Microsoft Project 2013: The Missing Manual

Adding Resources to Your Project File

Before you can play matchmaker between project tasks and resources, you have to tell Project about the resources you’re using. You can get started by filling in a few basic fields, such as the resource names and types. (The box on When to Tell Microsoft Project About the Team explains what you can do if you don’t know resource names.) As you identify detailed information, such as work schedules, availability, and costs, you can add that information to Project, as described in other sections in this chapter. In turn, Project uses that information to more accurately calculate your project schedule and price tag.

Project offers two methods for entering resource data directly. The Resource Sheet is ideal for specifying values for every resource—you can either copy and paste values, or simply drag values (even into several cells at once). Or, if you have resource information stored in a company directory or other database, importing information into Project makes short work of data entry. This section explains each approach.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE: When to Tell Microsoft Project About the Team

Some project managers identify required skills and resources as they define project work packages. Others focus on completing the work breakdown structure, and then go back to identify the required resources. Either way, project managers typically start out by identifying work resources as skillsets (crane operator, financial analyst with nonprofit expertise, or JavaScript ...