying to limit parties involved so we can assess how to partially roll-out the system initially.

 

On a related subject, if a task is overdue - I cannot assign resource to it without extending the end-date into the future - it which case it no longer flags as overdue? Is this correct? 

Shaun Matthews

Thanks,

 

The intention is have all resource sheets shared ultimately, but while experimenting I'm trying to limit parties involved so we can assess how to partially roll-out the system initially.

 

On a related subject, if a task is overdue - I cannot assign resource to it without extending the end-date into the future - it which case it no longer flags as overdue? Is this correct? 

Shaun Matthews

Thanks,

 

The intention is have all resource sheets shared ultimately, but while experimenting I'm trying to limit parties involved so we can assess how to partially roll-out the system initially.

 

On a related subject, if a task is overdue - I cannot assign resource to it without extending the end-date into the future - it which case it no longer flags as overdue? Is this correct? 

J. Craig Williams

Shaun,

 

There is no limitation on assigning tasks to an over-booked resource.

There is no limitation on assigning resources to a task (based on dates, durations, or anything else that I am aware)

 

Craig

Shaun Matthews

Thanks, though I don't think I worded my question very clearly. What I meant was that If I have a task that was due to start on 2nd Jan and finish on 6th of Jan but is currently not finished, it is overdue. I need one of my team to work on this next week to catch-up, so I assign someone to it at 100% allocation. However, in resource view, this is showing them as 100% allocated last week and unallocated next week, though they will actually be 100% allocated next week?! If I move the end date to end of next week, then they show as allocated 100% next week, which is correct - but now the task doesn't report overdue....which it is!

 

Thanks,

 

Shaun.

J. Craig Williams

Ah, yes.

That's a problem in most PM software.

 

This is PM preference too, I bet. Some may say that while the original due date was missed, there is a new due date. If there are dependent tasks that can't start yet, those start dates have shifted.To accomplish this, you need a update to your approved schedule.

Depening on how that works in your org, it may be the PM just shifting the end-date and calling the new schedule Rev2.

 

Smartsheet does not do baselining out of the box - though there are several blogs and threads discussing something close.

If that isn't what you are going for, then here's some off the top of my head ideas:

 

1. Add a check box column "Missed Due Date", check it, and then shift the date to the new due date. Build your functionality with that check box in mind (conditional formatting, automated symbols, performance reviews)

The problem with this, in my opinion, is that last week the task may have been worker A and the catchup is done this week by worker B.

 

Which leads me to:

 

2. Add a new task "Task X catchup"

Assign this to worker B.

You may need to tie the new task to any successors of the original task that were impacted by the delay.

 

Isn't project management fun?

 

Craig