Microsoft Project 2013: The Missing Manual

Assigning Cost Resources to Tasks

Cost resources differ from work and material resources in that you don’t specify how much they cost until you assign them to tasks. Although you can use any of the methods described in Assigning Work Resources to Tasks (Assigning Work Resources to Tasks) to assign a cost resource, you have one additional step to perform. To assign a cost resource to a task using the Assign Resources dialog box, do the following:

1. In the Resource tab’s Assignments section, click Assign Resources.

   The Assign Resources dialog box opens.

2. In Gantt Chart view or any other task-oriented view, select the task to which you want to assign a cost resource.

3. In the dialog box’s Resource Name column, click the name of the cost resource.

   Project displays a green border around the resource you click.

4. In the Cost cell, type the cost for this use of the cost resource. Press Enter or click another cell to complete the assignment.

   Unlike work and material resources, you specify the cost each time you assign a cost resource to a task, so its cost can differ for each assignment, as shown in Figure 9-13.

Figure 9-13. When you assign a cost resource (such as Permits) to a task, you specify the cost for that assignment. For that reason, the cost can differ for each assignment, such as $50 for a county permit and $25 for a law-enforcement permit. Project shows you the total you’ve spent on each type ...