ms project resource assignment owner

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August 23, 2019

The difference between status manager and assignment owner in project online.

Two important roles when it comes to scheduling with Project Online are Status Manager and Default Assignment Owner . In this blog, we'll walk through the difference between the two.

Status Manager

Status Manager refers to the user who will receive task updates as Team Members update their tasks.

By default, the Status Manager is the Owner of the project when it was created. If the Owner of the project changes at any point during the project, the Status Manager field for existing tasks will also need to change. The new Owner or Project Manager will need to manually update this field. Status Manager is available as an editable field when you have the project opened in Microsoft Project Professional.

I found that in most cases, the Status Manager can only  be updated by the user (with proper permissions) who has the schedule open.

When tasks are updated, the task status is sent to the appropriate Project Owner for each project. The task updates can be reviewed by the Project Manager in the Approvals Center in Project Online and Accept or Reject the time.

Default Assignment Owner

Default Assignment Owner is the user whose Tasks page or Timesheet the tasks will display. By default, the Default Assignment Owner is the resource themselves. The Assignment Owner field is available as a Read Only field in Microsoft Project Professional.

Here is a scenario when the Default Assignment Owner will be someone other than themselves:

• Resource A will have tasks assigned to them. However, they will not have access to log into the system to report actual time. In this case, their Default Assignment Owner can be updated to another user, possibly a manager or team lead.
• When tasks are assigned to Resource A, the tasks will display on the Tasks page or Timesheet of the Default Assignment Owner. The Default Assignment Owner's tasks will be displayed on their own as well. They can then update task status for both their tasks and Resource A’s tasks.
• For this approach, I recommend updating the view for Tasks or Timesheets to include the Resource Name field. This will allow the Default Assignment Owner to see which tasks belong to which resource.

The Default Assignment Owner field is set and can be updated at the Enterprise Resource level.

When scheduling, pay attention to these roles! They play an important role in the Project Update cycle.

Related Links

• Can not sync Active Directory Group for Project Server 2007 Project Web Access Site
• The Status Manager Field is Now Available in Microsoft Project Online!
• Microsoft Project Training Webinar Series - Module 05: Assignment Planning with Microsoft Project
• Load Summary Resource Assignments
• The Status Date Functionality in MS Project

Using the assignment owner and status manager in MS Project Online

Setting the default assignment owner for a resource in ms project online.

Steps to set the default assignment owner for a resource in MS Project Online:

• Open MS Project Online.
• Click the " Resources " item in the left menu.
• Click the " RESURCES " item in the top menu.
• Select the resource, click the box near the resource name.
• Click the " Edit " button in the " Resources " block.
• Click the " Browse ... " button in the " Default Assignment Owner: " field,
• Click the user name in the " Pick Resource " window. You can find the first three characters of the username by clicking the " Search " button.
• Click the " OK " button in the " Pick Resource " window.
• To save click the " Save " button.

Steps to set the default assignment owner for resources in MS Project Online:

• Select resources, Click the boxs near the resource name.
• Click the " RESOURCES " item in the top menu.
• Click the " Bulk Edit " button in the " Resources " block.
• Click the " Browse ... " button in the " Default Assignment Owner: " field,
• Click the user name in the " Pick Resource " window. You can find the first three characters of the username by clicking the " Search " button.
• Click the " OK " button in the " Pick Resource " window.

Using the assignment owner and status manager in MS Project Pro

You can set up a resource assignment owner on each project task. The assignment owner can report on task completion and resource usage. The state manager can receive the results of the execution of project tasks. By default, the state manager is the project manager.

Steps to set the assignment owner and status manager for resources in MS Project Pro:

• Open MS Project Pro.
• Open the " Task Usage " view.
• Add the " Assigment Owner " column and the " Status Manager " column and.
• Choose the username in these columns.
• Publish your project.

