PPM Express Power BI reports include Resource Management report. In this article, we will give you a general overview and some tips on how to get the most out of it.
Resource Management report consists of four tabs:
- Resource Plan
- Trends
- Resource Pool
- What-if Scenario
Each tab includes a number of visuals and tools to review the information for Resources Capacity, Availability, Utilization, Allocation, Overallocation, etc.
The default time frame selected for the report is from the first day of the current month plus 6 months.
To set your own time frame, it is required to click on the '6 Months Frame' button first to switch off the default time frame. Then set the required time frame on the Filters panel => Date filter.
Click the Apply filter button.
Resource Plan tab
Resource Plan table includes detailed information about the planned work.
Resource Plan tab includes two tables: 'Resource plan' and 'Resource Utilization Details'.
Data in the report is grouped by projects and broken down by periods. You can review the following information:
- Committed (h)
- Proposed (h)
- All Work (h) (Committed (h) & Proposed (h))
Resource Plan table includes a Period Type slicer that allows reviewing the details for the resource plan for the selected period of time (day, week, month, quarter, year).
If the resource is overallocated for the selected period (Committed work exceeds available Capacity), it is displayed in red color.
If the resource is not overallocated for the selected period, but there are a few dates in the selected period where the Committed work exceeds available Capacity, the resource will be displayed in yellow color (Local Overallocation).
To review all planned work on the projects for the resource for the selected period, click on the number in question next to the required resource. Resource Utilization Details table will display the resource utilization in details.
Resource Utilization Details table includes a separate Period Type slicer, it allows to select the required period and review the details for a certain day, week, month, etc.
You can export the data to the Excel file:
If you would like to export the data to the excel file not only on the resource level but on the project level as well, use the Drill up button before you select the export option.
Use the Expand button to get back to the previous view.
Trends tab
Trends tab includes six types of visuals in general. The number of visuals displayed and their type depends on the option selected from the panel on the right. You can use the panel on the right to review the information in the visuals according to the selected option.
For example, if the 'Work vs Capacity' option is selected two chart visuals and a table will be displayed on the Trends tab: 'Committed (h) and Capacity (h) by Period', 'Committed (h), All work and Capacity (h) by Period', and 'Resource Utilization'.
Using these visuals you can review the trends of the planned work distribution for the selected time frame.
Resource Utilization table displays the same data in more detail. Use the View by selector on the right panel to define the line hierarchy in the table.
You can filter the information in the table by clicking on the numbers, resources, and project names. The filter will be also applied to the diagram automatically and vise versa.
For example, if you click on the resource name in the table the diagram will also change accordingly to display the dynamics of the changes for the selected resource.
Resource Pool tab
Resource Pool tab is a tool that you can use to select the most appropriate resource on your project.
Resource Pool report includes a table and a chart visual: 'Resource Availability' and 'Committed (h), Capacity (h), What if Committed (h)'.
Using these visuals you can find the appropriate resources to allocate on your projects.
Please note: To get a list of resources in the table and chart visual, it is required to select the project and the time period on the top of the Resource Pool tab.
By default the resources are filtered by Availability in descending order so that the most available resources for the selected period are displayed on the top of the list.
If you click on the header of any column, it will change the sorting order accordingly.
It is also possible to sort the information by several columns at once. For this purpose click on the first column you need to sort the resources by, press the Shift button, and click on the next column you select for sorting (holding the Shift button).
You can also use Resource Type and/or Resource Role filters.
It is possible to calculate and evaluate how the Committed work, Availability and Overallocation will change if you allocate the resource for a certain period. You can set the time and select the calculation formula in the 'What -If-settings' section.
As you set the time and the formula, 'What-if..' columns in the report will be recalculated and will display the information according to the selected values.
“What-If Committed(h)” value will be available for the resource on the diagram if you click on the resource name.
What-if Scenario tab
What-if Scenario tab includes two tables and a chart visual: 'What if proposed work was committed' (Proposed work is grouped by Resource, Project and Period), 'Committed (h), Capacity (h) and what-if Committed (h)', and 'Resource Utilization'.
Using these visuals you can get information on how the resource utilization will change if the Proposed work was Committed. The visuals display information only for those resources who have Proposed work.
In the top-left table you can find the Proposed work grouped by Resource, Project, and Period.
Allocation for the resources with Proposed work on all projects for the selected period is available on the table below.
To review how the Committed work, Availability, and Overallocation will change for the resource, select the required cell in the top-left table. 'What if ..' columns will show the recalculated values, the same information will become available on the right-top diagram.
You can select several cells at once by holding the Ctrl button and clicking on the required cells.
If you click on the intersection of the project name and the period you can review what would happen if all Proposed work for the selected projects was committed.
