TMGR: How Team Manager Determines Overloaded Work (160516)

MORE INFORMATION

The default Tasks tab Workload Planner view can be used to graphically see which tasks and assignments have overloaded work and when the overloaded work occurs. Overloaded work is displayed as a red bar by default. This includes overloaded work associated with people as well as overloaded unassigned work.

In some cases, Red Alert icons may help determine why a task has overloaded work. A task has a Red Alert only if it has "Yes" in its read-only Conflict field. The Conflict field is automatically set to Yes when non-blank text is entered in the editable Alert field (to create a custom Red Alert), or when a task has a scheduling conflict. The Red Alert icon appears to the left of the task name as a red diamond with an exclamation mark in the middle. Clicking on a Red Alert caused by a scheduling conflict displays a message describing the problem, with a Resolve button that can be used to get more detailed information about solving the problem. Clicking a custom Red Alert that has no scheduling conflict just displays a message with the non-blank text from the Alert field.

Scheduling conflicts can result from a variety of conflicting logic between the Current Date, Deadlines, Start Constraints (Start On or After, Start Exactly On), Dependencies (predecessors and successors), and Work (the amount of work assigned to a person compared to what the person is capable of doing).

There are seven possible scheduling conflict Red Alerts. If a task has multiple causes for a Red Alert, clicking the Red Alert produces a message that only discusses one of the conflicts. A numbered list of different types of scheduling conflicts is listed below with the corresponding Red Alert messages and additional information. The list is generally in the order of precedence for multiple conflicts, although there are exceptions.

NOTE: Not all Red Alerts are associated with Overloaded Work.

1. Daily Limits Exceeded/Work Past End of Time

There are two possible causes for this message:

1. This message can occur if a Daily Limit, such as "Work exactly" or "Work at least" is set for an assignment, and later the person's Working Times calendar is changed in such a way as to make it impossible for the person to work the specified amount per day on the task. View or change the Daily Limit for an assignment by using the "Daily Limits & Overtime" button on the Scheduling tab of the Task Properties dialog box. Work that cannot be done results in overloaded work. The Red Alert icon is displayed only if the person has nonzero work.
2. The message can also occur if the task finish date is later than 12/25/2050, even if the task has zero work and no person is assigned. If the task has nonzero work, only work that occurs later than 12/31/2050 results in overloaded work. For example, work on 12/30/2050 is not considered overloaded (even though the task has a Red Alert icon), but work that occurs on 1/1/2051 is considered overloaded.

2. "Start Exactly On" Constraint Cannot be Met

This means that the task's work can't be completed by the calculated finish date because (A)the task is scheduled to "Start Exactly On" a non-working day, or (B) another task has similar constraints and work that overlap this task:

1. In the case of a non-working "Start Exactly On" constraint date, work is scheduled on the next working day and is not considered overloaded work. The Red Alert icon is displayed only if a person is assigned with nonzero work.
2. In the case of overlapping assignments with conflicting "Start Exactly On" constraints, the task with the Red Alert has its Start date moved later (but not past its Finish date) in an attempt to avoid overlapping work. The Finish date is not moved. This results in overloaded work. Which of the tasks is moved depends on factors such as Priority and ID. The Red Alert icon is displayed only if both tasks have a common person assigned with nonzero work. If the conflict is due only to overloaded unassigned work, then no Red Alert appears.

3. Deadline in the Past

This means that a task has a deadline that is earlier than the current date. It does not result in overloaded work. The Red Alert icon is displayed only if the task has nonzero work, although no person needs to be assigned (that is, it can just be unassigned work).

4. Missed Dependency

This Red Alert is given to a successor task in a dependency that has been violated due to constraints. For example, in a Finish-to-Start dependency, the successor might have a "Start Exactly On" constraint that forces it to start before the finish of a predecessor that has a "Start On or After" constraint. The successor does not have overloaded work, although the predecessor may. The successor gets the above Red Alert even if it has zero work and no person is assigned.

NOTE: In the above example, any work (including unassigned work) on the predecessor is overloaded, causing the predecessor to have Red Alert #5 below.

5. Finish Date Constrained by Successor Task

This Red Alert is given to a predecessor task if it has a successor with a "Start Exactly On" constraint or a deadline that causes the predecessor to become overloaded (in an attempt to honor the dependency). For example, suppose the predecessor in a Finish-to-Start dependency starts at the beginning of the schedule and has an assignment with four days of work. If the successor is constrained to "Start Exactly On" the second day of the schedule, then the predecessor gets the above Red Alert and has 3 days of overloaded work. The Red Alert icon is displayed only if the predecessor has nonzero work, although no person needs to be assigned (that is, it can just be unassigned work).

6. Missed Deadline Due to Dependency

This Red Alert is given to a successor task if a predecessor forces the successor to start so close to its deadline that its work cannot be completed in time. For example, in a Finish-to-Start dependency, suppose that the predecessor has a "Start Exactly On" constraint and that the successor has no constraints or deadlines, starts the day after the predecessor, and has an assignment with 4 days of work. If the successor is now given a deadline on the day it starts, it will get the above Red Alert and have 3 days of overloaded work. The Red Alert icon is displayed only if the successor has nonzero work, although no person needs to be assigned (that is, it can just be unassigned work).

7. Overloaded Due to Deadline

All of the overloaded people on the task are listed at the end of the message along with how much overloaded work they have.

This Red Alert is typically associated with a single task whose start constraint conflicts with its deadline. For example, if a task starts on a "Start On or After" constraint date and has an assignment with 4 days of work, then giving it a deadline on its first day causes it to have the above Red Alert and 3 days of overloaded work. The Red Alert icon is displayed only if the task has a person assigned with nonzero work.

NOTE: This Red Alert can also be given to a successor in a Start-to-Start dependency with a predecessor that forces the successor too close to its deadline.

Additional Notes about Red Alert Types

• Types 1(A), 2, 5, 6, and 7 are always associated with overloaded work.
• Types 1(A), 2, and 7 require a person with nonzero work.
• Types 3, 5, and 6 require nonzero work, but no person needs to be assigned (that is, it can be nonzero unassigned work).
• Types 1(B) and 4 do not require any work.
• Types 4, 5, and 6 are always associated with dependencies.
• Types 3, 6, and 7 are always associated with deadlines.

Using Overtime Work to Reduce Overloaded Work

The Edit Working Times command in a person's Working Times calendar allows a "Daily overtime limit" to be entered for a person; however, new assignments are not allowed to use overtime work by default. To allow a specific assignment to use overtime work, do the following:

1. Click the task using the right mouse button and click Task Properties on the shortcut menu (or select the task and click Task Properties on the Edit menu).
2. Click the Scheduling tab, and then click the "Daily Limits & Overtime" button. The Overtime Allowed setting determines how overtime work is used.

The choices for Overtime Allowed are "Never," "If needed," and "Always." For the "If needed" option, overtime work is only used if it would reduce or eliminate overloaded work. The "Always" options lets the assignment use overtime work even if there is no prior conflict. Overtime work may allow an assignment to finish more quickly, reducing or eliminating overloaded work.

NOTE: This does not help in cases where the scheduling conflict has forced the task Start and Finish to be equal, leaving no time for any regular or overtime work.