Below you will find a description of the parameters which apply to the assignment of resources to tasks. Some of these parameters automatically inherit the values from the respective resource parameters which are defined in the master data when assigning resources to tasks. The adopted default values can be changed for the required resource assignment if required.

DI001410 Planned effort

Planned effort of the resource assignment (in resource units). For revenue and cost resources, the name of the respective data field is Planned costs.

Details for editing/calculation

The parameter can be edited in the following module by users with modification rights:

DI001423 Remaining effort

Remaining effort of the resource assignment (in resource units). For cost and revenue resources, this field is called Remaining costs.

Details for editing/calculation

  • If there is no Actual start of the resource assignment,
    • you have to enter the planned effort manually in the Remaining effort field ( Exception: Resource assignments with MAN load profile, see the entry below).
  • If there is an Actual start of the resource assignment but no Actual end of the resource assignment,
    • the Remaining effort of the resource assignment is determined during scheduling:
      • Remaining effort of the resource assignment - change of the Actual effort of the resource assignment
    • the calculated value, however, can be adjusted manually if necessary (e.g. if the enhanced effort is determined from the Forecast). Manual input will not be overwritten during the next scheduling.
  • If there is no Actual end of the resource assignment,
    • the Remaining effort of the resource assignment = 0 (if there is remaining effort when the actual end is set, it will be set to zero).

Reduction of the remaining effort by recording of hours worked.

  • If the recording of hours worked results in the creation of a new resource assignment, the Remaining effort for existing resource assignments is calculated as follows:
    • If the new resource is a child resource of one of the existing resources, the remaining effort of the respective parent resource is reduced.
    • If the new resource is no child resource of any of the existing resources, the effort of the already assigned resources is not reduced but the additional effort is added to the task.

Examples of application

  • Service orders are scheduled with adherence to department.
  • Employees of the department record hours worked, As a result, the planned Remaining effort of the department resource and thus the Remaining effort of the task are reduced by the recorded actual effort.
  • If employees from other departments post to the task in an unplanned manner, this is treated as unplanned additional effort for the task which will not reduce the remaining effort of the task but will increase the total effort by the additional effort.

The following applies when using the MAN load profile:

  • For resource assignments with MAN load profile, the remaining effort (planned effort) from load level (DT472) must be entered manually. Remaining effort at resource assignment level (DT466) is then automatically calculated as the sum of the individual Remaining load values.
  • If you try to fill the Remaining effort field at resource assignment level for resource assignments with MAN load profile anyway, the following message will be displayed: When using the "MAN" load profile, the effort is planned at load level. To do so, please switch to the "With loads" or "Entire schedule" module variant of the "Schedule" module.
  • If the the load profile of a resource is changed to MAN after this resource has already been calculated with another load profile, neither the already entered remaining effort nor the loads calculated from it are deleted during scheduling. This serves to simplify editing in the case of minor load deviations while numerous load records exist at the same time, so that the numerous load records do not have to be created manually, but certain load records can be changed or deleted specifically. However, if you want all loads to be deleted during scheduling, the Remaining effort field must be emptied before changing the load profile to MAN. The remaining effort value is updated after scheduling.


The parameter can be edited in the following modules by users with modification rights:


DI065078 Remaining effort (time recording)

Remaining effort, reduced by the actual load not yet taken into account in scheduling. The value is automatically adjusted once actual hours (actual load) have been entered in the Time Recording module.

DI001416 Actual effort

Actual effort of the resource assignment (in the unit of the resource). The value is determined (summarized) during scheduling from the values of the subordinate load level. Manual input is not possible. For revenue and cost resources, the respective data field is named Actual costs.

Calculation/summarization

Details

  • An Actual effort of the resource assignment sets the Actual start of the resource assignment to the date for which the reporting was made, in case there is no earlier work recording date for this task. This means that there is never an actual effort without an actual start date.
  • The date of the last time recording is stored in the Time recording date field.

