Managing Resources Assigned to a Project Task

Your administrator must:

  • Assign you PSA - Manage Gantt and Project Tasks and PSA - Manage Project Tasks permission sets for this functionality to be visible, or refer to the Certinia Help Technical Documentation Pack if a custom permission set is required.
  • Add Staffing permission to the project and resources.

Managing Resources on Project Tasks

To add, update, or delete resources assigned to project tasks, do one of the following:

  • Right-click anywhere in the relevant project task row and select Manage Resources.
  • Select the project task and then click Manage Resources.

The Manage Resources on a Project Task window opens, which displays the resources that are already assigned to the project task. You can:

  • Update the Allocation Hours field for the hours that the resource has been allocated to the project task. When you update this field, the total allocation hours for the resources are updated in the Updated Estimate Hours summary card. when you click outside the field or press Enter. When you click Apply, the Estimated Hours summary card is updated to equal the value in the Updated Estimated Hours card.
  • Delete a resource's assignment to the project task by selecting the resource and clicking Delete resource.
  • Add an additional project task assignment row to a project task by clicking Add Row.
  • Assign resources to a project task.
  • Assign other resources that are active and have an assignment on the project.
  • View additional resource record details by selecting the resource and clicking Record Details.
  • View the assignment or resource request associated with a project task assignment in the Assignment or Resource Request field.

To manage the resources assigned to a project task:

  1. On a project record, click the relevant project task and click Down Arrow | Manage Resources. The Manage Resources on Project Task window displays a list of the resources already assigned to the project task.
  2. [Optional] You can search for resources associated with the project task. When you start typing characters from anywhere in the name, PSA searches the tasks loaded into the Project Task Board and narrows down the search results as you type.

  3. [Optional] You can sort the grid by a particular column by clicking Sort on the column's heading. This sorts the column alphabetically or numerically in ascending order depending on the data type of the values in the column. A column sorted in ascending order is indicated by an upward pointing arrow Ascending. A column sorted in descending order is indicated by a downward pointing arrow Descending.

    4. Note:

    By default, the data in the Manage Resources on Project Task window is alphabetically sorted by resource names.

  4. Select the resource that you want to manage.
  5. [Optional] In the Assignment column, select the assignment that you want to assign to the resource.
  6. To have allocations in hours and percentages, enter the value in hours in the allocation hours column. The Allocation Percentage field is automatically populated.

  7. Double-click in an editable field and make your changes. Only the Allocation Hours and Assignment fields are currently editable.

    1. If there are unsaved changes, a confirmation window appears. To continue editing the field of one or more resources, click Continue Editing.
    2. To discard your changes for the edited resources and keep their original values, click Discard Changes.
  8. Click Save to save your changes.

Adding a Blank Project Task Assignment Row

You can click Add Row in the Manage Resources on a Project Task window to add an additional project task assignment row to your project task.

When adding a new row when using the Equal Split allocation mode, the Allocation Hours and Allocation Percentage fields are automatically populated according to the allocation split. When adding new rows using the Hours and Percentage allocation modes, the Allocation Hours and Allocation Percentage fields remain blank.

Assigning Resources to a Project Task

To assign resources that are active and have an assignment on the project to a project task:

  1. Click Manage Resources. The Manage Resources on a Project Task window opens.
  2. Click Assign Resources. The Assign Resources to Project Task window opens.
  3. [Optional] Use the Search field to search for resources in the list. Enter a minimum of three characters, and then press Enter.
  4. [Optional] You can sort the grid by a particular column by clicking Sort on the column's heading. This sorts the column alphabetically or numerically in ascending order depending on the data type of the values in the column. A column sorted in ascending order is indicated by an upward pointing arrow Ascending. A column sorted in descending order is indicated by a downward pointing arrow Descending.
  5. Select resources, roles, or external resources, and then click Assign. The resources are displayed in the Assign Resources to Project Task window.
  6. Click Assign. You return to the Manage Resources on a Project Task window.
  7. Click Apply. You return to the project record.
  8. Click Save.
Note:

By default, the data in the Manage Resources on Project Task window is alphabetically sorted by resource names.

Changing Assignments

When updating assignments for a project task, you can specify the assignment each resource works on. When you update the assignment for a resource, PSA automatically populates the start date and end date of the assignment. The start date and end date cannot be edited in this window.

To update an assignment for a resource:

  1. On a project record, click the relevant project task and click | Manage Resources. The Manage Resources on Project Task window displays a list of the resources already assigned to the project task.
  2. For the resource row you want to update, double-click in the Assignment field. Select the assignment from the drop-down list. The start and end dates are automatically populated for the selected resource.
  3. [Optional] Repeat the step 2 for more or all the resources.
  4. Click Save.
Note:

If there is only one active assignment for the resource, it is automatically populated.

Changing Resources

When assigned resources are changed in the Manage Resources on a Project Task window, the Start and End Date fields are updated accordingly. The new Start and End Date field values are calculated from one of the following fields:

  • Assignment or Resource Request
  • Preferred Schedule

You can also update the Resource Name and Resource Role fields in the Manage Resources on a Project Task window. To do this, select the field and select from the list of resource roles or resources as required.

