How to Add Workstations as Resources in Microsoft Project
Question details
The user needs to add a pool of interchangeable computers as resources in Microsoft Project without incurring hourly usage charges.
- Product
- Microsoft Project
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A project manager wants to track hardware availability (like computers) across various tasks while recording the purchase as a one-time fixed cost rather than an hourly rate.
- Observed behavior
- The user seeks to configure a specific number of available workstations as a work resource, accurately represent their total availability, and track their fixed purchase cost using project milestones.
Ensure you have the total purchase cost of your workstations calculated and know exactly how many units will be shared across your project tasks.
Configure Workstations as a Work Resource
Set up computers as a unified work resource in the Resource Sheet to track availability and manage fixed costs efficiently.
In Microsoft Project, you can model equipment like computers as a 'Work' resource rather than a 'Material' resource to track overallocations. By manipulating the maximum units and zeroing out the hourly rates, you can manage the hardware pool accurately.
Navigate to the 'View' tab in Microsoft Project and select 'Resource Sheet' to begin adding your hardware resources.
Type 'Computer' or 'Workstation' into a new row under the 'Resource Name' column and ensure the 'Type' is set to 'Work'.
Adjust the 'Max. Units' field to reflect your total inventory. For example, enter 300% to represent three computers available at the same time.
Set both the 'Standard Rate' and 'Overtime Rate' to $0. This prevents Microsoft Project from calculating hourly usage charges when the computers are assigned to tasks.
Create a zero-duration milestone task to represent the purchase of the computers. Switch to the Cost table view and enter the purchase price (e.g., $2,000) as a fixed cost for this milestone.
Assign the 'Computer' resource to the relevant tasks. Open the Task Information dialog, select 'Fixed Units' for the task type, and disable 'effort-driven scheduling' so adding the computers does not automatically reduce the task's duration.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I set the maximum units to 300% for three computers?
In Microsoft Project, a single full-time resource is represented as 100% capacity. Setting the maximum units to 300% tells the system that you have exactly three independent units of that resource available to be used simultaneously across different tasks.
How do I prevent Microsoft Project from charging an hourly rate for workstations?
You can prevent hourly billing by navigating to the Resource Sheet and manually changing both the Standard Rate and Overtime Rate to $0 for your computer resources.
Why should I disable effort-driven scheduling when assigning hardware?
Effort-driven scheduling automatically adjusts the duration of a task when resources are added or removed. Disabling this setting ensures that assigning a computer to a task does not unintentionally shorten the time allocated to complete the task.