Special case

  • If desired, the Actual effort field can be customized as an input field in which the actual effort is entered manually.
    • This actual effort (DT466) is automatically allocated to the load records (DT472) during each calculation (from earliest start of the resource assignment to the work reporting date of the resource assignment according to the load profile) (top-down), as long as no loads are entered manually.
    • As soon as at least one load ID (DT472) has been created manually, the actual effort (DT466) is no longer treated "manually" and is automatically overwritten with the sum of the load records during each scheduling (bottom up).
  • PLANTA, however, recommends that you do not use this procedure!

DI000817 Total effort

Total effort of the resource assignment (in resource units). It is a calculated value (manual input not possible).

Calculation

DI000096 Actual costs

Actual costs of the resource assignment. The value is determined (summarized) during scheduling from the values of the subordinate load level. Manual input is not possible. 

Calculation/summarization

  • Resource assignment: Actual costs = sum of all Actual cost values of all resources assigned to the task.
    • Load: Actual costs per day of the resource assigned to the task. On this level, the actual cost calculation takes place.

DI000097 Planned costs

Planned costs of the resource assignment. The value is determined (summarized) during scheduling from the values of the subordinate load level. Manual input is not possible. See calculation/summarization

Calculation/summarization

  • Resource assignment: Planned costs = sum of all Planned cost values per day of the resource assigned to the task.
    • Load: Planned costs per day of the resource assigned to the task. On this level, the actual cost calculation takes place.

DI000098 Remaining costs

Remaining costs of the resource assignment. The value is determined (summarized) during scheduling from the values of the subordinate load level. Manual input is not possible. See calculation/summarization

Calculation/summarization

  • Resource assignment : Remaining costs = sum of all Remaining cost values of all resources assigned to the task per day.
    • Load: Remaining costs per day of the resource assigned to the task. On this level, the actual cost calculation takes place.

DI000814 Total costs

Total costs of the resource assignment. The value is determined (summarized) during scheduling from the values of the subordinate load level. Manual input is not possible.

Calculation

DI000815 Total-planned costs deviation

Deviation of total costs of the resource assignment from planned costs of the resource assignment

Calculation

DI000816 % total-planned costs deviation

Percentage deviation of the total costs of the resource assignment from the planned costs of the resource assignment

Calculation

DI000828 Unit

This field serves to output the base unit of the resource.

DI000921 Min. load/day

Minimum load of the resource assignment per day

Details

  • The respective field is preset with the default value (Default min. load) from the Resource Data Sheet.
  • If the resource is being scheduled with the CAP load profile, the minimum load per day can be entered here.
  • In case of scheduling with adherence to float or capacity, only periods are loaded for which the remaining load value is higher or equal to the Min. load/day.
  • If no Min. load/day has been specified, the periods with a low remaining load will be planned as well. In this case the task will be heavily fragmented.
  • The field content will be ignored when scheduling with other load profiles.

Examples

  • Remaining effort of the resource assignment = 100, Min. load/day = 1
  • Only periods which have remaining loads greater than 1 are loaded.

The parameter can be edited in the following module by users with modification rights:

  • Outline Plan
    • The respective data field is hidden by default and can be unhidden by the user if necessary.
  • Task in the Resources area
    • The respective data field is hidden by default and can be unhidden by the user if necessary.

DI001390 Project ID

ID of the project

DI001391 Task ID

ID of the task

DI001392 Resource ID

Code (ID) of the resource which has been/is assigned to the selected task

DI001393 Cost type

Code (ID) of the resource assignment

Details

  • This field is automatically preset with the default value of the resource (from the Resource Data Sheet).
  • The cost type of the resource assignment is automatically transferred (inherited) to the individual load records during scheduling. The summarization of costs to cost type groups and the visualization in cost and budget modules, e.g. in the Budget module, is based on the cost type of the load records. If no cost type is entered on the resource assignment or if one is deleted, it will be missing on the load data records accordingly and the corresponding costs will thus not be taken into account in cost and budget modules, e.g. in the Budget module.

Notes

The cost type can be changed both as default value in the master data of the resource (default cost type) as well as at resource assignment and load level of a project (cost type of the resource assignment and cost type of the load) at any time. However, the impact of the changes must be considered.

