Use this tab to view resource allocation as a histogram (total allocation across time) or as a spreadsheet (of resource allocation values by project). You can view totals for an entire resource grouping (role, resource code, or resource team) or for individual resources.
Note: The resource usage data displayed on this page is derived from summary data, so it is current 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. For more detail about summarized resource data, see Resource Data and Summarization.
On the Usage tab you can:
- view resource allocation by resource code, resource team, primary role, or individual resource
- view resource allocation as a histogram
- view resource allocation as a spreadsheet
- customize the tab to display units or cost, select a timescale increment, and set limit line options
View resource allocation by code, team, role, or resource
The Usage tab displays resource/role allocation data for the resource, resource code, resource team, or primary role you select on the Resources Home page.
When you select a resource code, resource team, or primary role on the Resources Home page, the Usage tab displays summary allocation data for the resource group; each individual resource belonging to the group is available for selection in the View drop-down menu.
When you select an individual resource on the Resources Home page, the Usage tab displays allocation data for the resource. If the resource you select is a parent resource, all of the resource's children are available for selection in the View drop-down menu. If the resource you select is a child resource, you cannot view data for any other resource.
Tip: When you select a parent resource, primary role, resource code, or resource team on the Resources Home page, only the resources you have access to are listed within the group in the View drop-down menu. For example, if you select a resource team and some team members do not belong to your access node, they will not appear in the list. The total value for the resource team is the sum of the values for the resources you have access to. If you require changes to your resource access, contact your system administrator.
View resource allocation as a Histogram
In the Display field, select Histogram. The Histogram enables you to easily identify resource overloads and periods of inactivity. To review the specific values for an individual histogram bar, click on it. Two resource limit line options, both based on live data, help you evaluate usage against the benchmark you choose:
- Limit shows maximum availability based on the resource's calendar and Max units/time setting and the application settings for hours per time period.
- Allocation Limit shows the resource's maximum availability
based on Allocated planning values specified in the Resource Planning spreadsheet on the Plan Resources page.
Use this limit line to evaluate whether detailed activity assignments are in line with what was planned.
For more information about hours per time period settings, see Global
Preferences.
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 Projects, Details, Settings page (to access the Settings page, open a project or group of projects, click
on the Projects toolbar to display the Projects, Details page, then click Settings). To evaluate
activity level assignments against planned allocations, choose the summarize
project option for detailed
activity resource assignments. You must have user access to the project, appropriate module access, and required security privileges to specify this setting.
Tip: When a project is summarized 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.
View resource allocation as a Spreadsheet
In the Display field, select Spreadsheet. The Spreadsheet shows precise resource allocation values per time period and per project. A summary row displays allocated totals as well as total under/overallocation and, if you choose, limit values. Underallocation values are negative; overallocation displays in red.
- To show summary usage values for a resource grouping, and
the breakdown by resource, select the group (parent resource, resource code, resource team, or primary role) in the View drop-down menu..
- To show a single resource's allocation broken down by project, select the resource in the View drop-down menu. To view the resource's activities for the project, click the project name.
From the Spreadsheet, you can use the Export to file feature to export resource allocation data to an Excel spreadsheet (*.xls) file.
Customize the Usage tab
Click Customize to focus on the data you want to review.
-
Display lets you choose units or costs. For example, you might select units to see resource use for team members per time period. Select costs to see how much money is being spent over time.
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Timescale lets you select the time interval that you want to use: Year/Month, Year/Quarter, Quarter/Month, Month/Week, or Financial Period.
For 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.
Financial period intervals rely on summarized data calculated and stored by financial period, which is controlled by an administrative setting in the Project Management module. If projects are not summarized by financial period, or if financial periods are not defined, the Financial Period timescale is not available. Additionally, if financial periods are not properly configured in the Project Management module, you will receive an error message when you display the Financial Period timescale.
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Show enables you to display Limit and Allocation Limit lines in the histogram. For more information, click here.
In addition to the customize options in this view, you can set a Global preference option that enables you to view actuals values based on data that has been stored for custom financial periods. When you choose this option, stored actuals data is spread evenly from the start to the finish date defined for financial periods. If you do not choose this option, actuals data is spread evenly from the actual start to the data date or actual finish date of the assignment if there is one.
Notes:
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If you choose the global preference to use financial period data, but period performance has not been stored, total reported actuals display in the timescale period representing the data date. You can define financial periods and store period data only in the Project Management module. For more information, contact your P6 administrator or Project Management Office.
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If projects are summarized by financial period (which is controlled by an administrative setting in the Project Management module), this global preference setting for displaying past period actuals is ignored. In this case, when you display a Financial Period timescale, the tab displays past period actual values if performance has been stored for a financial period; for financial periods that do not have stored performance, the tab displays all unit and cost values in financial period intervals.
See Customize the Usage tab for more detailed information on customizing how information is displayed on this tab.