View Resource Allocation in Project – Instructions

View Resource Allocation in Project: Video Lesson

            This video lesson, “Monitoring Resource Allocations,” shows you how to view resource allocation in Project. This video lesson is from our complete Project tutorial, titled “Mastering Project Made Easy v.2016-2013.”

View Resource Allocation in Project: Overview

            You can view resource allocation in Project as you complete the work on your project file. This lets you monitor your resource allocation. You may be under-using resources that you could otherwise utilize, which is called underallocating resources. Perhaps more importantly, you may also accidentally be overallocating resources. Resource overallocation occurs when you schedule more work to a resource than is possible in a given time period. This lesson shows you how to view resource allocation in Project within a project file.

            One useful view that lets you view resource allocation in Project is the “Resource Usage” view of your project file. To see this view, click the “Task” tab in the Ribbon. Then click the “Gantt Chart” drop-down button in the “View” button group and select the “Resource Usage” command. This view show resources, work contours, and resource allocation issues. Within this view, overallocated work resources appear colored red.

View Resource Allocation in Project – Instructions: A picture of the “Resource Usage” view in Project.

            One way to change resource overallocation is to manually change the hours assigned to the selected resource. You can also add more work resources to the tasks assigned to the overallocated resource. Doing this reduces the hours for the selected resource. Another way to resolve overallocation is by using automatic leveling available in Microsoft Project.

View Resource Allocation in Project: Instructions

1. To view resource allocation in Project using the “Resource Usage” view, click the “Task” tab in the Ribbon.
2. Then click the “Gantt Chart” drop-down button in the “View” group and then select the “Resource Usage” command.
3. This view shows resources, work contours, and resource allocation issues.
4. Overallocated work resources appear colored red within this view.
5. One way to resolve resource overallocation is to manually change the hours assigned to the overallocated resource.
6. Another way to resolve resource overallocation is to add more work resources to the tasks assigned to the overallocated resource. Doing this then reduces the hours assigned to the overallocated resource.
7. Alternatively, you can resolve resource overallocation by using automatic leveling.