  1.  Resource assignment level of a project: If the cost type of a resource assignment is changed,
    1. the new cost type will furthermore be applied to all new load records.
    2. the new cost type will be applied to existing remaining loads in the next calculation of the project schedule.
    3. this does not affect existing actual loads since the old cost type is retained and must be adjusted manually if necessary.
  2. Load level of a project: If the cost type is only changed on individual remaining load records, it keeps taking effect as long as the project schedule is not newly calculated, otherwise it will be overwritten with the resource assignment cost type gain. If actual loads with the changed cost type are created by recording hours worked or if the cost type is changed on already existing actual loads, the changed cost type will still be retained after calculation of the project schedule and will not be overwritten by the resource assignment cost type.
  3. Default cost type of the resource When you change the default cost type of the resource in the Master Data, a query is displayed asking whether the cost type of this resource is to be changed in resource assignments which exist in projects. 
    • If you answer the query with Yes, the new cost type will be changed in all existing assignments of this resource in all projects concerned. Consequently, the specifications made under item 1 Resource assignment of a project apply. 
    • If the query is answered with No, the cost type of the existing resource assignment will not automatically be changed but the new value will be used as a default value for all assignments of this resource which are furthermore newly created. 

The parameter can be edited in the following modules by users with modification rights:

  • Schedule (Project/Proposal)
  • Task in the Resources area
    • The respective data field is hidden by default and can be unhidden by the user if necessary.
See also: Create and assign cost types

DI004338 Requested start

Required start date of the resource assignment. Once requested dates are set on the resource assignment, the respective resource are automatically loaded with adherence to schedule. This takes place regardless of the project planning type of the project or of the load profile of the resource assignment. There is no load adjustment for overload. By setting the requested dates on the resource assignment, it becomes possible to have resources working on a task at different defined points in time.

Rule (Legend: TAR = task resource/resource assignment, TA=task)

Behavior during scheduling

  • The treatment of the requested dates on the resource assignment follows the top down planning of scheduling.
    • During scheduling, the calculated start and end dates of the task are determined at first.
      • As far as the TAR requested dates lie within the TA Calc. start and TA Calc. end, they are planned on the TAR requested date with adherence to schedule and are possibly overloaded with each planning type.
      • As far as the TAR requested dates lie outside the TA Calc. start and TA Calc. end, they are loaded with respect to TA Calc. start and TA Calc. end loaded with adherence to schedule The TAR requested dates of the resources are ignored.
    • If there is only one TAR Requested start and no Requested end, the resource is not scheduled earlier than the TAR Requested start, provided that the TAR Requested start lies within the calculated start and end dates of the task.
    • If there is only one TAR Requested end and no Req. start, the resource is not scheduled earlier than the TAR Requested end, provided that the TAR Requested end lies within the calculated start and end dates of the task.
  • This applies to all TAR requested dates, regardless of the planning type for the project (adherence to schedule, buffer, capacity).

Notes

  • Links may cause tasks to be shifted and fall outside the TAR requested dates. In this case, they are ignored. If you want to employ the resources on the respective days, you have the following options:
    • Set the Fix parameter for the task and enter the TAR requested dates within the fixed period.
    • Use the MAN load profile for this resource.

The parameter can be edited in the following modules by users with modification rights:

DI004349 Requested end

Requested end date of the resource assignment

For description and details, see Requested start

The parameter can be edited in the following modules by users with modification rights:

DI001441 Calc. start

Calculated start date of the resource assignment Is determined during scheduling.

DI001442 Calc. end

Calculated end date of the resource assignment Is determined during scheduling.

DI001420 Actual start

Actual start date of the resource assignment Is determined during scheduling but can also be entered/edited manually.

Calculation

  • Date of earliest posting (i.e. the first load record with recorded Actual load).
  • A manual input will be overwritten if it is later than this date.

The parameter can be edited in the following modules by users with modification rights:

  • Schedule (Project/Proposal)
  • Outline Plan
    • The respective data field is hidden by default and can be unhidden by the user if necessary.

DI001422 Actual end

Actual end date of the resource assignment. Is determined during scheduling but can also be entered/edited manually.

