Resource Management across projects

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I’m considering starting to use MSP 2010 more for my business. One thing we currently have to do manually is track all of our consultants across different projects. We don’t have project server (and can’t afford the $40/person/month for the ones we’ve found!). We have lots of individual project plans, kept by different people in different locations, with some of the same resources. Can we use resources across individual project plans? We could keep the centralized resource list on box.net? Ultimately we want to.

[*]Have a master calendar for all projects
[*]See what projects a person is attached to in what roles and the overall schedule for that resource
[*]Evaluate utilization of each person against targets (30 billable hours per week, 5 internal project hours per week, etc)
[*]know who is a consultant’s backup and what is their capacity to step in and help

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Two more questions.
1. If a customer has a project plan that uses some of our resources can they use our resource pool for our people and their own (of just resources added directly into their project file) for the people we don’t track. The goal is that changes they make to one of our resource tasks will be reflected in our reporting and reduce or increase that resource availability to our other projects.
2. How does MSP use the resource pool physical file. We would store it on box.net so everyone can access, but don’t know if project updates that file with anything other than new/change resources. Does it track assignment there? How and what does it update?

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Haven’t worked with 2010, but since MSP has offered resource pools for many versions. Of course, since you are not planning on using project server, the utility will be somewhat less.
I don’t think this is possible “know who is a consultant’s backup and what is their capacity to step in and help“, certainly I haven’t seen a feature like this written up.
Additionally:
“1. If a customer has a project plan that uses some of our resources can they use our resource pool for our people and their own (of just resources added directly into their project file) for the people we don’t track. The goal is that changes they make to one of our resource tasks will be reflected in our reporting and reduce or increase that resource availability to our other projects.”
Without using project server, this type of sharing is problematic. How exactly are you planning on sharing the file? When the customer receives the file they will see everything in it. Including any financial info. Plus, you are vulnerable to inept users.
If this type of sharing is important to you, I’d reconsider project server.

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