Assigning Cost Resources to Tasks
by Teresa S. Stover, Bonnie Biafore, and Andreea Marinescu
Microsoft® Project 2010 Inside Out
- Microsoft® Project 2010 Inside Out
- SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
- A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
- Introduction
- I. Project Fundamentals
- 1. Introducing Microsoft Project 2010
- 2. Understanding Projects and Project Management
- II. Developing the Project Plan
- 3. Starting a New Project
- Getting from Idea to Proposal to Project
- Focusing the Project Vision
- Creating a New Project Plan
- Entering Tasks
- Sequencing and Organizing Tasks
- Organizing Tasks into an Outline
- Setting Up Your Work Breakdown Structure
- Adding Supplementary Information to Tasks
- 4. Viewing Project Information
- Understanding Project Information Categories
- Accessing Your Project Information
- Switching Between Views
- Using Views
- Scheduling with Gantt Charts
- Highlighting Tasks with the Timeline
- Flowcharting with Network Diagrams
- Visualizing the Project with the Calendar
- Reviewing Assignments with the Team Planner
- Charting Team Availability with the Resource Graph
- Tabling with Sheet Views
- Timesheeting with Usage Views
- Seeing Details with Forms
- Cross-Referencing with Combination Views
- Using Tables
- Using Fields
- Arranging Your Project 2010 Window
- Navigating to a Specific Location in a View
- Rearranging Your Project Information
- 5. Scheduling Tasks Manually or Automatically
- 6. Building Your Schedule
- 7. Setting Up Resources in the Project
- Understanding the Impact of Resources in the Plan
- Adding Resources to the Project
- Removing a Resource from the Project
- Identifying Tentative, Generic, or Budget Resources
- Setting When Resources Are Available for Work
- Adding Detailed Resource Information
- 8. Assigning Resources to Tasks
- Assigning Work Resources to Tasks
- Assigning Material Resources to Tasks
- Assigning Cost Resources to Tasks
- Reviewing Assignment Information
- Changing Resource Assignments
- Contouring Resource Assignments
- 9. Planning Resource and Task Costs
- 10. Checking and Adjusting the Project Plan
- Working with the Critical Path and Critical Tasks
- Controlling Schedule Changes with Task Types
- Bringing in the Project Finish Date
- Reducing Project Costs
- Balancing Resource Workloads
- Changing Project Scope
- Reviewing the Impact of Changes
- Obtaining Buyoff on the Project Plan
- 3. Starting a New Project
- III. Tracking Progress
- 11. Setting a Baseline and Updating Progress
- Saving Original Plan Information Using a Baseline
- Updating Task Progress
- Updating Actual Costs
- 12. Responding to Changes in Your Project
- 11. Setting a Baseline and Updating Progress
- IV. Reporting and Analyzing Project Information
- 13. Reporting Project Information
- Establishing Your Communications Plan
- Using Views to Report Project Information
- Generating Text and Visual Reports
- Generating the Right Reports
- Summarizing with Overview Reports
- Focusing on Tasks with Schedule Progress Reports
- Using the Unstarted Tasks Report
- Using the Tasks Starting Soon Report
- Using the Tasks In Progress Report
- Using the Completed Tasks Report
- Using the Should Have Started Tasks Report
- Using the Slipping Tasks Report
- Using the Baseline Report in Visio
- Using the Baseline Work Report in Excel
- Using the Task Status Report in Visio
- Using the Budget Work Report in Excel
- Analyzing Budget Status with Cost Reports
- Using the Cash Flow Report
- Using the Cash Flow Report in Excel
- Using the Cash Flow Report in Visio
- Using the Baseline Cost Report in Excel
- Using the Budget Report
- Using the Budget Cost Report in Excel
- Using the Resource Cost Summary Report in Excel
- Using the Overbudget Tasks Report
- Using the Overbudget Resources Report
- Using the Earned Value Report
- Using the Earned Value Over Time Report in Excel
- Evaluating Resource Allocation with Assignment Reports
- Using the Who Does What Report
- Using the Who Does What When Report
- Using the To-Do List
- Using the Overallocated Resources Report
- Using the Resource Availability Report in Visio
- Using the Resource Work Availability Report in Excel
- Using the Task Usage Report
- Using the Resource Usage Report
- Using the Resource Work Summary Report in Excel
- Using the Resource Remaining Work Report in Excel
- Using the Resource Status Report in Visio
- Revising a Built-In Report
- Building a Custom Report
- Saving Project Data Fields
- Sharing Project Reports Electronically