Notes:

Saving changed resource requests stores the information differently, depending on where the Manage Resources window is opened from:

  • When opened from Project Task Board, saving a changed resource request saves the resource request on the project task assignment.
  • When opened from Gantt, applying a changed resource request saves in Gantt. Clicking Save in Gantt then saves the resource request to the project task assignment.

Deleting Resources from a Project Task Assignment

Note:

You cannot delete project task assignments that have actual hours logged on the project task.

To delete resources from a project task assignment:

  1. On a project record, click the relevant project task and click Down Arrow | Manage Resources. The Manage Resources on Project Task window displays a list of the resources already assigned to the project task.
  2. [Optional] On a resource row you want to delete, click | Delete.
  3. To delete one or multiple resources, select one or more additional resources from project task assignments that you want to delete.
  4. Click Delete Resources to delete the selected resources from project task assignments.
  5. Click Save.
Note:

The allocation percentages for the remaining resources are recalculated when one or more resources are deleted from the Manage Resources on Project Tasks window.

External Resources

You can enter external resources which do not have a contact record against project tasks.

To do this, navigate to the Manage Resources on a Project Task window and enter the external resources as text in the resource field.

Entering an external resource or role as text is only available when external resources are not added as contacts in PSA. Otherwise, external resources with an associated contact record are assigned by searching and selecting in the resource column. You can also utilize advanced searching on the resource column when searching for resources.

For more information on advanced searching, see Using Advanced Lookup

Filtering in Gantt on a project record and Project Task Board also updates to reflect newly added external resources that do not have an associated contact record.

For more information about external resources, see About Contacts and Resources.

Note:

Assigning an external resource without a contact record to a project task results in the Assignment or Resource Request column entering a read-only state. The Assignment or Resource Request column is populated with the placeholder text "External Resource Assignment". This placeholder text persists similarly to internal resources entered in the Manage Resources on a Project Task window.

Managing Allocation Modes

You can view and manage allocation modes in Gantt by selecting a project task and clicking Manage Resources. In the Manage Resources window, you can select from the following allocation modes when assigning a resource to project tasks:

  • Hours
  • Percentage
  • Equal Split

The Hours allocation mode enables your org to automatically calculate the percentage, from the allocated hours entered for a resource.

The Percentage allocation mode enables your org to automatically calculate the allocated hours, from the percentage entered for a resource.

The Equal Split allocation mode enables your org to automatically divide the estimated hours and corresponding percentage of a project task equally among resources.

You can also save your selected allocation modes, ensuring they are retained between sessions. To save, click Apply in the Manage Resources window after amending then Save in Gantt on a project record.

Notes:

The following validations occur on Gantt on a project record:

  • Allocation Hours fields must have a value entered.
  • Allocation Percentage fields must have a value entered, and equal 100%.

The estimated hours value is not recalculated upon closing or applying changes in the Manage Resources window.

When adjusting the hours assigned to a project task, you can specify the time each resource will spend on that specific project task. After updating the allocation hours, PSA automatically calculates the percentage for the project task. The percentage allocation cannot be edited.

By updating the allocation hours, the allocation percentage adjusts automatically, showing how work is divided among the resources assigned to the task and the total hours they spend on it.

The allocation percentages are saved as decimals between 0 and 1. Therefore, when calculating percentages, the allocation percentage is multiplied by 100 and divided by 100 when necessary. If Allocation Hours exists, allocation percentage equals (Allocated Hours / Project Task Estimated Hours) * 100.

  • If Allocation Percentage exists, allocation hours equal (Project Task Estimated Hours * Allocated Percentage) / 100

To update the number of allocation hours a resource is scheduled to work on a project task:

  1. Select one or more resources and enter a value in the allocation hours column.

  2. Repeat this for all the resources and ensure that the allocation percentage total for all resources is 100%.

    1. If there are unsaved changes, a confirmation window appears. To save your changes click Save.
    2. To continue editing the allocation of one or more resources, click Continue Editing.
  3. Click Save.
Note:

You can view the totals for the following columns at the bottom of the grid:

  • Actual Cost
  • Actual Hours
  • Allocation Hours
  • Allocation Percentage
  • Estimated Cost

Viewing Resource Record Details

To view more information about a resource record from the Manage Resources on a Project Task window:

  1. Select one resource record from the list and click Record Details. The Resource Details panel opens.

  2. [Optional] Click on Expand in the respective section to view additional information about the selected record. The following sections are displayed:

    1. Details: Displays region, practice, and group information.
    2. Assignment History: Displays historical information related to assignments allocated with their respective accounts, start, and end dates.
    3. Availability: Displays an availability calendar with assigned and available hours.
    4. Resource Schedule: Displays the schedule of the selected resource, including total available hours, total assigned hours, and scheduled assignments.
  3. To hide the Record Details panel, click Close on the panel or click Record Details again.