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Is there a way to set resource availability by task (not project) during a specific time period in MS Project 2013 ?

For example there is a resource allocated to Task 1 that starts in Dec 2015 and ends Jan 2017. The same resource will also work on Task 2 that starts Dec 2016 and ends Jan 2018. During the overlap period of Dec 2016 - Jan 2017 the resource is available to the project a 100%, however the availability for each task is only 50%. During the period where there is no overlap the resource is available a 100% to the respective task

Is there a way to define this type of resource availability to a task using a date range? I am aware of the alternative of manually applying contouring at a Day by Day level during that time frame however that will be very tedious if there are multiple resources with the same scenario.

Thanks!

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  • 14 month tasks are not real "tasks", are they?
    – Amrinder Arora
    Commented Dec 23, 2015 at 14:22

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Conceptually, this is automatic in MSP. You don't need to do anything special - just configure it as you have described, and it should work exactly as you want.

HOWEVER, the real issue is that your tasks are too long running (14 months??). Typically, you want to define your tasks in days (such as 5 days, or a week), and even if you set a task to be 22 days or so (about 1 person month), your project leveling will work fine. MSP will recognize that the person is only going to work on one of those two December tasks at 100%, or both at 50%, and your overall timespan will be correct. This article on TechRepublic is always a good refresher for everyone.

In a nutshell, your option basically is to define the tasks more granularly. You will realize other unrelated advantages from doing that also. You can also use the recurring tasks functionality in MSP, as described here.

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  • Thanks. I have broken down the tasks to smaller durations however the overallocation still shows during the overlap period. When I resource level it moves the dates, instead of adjusting the assignment units to 50%. Is there a different way to go about this? Task 1 is 25 days, Task 2 is 20 days. Overlap is 5 days. Both are Fixed Duration tasks
    – NB2015
    Commented Jan 5, 2016 at 15:43
  • Resource leveling will never adjust assignment units. The only thing it can do is to delay tasks where there is an overlap. If you want to adjust assignment units - go to the resource usage view and adjust the work per week or per day as needed.
    – JulieS
    Commented Jan 25, 2016 at 20:28

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