Microsoft Project 2013: The Missing Manual

Assigning Work Resources to Tasks

Project lets you assign work resources in most of the usual places that you set up other task information. Once you’ve created resources as described in the previous chapter, all you have to do is match them up with the tasks they’ll work on. The best way to do that depends on how much assignment detail you want to specify. Here are the methods and when to choose each one:

• Using the Assign Resources dialog box. This dialog box is the Swiss Army knife of resource-assignment tools, teeming with indispensable features. Assigning a resource to a task is as simple as clicking a resource’s name, but you can also use it to search for specific types of resources, or for resources that have enough available time. This dialog box lets you assign several resources to a task, or assign a resource to several tasks at once. Moreover, you can use it to add, remove, or replace resources you’ve already assigned.

• Using Team Planner view. Team Planner view, available in Project Professional, is a slick way to assign resources, whether you want to assign them to as-yet-unassigned tasks or you want to reassign them to get rid of overallocations. This view shows each resource in the project and the tasks they’re working on in a timescale. Unassigned tasks appear at the bottom of the view. All you have to do to assign a resource is drag an unassigned task to the resource’s row. To reassign a resource, simply drag a task from one resource to another. Eliminating Overallocations ...