- 14. Analyzing Progress Using Earned Value
- 13. Reporting Project Information
- V. Managing Multiple Projects
- 15. Managing Master Projects and Resource Pools
- Structuring Master Projects with Subprojects
- Consolidating Project Information
- Opening Multiple Project Files as a Set
- Sharing Resources by Using a Resource Pool
- 16. Exchanging Information Between Project Plans
- 15. Managing Master Projects and Resource Pools
- VI. Integrating Project 2010 with Other Programs
- 17. Exchanging Information with Other Applications
- 18. Integrating Project 2010 with Excel
- 19. Integrating Project 2010 with Visio
- 20. Integrating Project 2010 with Outlook
- 21. Collaborating as a Team by Using SharePoint
- Creating a Project Tasks List on a SharePoint Site
- Exchanging Project Information with SharePoint
- Synchronizing Changes Between Project and SharePoint
- Opening and Viewing Connected Project Information
- Collaborating with Team Members on Task Updates
- Assigning Tasks to Team Members
- Updating Task Progress
- Updating Task Progress in SharePoint
- Updating Task Progress in Project
- VII. Managing Projects Across Your Enterprise
- 22. Understanding Enterprise Project Management
- 23. Administering Your Enterprise Project Management Solution
- Signing In and Out
- Configuring Project Server Security
- Administering the Enterprise Resource Pool
- Establishing the Enterprise Portfolio
- Setting Up Project Workflows
- Standardizing Enterprise Project Elements
- Setting Up Team Member Work Pages
- Managing Pages, Views, and Reports
- 24. Managing Enterprise Projects and Resources
- Connecting to Your Project Server
- Working with Enterprise Projects
- Following a Project Workflow
- Building Your Enterprise Project Team
- Finding Resources to Meet Your Needs
- Building Your Project Team in Project Professional
- Building Your Project Team in Project Web App
- Identifying Resource Attributes by Using Custom Enterprise Fields
- Using Generic Resources as Placeholders
- Adding a Team Assignment Pool to Your Project Resource List
- Finding Enterprise Resources That Meet Specific Criteria
- Review Resource Assignments and Availability
- Replacing an Existing Project Resource with an Enterprise Resource
- Matching an Existing Project Resource
- Matching and Replacing Generic Resources
- Proposing Tentative Resources
- Assigning Tasks to Enterprise Resources
- Finding Resources to Meet Your Needs
- Collaborating with Your Project Team
- 25. Participating on a Team Using Project Web App
- Getting Started with Project Web App
- Working with Your Assignments
- Submitting Text-Based Status Reports
- Logging Time by Using Timesheets
- Working with Issues and Risks
- Setting Up E-Mail Reminders and Outlook Tasks
- Managing Resources in Project Web App
- 26. Making Executive Decisions Using Project Web App
- 27. Managing and Analyzing Project Portfolios
- VIII. Customizing and Managing Project Files
- 28. Customizing Your View of Project Information
- Customizing Views
- Changing the Content of a View
- Creating a New View
- Saving a View
- Changing Text Formatting in Views
- Formatting a Gantt Chart View
- Modifying the Timescale
- Modifying a Network Diagram
- Modifying the Timeline
- Modifying the Team Planner
- Modifying the Resource Graph
- Modifying the Calendar
- Modifying a Sheet View
- Modifying a Usage View
- Customizing Tables
- Customizing Fields
- Working with Outline Codes
- Customizing Groups
- Customizing Filters
- Sharing Customized Elements Among Projects
- Customizing Views
- 29. Customizing the Project 2010 Interface
- 30. Automating Your Work with Macros
- 31. Standardizing Projects by Using Templates
- 32. Managing Project Files
- Saving Project Files
- Opening Project Files
- Saving and Opening with Different File Formats
- Comparing Project Plans Side by Side
- Safeguarding Your Project Files
- 28. Customizing Your View of Project Information
- IX. Appendixes
- D. Index to Troubleshooting Topics
- E. About the Authors
- Index
- About the Authors
- SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
When you assign a cost resource to a task, you associate a cost item that must be incurred to complete that task. Entering costs for work resources, such as an hourly rate for a human resource or a cost per use for an equipment resource, certainly helps you track some of the biggest project costs you’re likely to encounter. Cost resources help you track other significant costs. Examples of cost resources are travel costs or facility rentals associated with the fulfillment of a task.
