Re: [Planner] Resource dependencies

[Waldemar Augustyn <waldemar nxp com>]

Resource allocation is a very complex problem. Invariably, the solution 
requires the Manager's judgment.  With modest means, it may be very 
difficult, if not impossible, to design a tool that uses rules and 
parameters to resolve conflicts automatically.  Therefore, we may be 
better off considering a "toolset" approach, something analogous to 
various tools most drawing programs use.  For example the "alignment 
tool" is a good reference.  A drawing program does not align objects on 
its own.  Instead, the user can select a few objects and hit the "align" 
button to get the desirable effect.

Similarly, the Planner would not be resolving resource allocation 
problems by itself.  Instead, it would offer a tool for the user to do 
it on demand.  For example, the user could select a set of tasks, then 
hit a button to spread out the load in some pre-determined manner.  It 
could be as simple as going in the order of tasks (It would actually 
make sense, since tasks tend to be entered in the expected order of 
execution).  There could be different buttons indicating different types 
of action.  The result would be a creation of dependencies as if entered 
by hand, i.e. the Planner would not be re-calculating the resource 
allocation rules.



Xavier Ordoquy wrote:

> Hi all.
>
> I'm working a bit on the time table view.
> It is someone else contribution. At the moment it shows you the resource usage level (none, between 1 to 100% and over 100%).
> You can also move tasks that overloads a given resource.
>
> First, I'm going to remove this view "resource usage" because timetable isn't very explicit.
> This put appart there are a lot of thing one can do with this view that would deeply affect planner and therefore needs to be discused before.
>
> The idea of implementing resource dependancies sounds cool to me but implies more than it first seems.
> Let me take an example.
> I have a project with resources R1 and R2. As they just finished a project rushing, I'm not willing to imply them more than 100%. I also have two tasks T1 and T2.
> T1 last 35 worked days and T2 only 5. R1 and R2 can work on T1 but only R1 can do T2.
> I enter the project in planner and what should the result be ? There are a lot of ways to solve the project.
>
> R1 works on T2 at 100% to finish it in the 5 days and then helps R2 on T1 (total: 20 days)
> R1 works on the two tasks half time and after 10 days comes full on T1 (same total).
>
> Therefore one could give an attribute to tell how needed is the tasks (ranging from "neede for last month" to "whenever").
> However the example also implies that a resource commitement depends on the time line and it also implies a lot of changes in planner internal.
>
> I'm looking forward to your comments and ideas about that ;)
>
> Regards,
> Xavier.
>
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