Calculation

  • If an Actual end is set on the task but the resource assignment has no Actual end, the Actual end of the task is adopted.
  • If the respective employee activates the Completed checkbox for the task in the course of his/her time recording, the Actual end is automatically set on the respective resource assignment in the task.

Note

  • If the Actual end is set and there is still Remaining effort on the resource assignment, it is set to 0.

The parameter can be edited in the following modules by users with modification rights:

  • Schedule (Project/Proposal)
  • Outline Plan
    • The respective data field is hidden by default and can be unhidden by the user if necessary.


DI001421 Time recording date of the resource assignment

Latest time recording date of the resource assignment

Calculation

  • Date of the last recording of hours worked of the respective resource in the selected task or Actual end of the resource assignment if there is any.

Note

  • If a resource has recorded hours worked for periods which he/she has set as vacation, the Work parameter = N setting is ignored in the determination of the time recording date.

DI001452 Load profile

Load profile of the resource assignment. It controls the load distribution (for cost resources of the costs) of the corresponding resources along the task duration.

  • When creating the resource assignment, the Default load profile of the resource (from the Resource Data Sheet module) is applied, which can be changed on the resource assignment if necessary.
  • If no load profile is entered, the load is distributed linearly.
  • When the effort is distributed from a source resource to a new resource, the value of the load profile parameter which is stored on the resource assignment ( Caution: not the value of the default load profile) is copied from the source resource to the new resource.
    • If no load is saved on the resource assignment of the source resource, the resources own default load profile is used for the new resource.

Details

  • PLANTA provides the following load profiles:
    • "real" load profiles, which distribute loads on a percentage basis.
    • "pseudo" load profiles (CAP, MAN, BLD), which are based on a programmed calculation method.
      • CAP: the load in each period relative to available capacity. The effort of the assigned resource is dominant. In case of scheduling with adherence to float or capacity, the available capacity of the period is scheduled. The duration is calculated.
      • BLD: Basic Load. Is used together with the Max. load/day parameter for planning basic load projects. Without Max. load/day it takes effect as a linear load profile.
      • MAN: Manual load per period
      • WEEK, MONTH, QUART, YEAR: Load only in the selected time grid
      • PM_DAY, PM_MONTH, PM_WEEK, PM_QUART, PM_YEAR: Manual persistent load in the selected time grid.

The parameter can be edited in the following modules by users with modification rights:

See also: Detailed information on Load Profiles and Load Distribution

DI001464 Effort used in %

Used effort of the resource assignment in percent. The value is determined during scheduling.

Calculation

DI001467 Max. load/day

Requested maximum load of the resource assignment per day.

Details

The value entered here has an impact on the following load profiles:

  • CAP
    • The Max. load/day value is a threshold for schedule calculation which is exceeded if necessary, e.g. if duration or requested dates are predefined for the respective task.
    • If no Max. load/day has been set, the entire available capacity left is available for planning.
    • The mere exceedance of the Max. load/day limit does not yet present an overload, as overload is only determined on the basis of the available capacity of a resource. The resource only has overload when the availability is overrun.
    • The calculation of the schedule works with the Max. load/day parameter as follows (provided that there are no further restrictions on the resource assignment, like e.g. requested dates):
      • The required duration of the resource assignment used in scheduling is calculated from Remaining effort / Max. load/day.
      • This duration is the initial value for capacity adjustment.
        • Example: Remaining effort of the resource assignment = 100, Max. load/day = 5. The duration of the resource assignment is calculated as follows: 100/5 = 20 days.
        • If several resources are assigned to the task, the task duration is determined as the maximum duration from all resource assignments.
  • BLD
    • If for resource assignments with BLD the Max. load/day field is filled, the remaining effort will be calculated automatically as follows:
      • Remaining duration * Max. load/day .
      • Manual changes in remaining effort will be overridden again with calculated values in the calculation of the project schedule. If you do not want this, you have to clear the Max. load/day field.
  • For all other load profiles, an entry in this field will have no effect.

The parameter can be edited in the following modules by users with modification rights:

DI002090 Bar: actual dates

Bar for the visualization of the interval between the actual dates ( Actual start and Actual end ) of the resource assignment.

