IEM - Resource Management
Design Detail: Resource Assignments
Assignments represent a link between a Resource, or Resource Group and a Resource Task. When planning from Jobs the Resource Task is linked to the Job Task. The Update.Resource.Task action handler will create or update an assignment only from a Released resource planning line. When Update.Resource.Task finds an assignment and the resource planning line is in another state than Released, the assignment will be Blocked.
IEM offers a strict or loose resource planning regime:
- Strict when Assignments are mandatory.
The new setting in Resource Task setup "Assignment Mandatory" forces the resource to select an Assignment in the Timecard. In that way the tracking of hours per assignment in the approval/posting process as well as updating the job resource planning lines is correctly organized.
Consequently resources, or resource groups, have to be assigned to resource tasks before they are able to select the assignment in the timecard.
If assigned resources have to do other work than they are assigned to the escape is to select a task which is set as "Assigned to All Resources".
This scenario accommodates those companies that handle assignments in a strict way by providing much more control on where resources are working on and what their progress is. - Loose when Assignments are not mandatory.
In previous versions IEM allowed more flexibility as to which tasks resources are reporting their time on. The "Show All" action in the timecard task selection allows them to select any, Active, task even when assigned to another resource or resource group.
Being able to cross assign resources to other groups is essential for smaller companies. A requirement which is already on the roadmap for a long time says: "As a Resource I want to be able to change my resource group in the Time Sheet to indicate that I worked for another team".
So "Assignment Mandatory" actually means: "Resources can only work on tasks assigned to them or to their group". When this setting is off it means resources can also work on tasks assigned to other resource groups. In that situation the timecard, and timeline, do not show the resource group from the resource but the resource group from the selected assignment.