Step to set the assignment owner for the resource in MS Project Pro:

• Open the " Gantt Chart " view.
• Click the task twice the mouse.
• Choose the tub " Resources " in the window " Task Information "
• Choose the assignment owner in the field " Assignment Owner ".
• Set the units for each resources in the field " Units ".
• Click the button " Ok "

2023-05-14 16:47:34

Ivan Oberemok

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Author: Ivan Oberemok

Ph.D., trainer-consultant for project management

• Candidate of technical sciences in the field of "Project management and production development", associate professor of KNUSA
• Certified Project Manager Level B International project management association
• Certified Project Manager Level C Japanese project management association

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assigning multiple resources to a single task in MS project - is that right?

I have seen some project plans where a task that spans 80 hours has two resources assigned to it, one at 100% and the other at 50%. Is this correct? Shouldn't the task be broken down to two parts and be assigned to each resource appropriately, for better tracking?

What will be an example legitimate scenario for doing the same? or is the PM just lazy to expand this.

• resource-planning

3 Answers 3

There can be cases where multiple resources are assigned to a task. This can be understood if you keep in mind that resources can be people as well as equipment (and material too, for the sake of completeness).

As an example, a task in a construction or manufacturing project requires a specialized joint which can be done using a specific machine. Other work resource, assigned to this task, can prepare the material in lets say 4 hours and then require another 4 hours to join it using the machine. So one resource is used 100% and the other is used 50%.

Similar concept can be used in Software Development projects. Consider a web application which is used connect with remotely deployed specialized equipment (let say on-field spectral analysis devices) and change its various configuration settings. Now consider that during active development there are two testing/qa task, one to verify backup frequency of the device (set from web control panel), and second task to verify the data upload frequency of the device. Two QA team members will be assigned (one for each task). However due to limited availability of on-field device, it will be shared. Each QA member can start his/her task with testing the web interface first and then complete the end-to-end testing on the device. So for each task in the project plan, we'll have 1 person assigned 100% and the equipment assigned for 50%.

Another possible example, where there is no involvement of equipment could be, a safety/quality inspector who spends 2 hours daily on each of the 4 different project sites. At each of the 4 sites, one person is assigned 100% to his/her task and the inspector assigned 25% to those.

In the real world, any amount of resources can be assigned to a task. How many people, working together, does it take to get a piano up some stairs? Suppose it was up 20 flights of stairs and one person was available all day and the other only in mornings. Then in each day you could only assign one and half people to getting that pesky piano up the stairs.

Since this ability to add multiple resources, in varying amounts, to a task to get it done is present in the real world, MS-Project allows you to do it in the computer-based planning world too!

Loading differing utilization planning value levels expected of each resource serves two purposes: 1) to inform the impact on duration (less expected utilization should pressure duration to expand) and 2) to calculate costs.

But you need to remember that everything is probabilistic including a ton of random variables that influence both favorably and unfavorably where actuals come in.

So trying to plan precisely and / or track precisely any given resource that is one of many in a complex package will cost you a lot but bring in very little value.

So creating multiple packages for in order to load one resource will provide no benefit for tracking purposes. At the end of the day, you are managing variances, not trying to actually achieve a planning value for a specific resource.

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Default Assignment Owner (resource field)

Data Type     Enumerated

Entry Type     Calculated

Description     The Default Assignment Owner field contains the name of the enterprise user who is responsible for entering status on a given assignment. This field is set in Microsoft Office Project Web Access.

How Calculated     The default assignment owner is identified in the Resource Center of Office Project Web Access.

Best Uses     Add the Default Assignment Owner field to a resource sheet to view the name of the individual with the responsibility for entering actual work or reporting on status for an assignment. The default assignment owner is responsible for reporting on any assignments that do not have another assignment owner designated. The default assignment owner can also be responsible for assignments with material resources, and generic resources. 

Example     You have several generic resources and material resources assigned to tasks in your project. Because you want to make sure that these assignments always have their status accurately reported, you add the Default Assignment Owner field to the Resource Sheet to make sure that all assignments have an owner.

