Overview: Setting up resource constraint analysis (Project Server 2010)

Configuring primary resource roles

Project Server 2010 relies on defined roles for resource constraint analysis. Examples of roles include Developer, Tester, and Business Analyst. Each resource, whether a named resource (a "real person") or a generic resource (a placeholder), must be associated with a single primary role to be considered during resource constraint analysis.

Who sets up resource roles?   Resource roles are configured in Project Server 2010 by the site administrator.

Where can I learn more?   For more information about how to set up resource roles, see Define your organization's resource roles (Project Server 2010).

Configuring resource capacity planning

Before stakeholders can determine whether a proposal can be approved, all available resources in the organization must be accounted for to determine resource capacity. Once there is a good understanding of what resources are available to assign to projects at a given time, stakeholders can compare the available resource capacity with the resource needs of each project proposal during resource constraint analysis. Resource capacity can account for individual named resources (for example, employees in your organization), or non-named resources that represent people, equipment, or other named resources that will be hired (or otherwise obtained) later. Each resource that is used to represent capacity must be associated with a single primary role.

Who sets up capacity planning?   Capacity planning is typically configured by resource managers, project managers, or portfolio managers in your organization, depending on how the site administrator has configured permissions.

Where can I learn more?   For more information about how to configure capacity planning, see Create resources to represent capacity (Project Server 2010).

Configuring resource demand planning

When submitting a project proposal, the submitter can assign named ("real") or generic (placeholder) resources to tasks to represent the resource needs of the project. Stakeholders can take these resource demands into account when they review the proposal and compare the demands with the resource capacity of the organization. If the demand can be met by capacity, the proposal may have a better chance of being approved than one that requires additional resources to be hired or acquired. Before resource demand can be included in a proposal, resources must be created to represent demand by role type. Generic resources should be used when the role type and quantity needed for a project (for example, two Developers) is known. But the actual people doing the work are not known or not important at this point of planning.

Who sets up resources for demand planning?   Resources are typically configured by resource managers, project managers, or portfolio managers in your organization, depending on how the site administrator has configured permissions.

Who assigns resources to proposals?   The person submitting the project proposal may choose to assign resources to tasks in the project, or to the overall project itself. This person may be a project manager, but may also be a team member or other stakeholder.

Where can I learn more?   For more information about how to set up resources for demand planning, see Create generic resources to represent resource needs (Project Server 2010). For more information about how to assign resources to proposals for demand planning, see Specify resource needs in a project proposal (Project Server 2010).