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Just an informal FAQ regarding Resource Allocation from a user's point of view:
What is a Resource?
A User (not a Contact) that you're tracking time for.
How are Resources manifested/displayed in Copper?
1. Calendar: Resource Calendar: All hours assigned to specific Resources show up visually in Resource Calendar as colored blocks of time corresponding to the assigned Project colors.
2. Calendar: All hours assigned to specific Resources show up in the specific Resource's Calendar, as scheduled tasks displaying number of hours for that task on that day.
3. Springboard: Only Tasks assigned to Resources show up in the Springboard.
4. Task view screen: Resource 'widget': Same as Resource Calendar, except limited to specific Task and assigned Resources to that Task. The topmost bar displays a dark gray bar for 'Estimated' hours, and a white bar just below it displays both 'Actual' and allocated hours to compare.
How are hours allocated/scheduled to Resources?
It's entered only in the Task view screen.
1. Estimated total hours for the task (regardless of Resource) is entered under 'Estimated' (why this changes to 'Effort' in edit mode, I don't know), which is then displayed visually in the Resource widget, as mentioned above.
2. Hours are allocated to specific Resources via 'drag and drop' within the Resource widget. The time being allocated is displayed in real time as you drag, as well as displayed via the aforementioned white bar for both 'Actual' and allocated hours.
How can I change Resource allocations?
1. Moving the Task where the period between the start and finish date falls out of the day that hours are allocated for that Task will automatically delete the Resource allocations. This must be re-entered manually (a computer can't tell how to reschedule Resources' times).
2. Manually via the Resource widget in Task view.
Read me first
1. You must first assign availability of days and hours via Administration: Users: Edit: Availability.
2. Any shift in the project's schedule will require committed hours to a Resource to be reset. Allocation is not affected.
The following is from the Copper User Guide on Resource Allocation:
How to allocate resources and commit hours
Click on a task to open the task view screen. This screen shows the task details, as well as the resource widget at the top right of the task view screen.
To add a resource, first select a resource from the pulldown, which will display their availability for each day of the task duration. A gray area inside the box indicates that that the resource is unavailable, whereas any open white area is available for you to commit that resource.
The task bar indicates the estimated effort hours (dark line) as well as your committed hours (white line) so that you can match the two with your available resources. Remove a resource by clicking the X icon next to their name.
To set a user's availability you can use the Availability wizard in the Admin module, or you can edit each day for that user in the Calendar Month view.
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