Successful Project Management: Modifying the Project Schedule

Substituting Resources

Whether you have to replace a resource who can’t work on your project anymore or you’re looking to assign less expensive resources to cut costs, you can replace resources in assignments.

If you know the resource that you want to replace, you can simply choose a new resource in the Task Form. In the Resource Name section, select the name of the resource you want to replace and then, in the Resource Name list, select the new resource you want to assign. Project changes the resource assigned, but keeps the units, work, and duration the same. If you selected a person with more or less experience or who works faster or slower, you should consider changing the values in the Work and Duration fields to reflect the new person’s productivity. In the background, Project recalculates the cost with the new resource’s Std. Rate in the Resource Sheet.

To substitute a resource with someone similar, the Assign Resources dialog box provides several features for finding suitable replacements. Here are the steps for replacing a resource using the Assign Resources dialog box:

1. In the Gantt Chart view, select the task in which you want to replace a resource.

   

2. On the Resource tab, in the Assignments group, click Assign Resources.

3. To replace a resource, in the Assign Resources dialog box, select the resource and then click Replace.

4. In the Replace Resource dialog box, shown in Figure 13-7, in the Units field for the resource you want to use as a replacement, type the percentage you want and click OK.

   Project adds a check mark to the left of the resource name and moves the assigned resource above all the unassigned resources in the list.

   

   Figure 13-7 You can select a replacement and assign the units in the Replace Resource dialog box.