Allocation Analysis
This article explains how ResourceFirst calculates labor supply-demand gap analysis. It also describes the result of three calculation options, Allocated Committed First, Use Availability for Skill Assignments, and Use Availability for Resource Shortfall.
Overview
ResourceFirst provides resource supply-demand and utilization analysis which is displayed in colors and values on project, resource, and assignment pages. The analysis method is defined by system configuration and user specified options.
It is important to understand that no user data is changed by the allocation analysis calculation.
The simple, high-level description of the ResourceFirst supply-demand analysis method is:
Step 1: Apply resource capacity in the defined assignment order to named resource assignment demand by time period and remember how much capacity (if any) is left (remaining capacity).
Step 2: If assignment page menu checkbox Use Availability for Skill Assignments is checked, apply remaining capacity in the defined assignment order to skill assignment demand by time period.
Step 3: If assignment page menu checkbox Use Availability for Resource Shortfall is checked, apply remaining capacity in the defined assignment order to resource shortfall by time period.
Terminology:
Assignments
Availability applied is called allocation;
Demand minus allocation > 0 is called shortfall;
Allocation divided by demand is allocation %.
Resources
The sum of all resource assignments for a given resource is resource demand;
The supply for work in a period (1 equals full-time) is resource capacity;
The sum of all allocation of a resource is utilization;
Utilization divided by capacity is utilization %.
Allocation Calculation Step 1, Allocation to Resource Assignment
Resource assignments are analyzed in the order specified by system configuration and user option selections. The demand in a period is subtracted from the resource capacity in that period.
If the result is greater than or equal to zero, the allocation to the demand is set equal to the demand. The allocation percent for that period is 100%.
If the result is less than zero, the allocation to the demand is set equal to the capacity. Since allocation is less than demand by definition, allocation percent of demand is less than 100%.
In either case the demand for the resource is summed for each period as the utilization of the resource.
This step determines how much of the demand on each resource assignment can be satisfied by the resource’s capacity in every time period.
As a result of this first step we have the remaining capacity, if any, for all resources. By definition, no skill assignment demand is satisfied (all demand periods are red).
Allocation Calculation Step 2, Allocation to Skill Assignments
If the Use Availability for Skill Assignments checkbox is checked by the user:
Skill assignments are analyzed in the order specified by system configuration and user option selections.
Demand remaining on a Skill assignment may be partially or completely satisfied by a resource that
has remaining capacity where there is remaining demand,
possesses the skill (either Primary or secondary skill) required on the assignment,
is a member of the OBS branch* specified on the assignment,
and, if the assignment specifies Country and/or Location, the resource has matching values.
* If the assignment resource OBS node has child nodes, all resources in the assignment node and all its child nodes are candidates to satisfy the demand.
Allocation Calculation Step 3, Allocation to Resource Shortfall
If the Use Availability for Resource Shortfall checkbox is checked by the user:
Resource assignments with shortfall are analyzed in the order specified by system configuration and user option selections.
Shortfall remaining on a Resource assignment may be partially or completely satisfied by a resource that
has remaining capacity where there is shortfall,
possesses the skill (either Primary or secondary skill) required on the assignment,
is a member of the OBS branch* specified on the assignment,
and, if the assignment specifies Country and/or Location, the resource has matching values.
* If the assignment resource OBS node has child nodes, all resources in the assignment node and all its child nodes are candidates to satisfy the demand.
The result of the calculations is that we have shortfall, allocation and allocation percent of demand for all assignments, and utilization and utilization percent of capacity for all resources. By summing allocation and demand over all assignments on a project, we also have all those values for every project in the portfolio.
User Actions That Affect Allocation Calculation and Color Highlighting
There are two option icons that enable the user to control allocation analysis.
User Options
Allocation
Show Allocation Colors – Checked
Show Allocation Colors – Not Checked
Allocate to initiated projects – Include assignments on initiation queue projects in allocation analysis if checked.
Allocate to requests – Include pending (not yet approved) assignment requests in allocation analysis if checked.
Assignment states included in calculation
Every configured Effort State has a checkbox. If a box is unchecked, assignments with that effort state are NOT included in the allocation analysis.
Assignment Options
Optimization>Allocate Committed First – If checked when Use Availability for Skill Assignments is also checked, sort assignments with effort states flagged in configuration as “allocate first” to the top of assignment list for allocation.
Optimization>Use Availability for Skill Assignments – If checked, perform Step 2 of the allocation analysis method (apply remaining capacity of resources to skill assignment demand).
Optimization>Use Availability for Resource Shortfall – If checked, perform Step 3 of the allocation analysis method (apply remaining capacity of resources to resource assignment shortfall).
Optimization: Allocate Remaining Capacity to Skill Assignments
The following discussion and illustrations assume this resource skill profile:
We have two resources with Business Analyst skill and two people with Clinical Scientist skill but only two people in our resource pool.
With Show Allocation Colors checked,
Use Availability for Skill Assignments – Unchecked
Resource assignment demand of .5 is fully satisfied leaving remaining capacity of .5 on each resource. All skill assignments are red regardless of remaining capacity.
Use Availability for Skill Assignments – Checked; Allocate Committed First – Not Checked
Notice that St Lucia priority is 40, Dominican Republic is 50. Since both resources have the business analyst skill and both have .5 remaining capacity, we can fully allocate the 1 FTE demand on St Lucia.
Use Availability for Skill Assignments – Checked; Allocate Committed First – Checked
(and the Effort State list value Committed administratively flagged as “Allocate First”)
The Dominican Republic assignment is processed before the St Lucia assignment.
