Use the Analysis tab to evaluate resource usage and costs in customizable histogram, stacked histogram, area chart, and pie chart formats. You can examine total units or costs for an individual resource, or summary values for all resources belonging to a resource team or code. The data displayed in this tab is also available as a portlet you can display in a dashboard.
Note: The Analysis tab uses summary data, so it reflects values as of the last date the summarizer was run for a project. Assignment changes within a project after that date will not be reflected until the project is again summarized from the Projects > Tools page. See resource data and summarization for more detail about summarized resource data.
On the Analysis tab, you can:
- view total units and cost for an individual resource
- view summary values for a resource team or code
- display numeric totals
- filter and group data
- access the Resource Planning spreadsheet
- customize the tab
View total units and cost for an individual resource
The Analysis tab displays individual allocation data when you select an individual resource on the Resources Home page.
When you select a parent resource, all child resources associated with the parent resource are available for selection in the View drop-down menu. Select a child from the menu to view its allocation data.
Tip: Selecting a parent resource node does not display total usage for all child resources, since rolling up these values would not be meaningful.
When you select a child resource, or a parent resource that has no children, no other resources are available for selection in the View drop-down menu.
View summary totals for a resource team or resource code
When you select a resource team or resource code on the Resources Home page, the Analysis tab displays total usage for all resources belonging to the team or code you have access rights to view (based on your resource security settings). Team members you have access to are available for selection in the View drop-down menu; you can select an individual resource from the menu to view its individual allocation data.
Display numeric totals
To display numeric totals for a project or project code in a histogram or area chart, move the mouse over the corresponding area or bar.
Filter and group data
Filter and group options let you focus the data display on your area of interest.
- Filter by options enable you to chart usage or costs for a single project, portfolio, or project code value, or for all projects.
- Group by options enable you to view summary totals for resource usage across specific projects or project codes.
Access the Resource Planning spreadsheet
You can toggle between the Analysis tab and the Resource Planning spreadsheet on the Plan Resources page. The Resource Planning spreadsheet enables you to review and modify high-level resource and role allocations at the project and WBS level. To access the Resource Planning spreadsheet, click Plan Resources. To return to the Analysis tab, click Resource Analysis on the Plan Resources page.
Analysis tab
In the Analysis tab, click Customize to choose the timescale increment, unit or cost data, and the limit line type. You can focus the chart on a date range or change the color scheme. You can specify to show a chart either in 3-D or 2-D format. To display a chart in 3-D format, mark the Show 3-D checkbox. Clearing this checkbox displays the chart in 2-D format.
Timescale options that display in the Timescale menu are controlled by administrator settings in the Project Management module. Your administrator can set the timescale to show data for calendar increments, the financial period, or both.
If your administrator has set the timescale to the calendar, you can select the following options from the Timescale menu:
- Year/Month - monthly increments per year
- Year/Quarter - quarterly increments per year
- Quarter/Month - monthly increments per quarter
- Month/Week - weekly increments per month
If your administrator has set the timescale to the financial period, you can select the Financial Period option from the Timescale menu it to display the range of financial periods defined in the Project Management module in your resource analysis charts. When your organization summarizes and stores resource data by financial period, summarized data is displayed in financial period increments when you display the timescale.
Tip:
If your administrator has set the timescale to the financial period without also setting it for the calendar, and you select a calendar increment (such as Month/Week) for your resource analysis chart, the resulting chart will display data only for the financial period.
If your organization tracks actual units and costs in financial periods but the Financial Period timescale is not available, project data has not been summarized by financial period; contact your administrator to correct the problem.
If financial periods are not properly configured for use with P6 Web Access, you will receive an error message when you attempt to display the timescale.
Note: If your organization summarizes and stores resource data by calendar intervals, summarized data is calculated and stored in weekly or monthly increments, based on an option setting in the Project Management module. If the option is set to monthly increments, when you choose the Month/Week timescale, the data for each month displays in the first week. Also, if you summarize using weekly increments and choose to display allocation data for a date range that includes a portion of a week, the data for that week will reflect the total for the entire week. Likewise, if you summarize using monthly increments and choose a timescale that includes a portion of a month, the data for that month will reflect the total for the entire month.
Two resource limit options, available in all chart formats except Pie, help you evaluate usage against the benchmark you choose:
- Limit shows maximum availability based on the resource's calendar and Max units/time setting, as well as application settings for hours per time period.
For more information about hours per time period settings, see Global Preferences.
- Allocation Limit shows the resource's maximum availability based on Allocated planning values specified by a resource manager. These values, which are recorded at the project or WBS level, can be entered by Resources users in the Resource Planning spreadsheet. Use this limit line to evaluate whether your detailed activity assignments are in line with what the resource manager has planned.
The resource usage summary data displayed in this view is based on either activity-level assignments or high-level (project, WBS) planning assignments, depending on an option setting on the Settings page of Project Details. To evaluate activity level assignments against planned allocations, choose the summarize project option for detailed activity resource assignments. You must have appropriate module access to a project to change its setting.
Tip: When summarizing at the detail level, the date range for the timescale is derived from activity start and finish dates. If the selected resource only has high-level assignments outside that date range, the Allocation Limit line may not appear. Changing to a larger timescale increment, for example from m/w to y/q may cause the Allocation Limit to appear.