Remarks     You can see the default assignment owner using the Resource Information dialog box. Double-click any resource. On the General tab in the Resource Information dialog box, review the name in the Default Assignment Owner box.

The Default Assignment Owner field is not available for local (non-enterprise) resources.

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Create resource assignments

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Applies To: Project Operations for resource/non-stocked based scenarios, Lite deployment - deal to proforma invoicing.

A resource assignment is the direct association of a project team member to a leaf node task. This article provides information about the different ways to assign resources.

Create a generic team member through task assignment

When you create a generic team member through task assignment, you create a placeholder or generic resource. This generic resource describes the characteristics of the named resource that you ultimately want to work on the tasks. You then generate a requirement, or you submit a request by using the requirement that is used to search for and book the named resource.

• On the Schedule grid for a task, select the Resource icon in the Resource cell.
• Type a name to serve as the placeholder resource's name. For example, Program Manager.
• Select Create , and in the Quick Create Project Team Member field, set the role for the generic resource.
• Assign tasks as needed to this placeholder resource by selecting the resource on the Resource Selector for the task. The resources listed under Team Members .
• When you're finished assigning the generic resource, on the Team tab, select the generic resource, and then select Generate Requirement to create a resource requirement for the generic resource.
• Select Book for the generic resource and then use the Schedule board to find and book a real resource. You can also submit the requirement for fulfillment by a Resource Manager.
• When the generic resource is fully fulfilled with a named resource, the generic resource is removed from the team. (Partial resource requirement fulfillment doesn't result in a resource assignment.) The task assignments for the generic resource are assigned to the named resource that fulfilled the generic resource's resource requirement.

Assign a named resource from the list of all bookable resources

You can use the search box in the Resource Picker to search all active bookable resources and assign them to any leaf node task. Resources assigned this way are added to the team without any bookings. This is similar to adding a team member and selecting None as the allocation method. The resource is displayed on the Team , Resource Assignment , and Reconciliation tabs as resources with only assignments and a booking deficit. Book them if you want to use their availability.

• From the task grid, board, or timeline, navigate to the Assigned To cell.
• In the search box, start typing a name. The search results for the name are displayed in the Resource Selector under Other Resources .
• Select the resource that you want to assign to the task or select the name of the resource under Other Team Resources .

Editing resource assignment contours

By default, when resources are assigned to a task in the schedule, their effort is linearly distributed to each resource, based upon that resource's working hours and the project's schedule mode. A project manager can use the resource assignment grid to refine the effort estimates of each resource assigned to one or many tasks across the different time scales. This feature helps project managers produce more accurate cost and sales estimates driven by the resource assignment contours that are generated when a resource is assigned to a task. Additionally, project managers can more easily reflect the resource demand required to build the demand in a resource requirement.

To access the contour editing grid, the project manager first selects the Tasks tab on the project main page and then selects the Assignments tab.

The grid supports two methods for grouping: group by resource and group by task . Unlike in the grid view, columns aren't configurable. The only visible columns are Assigned To , Task Name , Assignment Start , Assignment Finish , and Assignment Effort .

The contour editing grid has been enhanced to include the ability to group contours by week, month, and year. It was also added previous and next controls to support quickly changing periods in the current view. Lastly, a grand total row was added.

When the grid is initially rendered, it starts at the earliest assignment contour. If your schedule doesn't contain any assignments that have effort, the grid is blank and won't render anything. The minimum value of a resource contour is zero, and the maximum value permitted is 9,999,999.

If you want to view your contours and different time scales, the read-only resource assignment grid and resource reconciliation grid are also available.

Resource calendars

The ability to edit a contour for a specific day is governed by the resource's working days, as reflected in their calendar. If a cell is disabled for a given resource, that resource doesn't have working days during that period.

A resource's contours can extend beyond the assigned task's current start and end dates. If a contour is updated so that it's after the latest end date of a task or the earliest start date of a task, the task's end date or start date is changed as appropriate. However, if a contour is updated so that it's earlier than the start date of a task linked to a predecessor, the update fails because the assignment triggers the task to start before its predecessor is completed, and that behavior isn't currently supported.

