Managing resource assignments from Project Workspace

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Managing resource assignments from Project Workspace

    Managing resource assignments within the Project Workspace enables ServiceNow customers to optimize project execution by allocating resources to specific projects or tasks. This process involves creating, planning, tracking, and monitoring resource assignments with detailed control over resource allocation timing, efforts, and attributes such as skills and roles. Resource assignments are dynamic and can be edited throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring alignment with project timelines and resource availability.

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    Key Features

    • Attribute-based resource assignment creation for projects or tasks.
    • Editing resource assignment details including dates, resources, efforts, and allocations directly within the Project Workspace.
    • Approval workflow by resource managers to ensure alignment with resource strategy, availability, and project priorities.
    • Visualization of resource allocations through a color-coded heatmap modal to easily identify resource availability.
    • Display of primary resource attributes (Group, Role, Skill) to facilitate task reassignment to suitable resources.
    • Effort tracking configurable by effort types such as Hours, Full-Time Equivalent (FTE), or Person Days.
    • Synchronization of resource assignment dates with project task timelines to maintain schedule alignment.

    Practical Use and Benefits

    ServiceNow customers can leverage Resource Management in Project Workspace to:

    • Allocate resources efficiently based on relevant attributes, ensuring tasks are staffed with appropriately skilled personnel.
    • Maintain flexibility by updating resource assignments as project needs evolve.
    • Gain visibility into resource availability and workload through the heatmap, aiding in balanced resource distribution.
    • Ensure resource efforts are calculated correctly, with administrative control over which assignments contribute to capacity calculations.
    • Streamline approval processes with resource managers to align resource usage with broader organizational strategies.

    Managing Resource Assignments

    Within Project Workspace, customers can create, update, and delete resource assignments. Deleting an assignment also removes all associated resource allocations. The heatmap feature supports reviewing and realigning resource usage, and assignments can be synchronized with task schedules to keep resource planning coordinated with project timelines.

    Optimize project execution by assigning resources to tasks within the Project Workspace. You can create resource assignments for any project or project task, specifying the tasks to be performed and the resources to be allocated. Use the Resource Management application to allocate and manage your resources in the Project Workspace.

    Resource assignments

    Resource assignment is a process of allocating a resource or group of resources to a project task. When a resource assignment is initiated, a resource plan is auto-generated in the back-end of the project management system. This resource plan details the information of how resources would be allocated throughout the project. Resource assignments are approved by the resource manager to make sure that the allocation aligns with the overall resource strategy, considering factors such as availability, skills, and project priorities. Resource assignments remain dynamic and can be edited throughout the project life cycle. Resources can be assigned based on defined attributes such as skills, expertise, or other criteria relevant to the project or task.
    Note:

    Resource efforts calculations are driven by the com.snc.resource_management.exclude_status_from_capacity property. Admin can configure this property to calculate efforts for certain defined resource assignments only. For more information, see Resource Management properties.

    Edit the child resource assignments directly using the inline editing from the resource assignment pane.

    Using Resource Management, you can create, plan, track, and monitor resource assignments at a project or task level in the Project Workspace. With Resource Management in Project Workspace, you can:
    • Create an attribute-based resource assignment.
    • Change the resource assignment dates, resources, efforts, and proposed allocations at any level of the project.
    • View resource allocations using new heatmap modal. The allocations are color-coded to display the availability of the resources.
    • View the primary attributes such as Group, Role, and Skill of each resource in the resource assignment pane. They are useful when you work on reassigning a task to a different user with the same primary attributes.
    • Switch between Hours, FTE, or Person Days effort types to view resource allocations.
    Important:
    Resource efforts calculations are driven by the com.snc.resource_management.exclude_status_from_capacity property. Admin can configure this property to calculate efforts for certain defined resource assignments only. For more information, see Resource Management properties.

    Key features

    With resource assignments, you can:
    • Determine the resource engagement timing and allocate resources for specified durations, contributing to the creation of a timeline for task completion.
    • Align task execution with the project plan, ensuring tasks are carried out in accordance with specified timelines and resource requirements.
    • Initiate an approval process that is conducted by a resource manager and make sure it aligns with project targets and resource availability.

    Key benefits

    Using Resource Management, you can create, plan, track, and monitor resource assignments at a project or task level in the Project Workspace. With Resource Management in Project Workspace, you can:
    • Create an attribute-based resource assignment.
    • Change the resource assignment dates, resources, efforts, and proposed allocations at any level of the project.
    • View resource allocations using new heatmap modal. The allocations are color-coded to display the availability of the resources.
    • View the primary attributes such as Group, Role, and Skill of each resource in the resource assignment pane. They are useful when you work on reassigning a task to a different user with the same primary attributes.
    • Switch between Hours, FTE, or Person Days effort types to view resource allocations.