DI002091 Bar: Actual start work reporting date

Bar for the visualization of the interval between the actual start date and the latest work reporting date of the resource assignment

DI023391 TDI: 1

Technical data item: Show Y/N

DI002093 Bar: calculated dates

Bar for the visualization of the interval between the calculated dates (Calc. start and Calc. end) of the resource assignment

DI002347 Number of load records

Number of load records of the resource assignment

DI002501 Project name

Name of the project to which the resource assignment belongs

DI002502 Task name

Name of the task to which the resource assignment belongs

DI002531 Bar: latest dates

Bar for the visualization of the interval between the latest start and the latest end of the task to which the resource assignment belongs

DI002503 Task latest start

Latest start date of the task to which the resource assignment belongs, as determined in the calculation of the schedule.

DI002504 Task latest end

Latest end date of the task to which the resource assignment belongs, as determined in the calculation of the project schedule.

DI002774 Adh. to total float

Float of the task to which the resource assignment belongs. The value is copied from the task.

DI002835 Resource

Name of the resource which is/has been assigned to the task (i.e., which is to edit/complete the task)

DI040603 Resource

Name of the resource which is/has been assigned to the task (i.e., which is to edit/complete the task)

DI003018 Overload

At resource assignment level: Total overload of the selected resource in the selected task (sum of the Overload values from the respective load records (can be viewed in the With loads variant in the Schedule module)
At task level: Total overload of all resource assignments for the selected task (sum of the Overload values of all resource assignments of the task)

Notes

  • The overload values are only functionally conclusive if a replanning of all planning objects has been carried out upfront (the calculation of the schedule of the planning object in question alone is not sufficient) since replanning also considers the priority of the planning objects when loading the resources.
    • Example: Project A with priority 2 and project B with priority 1 share resource x at the same time. If project A is calculated individually first and then project B is calculated individually as well, resource x is loaded in project A first. The free remaining capacity, if there is any, is provided by project B, and if it is not sufficient for allocating the planned hours to project B, overloads are created. In replanning, projects are loaded reversely, starting with project B, followed by project A, so that possible overloads are displayed in project A, not in project B.

DI003295 Main project

ID of the main project to which the resource assignment belongs

DI003296 Main project name

Name of the main to which the resource assignment belongs

DI004321 Bar: requested dates

Bar for the visualization of the time interval between the requested dates (Task requested start and Task requested end) of the task

DI004322 Task requested start

Requested start date of the task to which the resource assignment belongs

DI004323 Task requested end

Requested end date of the task to which the resource assignment belongs

DI006446 Duration

Duration of the resource assignment

DI006530 Forecast

Forecast value on the remaining effort of the resource assignment

Details

  • At resource level in the Progress and Schedule modules, the forecast value is displayed in the respective field for each resource. The value is recorded by the respective resource in the Send Forecast module in the course of the recording of hours worked. In order for the recorded forecast to be displayed in the schedule of the respective project, the schedule of the project must be calculated.
  • In the respective field at task level in the Progress module, the forecast value is the summarized value of all resource assignments of the task.
    • In the Progress module, the Forecast field is preset with a traffic light that switches to red or green depending on whether the calculated Remaining effort is overrun or fallen below.
    • Forecast values can be copied in the Remaining effort field. After doing so, the Forecast field should be cleared for future forecasts.

The parameter can be edited in the following modules by users with modification rights:

  • Schedule (Project/Proposal)
    • Here, the DI is hidden by default and can be unhidden by the user if necessary.
  • Outline Plan
    • Here, the DI is hidden by default and can be unhidden by the user if necessary.
  • Progress
  • Send Forecast

DI006889 Remaining effort

Remaining effort of the resource assignment

DI006890 Actual effort

Actual effort of the resource assignment

DI007633 Project code

Code of the project in which the resource is planned. See also Code in DT 461 Project.

DI009063 Resource cost center

Code (ID) of the cost center of the resource assignment

Details

  • In resource assignment, this field is automatically preset with the Default cost center value of the resource from the Resource Data Sheet.
  • In the calculation of the project schedule, the cost center of the resource assignment is applied to the load records. The summarization and display of costs by cost center in the analyses is based on the cost center of the load records.