Coauthoring

Changes to the resource assignment grid are automatically reflected in any associated views, including the chart, timeline, board, and grid views. If multiple users are reviewing the project at the same time, any changes that one user makes are reflected in the grid. Conversely, any changes that are made in the resource assignment grid are shown to all other users who are viewing the project in the same session.

Unassigned assignment

In Project Operations, an unassigned assignment is an assignment that is assigned to a NULL team member and a NULL resource. Unassigned assignments can occur in a couple of scenarios:

• If a task is created but not assigned to any team member, an unassigned assignment is always created.
• If all assignees on a task are removed, an unassigned assignment is re-created for that task.

The contour expresses hours of unassigned effort based on the project's calendar.

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Additional resources

Remove or replace a resource assignment

Depending upon the needs of your project, you can either remove or replace a resource that is assigned to a task in your project. For example, changing a resource assignment may help you to account for overallocation or underallocation, control costs, increase efficiency, or increase quality.

What do you want to do?

Remove a resource assignment, remove an enterprise resource, replace a resource assignment.

Removing a resource assignment is not the same as removing a resource from a project plan. Removing a resource assignment will remove the resource's obligations to work on a particular tasks or set of tasks, but the resource can still exist in the project.

Tip:  To remove a resource from a project, on the View tab, choose Resource Sheet . Select the resource, and then press the DELETE key.

To remove a resource's obligations to work on a task, do the following:

On the View tab, in the Task Views group, choose Gantt Chart .

In the Task Name column, select and right-click the task from which you want to remove a resource.

In the Assign Resources dialog, in the Resource Name column, select the resource you want to remove.

Choose Remove .

As you remove assigned resources from tasks, the durations for those tasks might change. The remaining work is redistributed to the remaining assigned resources. If you don't want the durations to change, turn off effort-driven scheduling for the task.

If you remove the only resource from a Fixed Units or Fixed Duration task, the work value disappears. To keep the work value, consider replacing the resource with a placeholder resource. This is particularly important if you use work values to help build your schedule.

When you remove a resource from a task, actual work values associated with the task will also be deleted.

When you remove a resource from a task, any actual costs associated with the resource are deleted. To keep the actual costs for the task, set the remaining work for the resource to zero before removing the resource.

In Project, you cannot delete enterprise resources. Instead, you deactivate resources that you no longer need. This ensures that any information and project history associated with that resource is retained.

Deactivating a resource is done by using Microsoft Project Web App. Only a server administrator can deactivate a resource.

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In the Task Name column, select and right-click the task with the resource that you want to replace.

In the Assign Resources dialog, in the Resource Name column, select the resource that you want to replace.

Choose Replace .

In the Replace Resource dialog box, select the resource that you want to replace, and then choose OK .

To replace the selected resource with multiple resources, hold down CTRL, and then select the resource that you want to add.

Note:  Project will not remove the resource if actual work has been completed on the assignment. The replacement resource is assigned the remaining work from the original assignment. You can adjust these work values, if necessary.

In the Assign Resources dialog, in the R/D column, use the drop-down arrow to select Request or Demand .

To specify the amount of work the new resource will perform on a task, in the Units list for the resource, enter one of the following:

Assign a single work resource full time to the task by typing 100% .

Assign a group of resources full time to the task by entering a percentage greater than 100 percent. For example, type 300% for a group of three operators working full time on the task.

Assign the consumption rate for a material resource by typing a number that indicates the amount of material to be used for this assignment.

If the amount of material used depends on the task duration, enter the rate of use by adding a slash (/) and a duration. For example, if 20 yards of lumber is used per week, type 20/week or 20/w .

Note:  Cost information for the duration of the resource's time on the task is automatically calculated and shown in the Cost column. Double-click a Cost column field to enter different cost rate information for the resource.

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