Creation - Resources

OVERVIEW - Resources include the personnel and equipment that perform work on activities across all projects. Resources are generally reused between activities and/or projects. In the Project Management module, you can create a resource pool that reflects your organization's resource structure and supports the assignment of resources to activities. The Project Management module also enables you to distinguish between labor, material, and nonlabor resources. Labor and nonlabor resources are always time-based, and material resources, such as consumable items, use a unit of measure you can specify. You can create and assign resource calendars and define a resource's roles, contact information, and time-varying prices. If a resource uses Timesheets, you can also assign a login name and password to the resource.

Define a master list of resources consisting of the resources necessary to complete the projects in your organization. Then, group resources to create an easily accessible pool from which you can draw when assigning resources to a project. For each resource, set availability limits, unit prices, and a calendar to define its standard worktime and nonworktime, then allocate resources to the activities that require them. To enable grouping and rollups of your resources across the organization, set up resource codes and assign code values.

Resources are different than expenses. While resources can be time-based and generally extend across multiple activities and/or projects, expenses are one-time expenditures for nonreusable items required by activities. The Project Management module does not include expenses when leveling resources.

• Primary Resources
  The Project Management module allows you to assign primary resources to activities. An activity's primary resource is typically the resource who is responsible for coordinating an activity's work. Using Timesheets, the primary resource also updates the activity's start date, finish date, and expected end date. In addition, if an activity has any material resources, the primary resource may also be responsible for reporting the material resource's units as well. With the exception of material resources, all other resources are responsible for reporting their own hours for assigned activities.
  
  
• Resource Security
  Resource security allows the administrator to restrict your resource access by assigning you to a node in the resource hierarchy. That node is your root node. Once assigned to a resource node, you have access only to your root node and all of its children. In the Resource Assignments window you still have access to current project resources even if they are outside your root node.  

- Primavera

1. Make a copy of the current project, SCH.  Rename the new project as follows:  ID – RES,  Name – Resources.  Open the project.
   
   
2. Click on the Resource button near the top of the “Directory Bar.”
   
   
3. Now, in the Resource View we can see that our current project has no associated resources.  First, it’s good habit to see if our current database has any resources already that we can use.  Click the upper left corner where it says:  “Display: Current Project’s Resources.”  Mouse over Filter By and click on All Resources.
   
   
4. If you’re using a newly created database, the result should still be the same since we do not have any resources yet.  Right-click and select Add.
   
   
5. A New Resource appears.  Rename it as follows:  ID – TWR, Name – Tower Builders. 
   
   
6. There are three Resource Types:  Labor, Material, & Nonlabor.  If your schedule is to be cost loaded, usually the project’s specifications will specify how and to what detail this should be done.  In our case, let’s simplify things by giving a lump sum amount per activity instead of by individual resource (ie. Crane, carpenter, etc.).  In the Resource Type column choose Nonlabor.
   
   
7. Let’s add another resource by clicking Add again. 
   
   
8. Notice that the new resource is placed in underneath the last one in the same hierarchy.  Use the arrow on the right-hand side to move this one to its own hierarchy.
   
   TIP – Forming resource hierarchies can be used to lump all individual costs under the same overall resource such as a contractor.  This is particularly useful when using cost histograms where the minutiae of detail can be distracting.
   
   
9. Use the following to name the resource and create two more:
   
   - SCE,   Short Circuit Electricians Inc.
   - AWM,   Air & Water Mechanical Inc.
   - MDL,   Monty Drywall Inc.
   
   You should now have something that looks like the following.
   
   
10. It is now time to assign our resources to the schedule.  Go to the Activities View.  Change the grouping method to Subcontractor.
    
    
11. Highlight the one Air & Water Mechanical activity and go down to the activity details panel and click on the Resources tab.
    
    
12. Click Add Resource.
    
    
13. The Assign Resources window is displayed.  Highlight the Air & Water Mechanical resource and click Assign.
    
    
14. The resource now appears under the Resources tab.  Notice that there are automatically 16 budgeted units for the resource due to the 8 unit / day setting on the resource and the 2 day duration of the activity.
    
    
15. Right-click on any of the column headings and click on Customize Resource Columns…
    
    
16. We need to add cost columns in order to cost load the activity.  By following the steps in the Columns lesson, add and remove columns until you have the following:
    
    
17. Manually enter 34000 into the Budgeted Units & Budgeted Cost fields.
    
    
18. Now, go up to the activity table and add a column by right-clicking on the column head and selecting Columns… from the drop-down menu.
    
    
19. From the Cost section, bring over Budgeted Total Cost into our active columns and click OK.
    
    
20. You should now see the $34,000 that we just added in the activity table. 
    
    Now, let’s go ahead and cost load the remaining activities. 
    
    Highlight all of the activities under the Tower Builders heading by clicking the top activity, holding SHIFT on your keyboard, and clicking the last activity.  Right-click, highlight Assign from the drop-down menu and click Resources…
    
    
21. Since only resource AWM has been assigned to the schedule, it is the only one that appears on the Assign Resources window.  To show all of our resources, click on the top bar, highlight Filter By and click All Resources.
    
    
22. Highlight Tower Builders (if not already highlighted) and click Assign.  All of the highlighted activities now have a Tower Builders resource.  Do the same for the other two subcontractors.
    

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