Unlike for work or material resources, you do not enter a cost amount in the Resource Sheet or Resource Information dialog box. You only create the resource there and identify it as a cost resource.
Only after you assign a cost resource to a task do you deal with the cost. At that point, you can enter the cost for the facility rental, for example, as associated with the task to which the Facility Rental cost resource is assigned.
For example, you might have the Facility Rental cost resource assigned to the “Conduct focus group meetings” and “Conduct usability tests” tasks. The facility used for the “Conduct focus group meetings” task costs $200 per day. The facility used for the “Conduct usability tests” task costs $400 per day. You’re using the same cost resource but entering different cost amounts for the different task assignments.
Note
For more information on setting up a cost resource, see Adding Cost Resources to the Project.
To assign a cost resource to a task, follow these steps:
In the Gantt Chart, Task Usage view, or other task sheet, click the task to which you want to assign the cost resource.
On the Resource tab, in the Assignments group, click Assign Resources.
In the Assign Resources dialog box, click the name of the cost resource you want to assign to the task.
Click in the Cost field for the cost resource, and then type the cost amount for this resource on this task.
For cost resources, the Units field is not available.
Click the Assign button.
To assign the same cost resource to a different task, click that task. Enter the cost for that cost resource on the newly selected task, and then click the Assign button.
When you are finished assigning resources to tasks, click the Close button.
By default, the name of the cost resource as well as the cost amount for the assignment is shown next to the Gantt bar for the task, as shown in Figure 8-13.
Figure 8-13. The default Gantt bar shows the name of the cost resource as well as the cost amount for the task to which the cost resource is assigned.
You can change the cost you enter on a cost resource assignment. This is helpful if the cost for the resource on the task has changed or if you didn’t have that information at all when you first made the assignment. There are several ways to change the cost on a cost resource assignment:
In the Gantt Chart or any other task sheet, select the task. On the Resource tab, in the Assignments group, click Assign Resources. Click in the Cost field for the assigned cost resource and change the amount.
In any task sheet, click the task. On the Task tab, in the Properties group, click Information. In the Task Information dialog box, click the Resources tab. In the Cost field for the cost resource, change the amount, as shown in Figure 8-14.
In the Task Usage view, double-click the assignment—that is, the name of the cost resource under the task to which it is assigned. In the Assignment Information dialog box, on the General tab, change the amount in the Cost box.
In the Resource Usage view, double-click the assignment—that is, the name of the task under the cost resource name assigned to that task. In the Assignment Information dialog box, on the General tab, change the amount in the Cost box.
In either the Task Usage or Resource Usage view, add the Cost column to the sheet area of the view. Right-click any column heading, and then click Insert Column on the shortcut menu. In the drop-down menu that appears in the inserted column, type cost to move to the Cost field. Click the Cost field. In the Cost column that’s inserted, change the amount next to the assignment, as shown in Figure 8-15.
Figure 8-15. Add the Cost field to the Task Usage or Resource Usage view to review or modify the amount for a cost resource assignment.
Note
For more information about working with project costs, see Reviewing Planned Costs.
Note
Project 2010 also includes a cost-related resource type called budget resources. Budget resources are assigned only to the project summary task for the express purpose of tracking project costs and project work for the overall project budget. For more information about working with budget resources, see Setting Up and Reviewing a Project Budget.
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