Note

  • The cost center exists both as a default value (default cost center) and at both levels of a project (cost center of the resource assignment and cost center of the load).
    • If the default cost center of the resource is changed (DT467), the new value is used for all resource assignments (DT466) that are created afterwards. The cost center of existing resource assignments, however, is not changed automatically, but equates to the default cost type applicable at the time of insertion of the resource assignment. It must be changed manually if required.
    • If the cost center of the resource assignment (DT466) is changed, it is applied to all new load records (DT472) of the resource assignment in the calculation of the project schedule. In order for the cost type to be applied to the existing load records as well, the schedule of the project must first be unloaded (Edit → Unload schedule menu item) and subsequently be recalculated (Edit → Unload schedule menu item).
      • Actual load records and manually created load records (i.e. those with MAN load profile) are exempt. They are neither changed during unloading nor in the calculation of the project schedule and must be adjusted manually if necessary.

The parameter can be edited in the following module by users with modification rights:

Caution

  • The Cost center resource field cannot be unhidden in the Schedule module by default. In case manual changes are required here, the field must be made displayable.
See also: Create and edit cost centers

DI023356 Bar: calculated dates (code)

Bar for the visualization of the interval between the calculated dates (Calc. start and Calc. end) of the resource assignment. The color of the bar is determined by the code of the respective project.

DI023422 Bar: calculated dates (code dominance)

Bar for the visualization of the interval between the calculated dates (Calc. start and Calc. end) of the resource assignment. The color of the bar is determined by the code of the respective project.

DI034522 Resource

Name of the resource which is/has been assigned to the task (i.e., which is to edit/complete the task) In input mode, a listbox for selection of a resource will be displayed on the respective field.

Details

  • You can assign resources to the tasks in the following modules:
  • In the assignment, the Resource field is a listbox from which the required resources can be selected.
    • The resources available for selection are split in two areas.
      • In the upper area, the core team (if already defined) is displayed
      • In the lower area, all other resources are displayed which meet the following filter criteria:

Note

  • If resource requests are active, only approved resources or resources which do not require approval will be displayed in the listbox. 

DI041371 Project

Functional ID of the project

DI041558 Date status

Date status (today, future, and late) of the task of the resource assignment in relation to the calculated dates of the resource assignment

DI041607 Task

Functional ID of the task

DI056870 Probably completed on

Estimated completion date for the planned work of the resource assignment. The date is set by the respective resource in the course of time recording in the Send Forecast module and subsequently in the Progress and Schedule modules.

The parameter can be edited in the following modules by users with modification rights:

  • Schedule (Project/Proposal)
    • The respective data field is hidden by default and can be unhidden by the user if necessary.
  • Send Forecast

DI056871 Completed

Marks the work planned for the selected resource assignment as completed. The checkbox is activated by the respective resource in the course of the Time Recording and the value is subsequently copied to the Progress and Schedule modules. If the checkbox is activated, an Actual end date is automatically set for the respective resource assignment.

Note

  • In the Schedule module, the respective field is hidden by default but the user can unhide it if required.

DI057814 Task locked

Parameter which shows whether the task to which the resource is assigned is locked for work reporting. The value is copied to the respective task by the parameter of the same name.

DI009502 Project locked

Parameter which shows whether the project in which the resource is planned is locked for working time recording. The value is adopted by the Locked parameter on the project.

DI057684 Cost center main project

Cost center ID of the main project

DI057685 Main project cost center name

Cost center name of the main project

DI057686 Resource cost center name

Cost center name of the resource

DI034593 Summary task

Parameter that defines a task as a summary task. The value is copied via exit from the data item of the same name in DT463 Task.

Information

  • Tasks can be structured hierarchically.
  • As a result, all parent tasks are summary tasks.
  • Information on parent tasks, such as duration and dates, is automatically determined from the child tasks.
See also: Work Breakdown Structure

DI034537 Actual duration

Actual duration of the work of the resource assignment

DI058999 Parent task name

Name of the parent task