Getting Started with Manage Allocations
The Manage Allocations function is located within the Resource Management application. A user must have access to this application and they must also be the manager of a Resource Pool in order to see Manage Allocations in the left navigation.
- Go to Resource Management > Manage Allocations
- Click the Filter button at the top of the page
- Set the desired filters for the view and click Apply
- Review the values and update numbers as needed
- Click Save to commit the values
Getting Data
What data will be returned?
Resources will be returned if they are part of a resource pool that you are the manager of.
Project rows will be returned for each resource which:
1. Is on an active project, where the project dates are within the report dates and the resource is marked as an active resource on the project.
2. Has a pending resource request for the project within the report dates.
When resources are active on a project but changes requiring approval are still pending approval, the system will display a row with current data and a row with pending data, as well representing the changes relative to the current allocation level. For example, if a resource was scheduled for 20 hours on a project and a pending resource request exists to change that to 30 hours, the pending row would say "10.00" and the current row would list "20.00". This allows the remaining allocation level to total up correctly.
How current is the data?
Scheduled information reflects current allocation levels throughout the day. Actual hours information is updated daily at midnight.
Interpreting Data
Capacity
Resources have availability per month and per week. This availability is calculated as:
[Hours worked per day] * [Workdays in period –organizational days off in period]
Individual time off is decremented from individual projects and is not part of the total capacity, but will appear in scheduled hours.
Capacity is not directly displayed, but can be seen as part of the tooltip for the Remaining Hours value.
Scheduled Hours (Sch)
This is the currently scheduled amount on the project or ticket in hours for this period. This value is live and reflects current values.
Actual Hours (Act)
This is the actual hours the user has spent on the item as of last night at midnight.
Variance in Hours (Var)
This is the variance between scheduled hours and actual hours.
Remaining Hours
Remaining hours is calculated as Capacity – the sum of Scheduled hours for the period.
Modifying Allocations
When can I edit values?
Project allocations can be edited if you are the project manager or alternate project manager.
If you are not the project manager or alternate manager, you will be able to edit project allocations if the project’s Resource Schedule Editing mode is set to "Allow resource pool managers to edit schedules" or "Allow resource pool managers to request schedule changes but require project managers to approve edits".
You will never be able to edit allocations before the current week, before the start of the project, after the end of the project, or if the project’s Resource Management mode is set to "Manage by Plan".
Changing Values
When viewing data, you can edit values inside of textboxes. Editing values will cause the values to render in red if you have decreased a resource’s allocation on that project and will render in green if you have increased the resource’s allocation on the project.
This coloration is regardless of whether the resource has remaining capacity for the period. It is only intended to show allocation decreases/increases.
Allocations can be shifted from period to period using the shift backward and shift forward buttons. These changes only impact the visible periods and take the current edited values into account when shifting.
Changes made in text boxes do not take effect until you click save.
Saving Changes
When you click the save button, any changed allocations will be saved to the server. For scenarios where you are the project manager, alternate manager, or the project is set to "Allow resource pool managers to edit schedules", the changes will be applied immediately.
If a project is set to "Allow resource pool managers to request schedule changes but require project managers to approve edits" and you are not the manager or alternate manager, a reverse resource request will be created for that resource.
Reverse Resource Requests are resource requests created by a resource pool manager that the project manager or alternate manager must approve in order for the resource change to occur.