Microsoft Project 2013: The Missing Manual

Removing Resources from Your Project

If you’ve created duplicate resources or lost someone to another project, you might want to delete those resources in Project. However, deleting a resource in Project means any assignments you’ve made are gone as well. That’s right—when you delete a resource, you run the risk of orphaning tasks without anyone to perform them. One way to prevent this issue is to replace the resource (Replacing Resources) on task assignments before you delete it.

To simplify resource replacements, first filter the task list to show only the tasks to which the resource is assigned; then you can edit each task to replace that resource. To see the tasks to which a resource is assigned, do the following:

1. Select a task-oriented view like Gantt Chart and hide the summary tasks (in the Format tab’s Show/Hide section, turn off the Summary Tasks checkbox).

   The task list shows only work tasks and milestones.

2. In the View tab’s Data section, click the Filter drop-down list, and then choose Using Resource.

   The Using Resource dialog box opens with a “Show tasks using” drop-down list.

3. In the “Show tasks using” drop-down list, choose the resource you want to delete, and then click OK.

   Project displays any tasks that have that resource assigned.

4. To replace the resource with someone else, in the Resource tab’s Assignments section, choose Assign Resources. In the table, select the task you want to reassign, and then, in the Assign Resources dialog box, select the resource you want to replace ...