Worker resource

scheduling in Microsoft

Dynamics AX 2012 R3 A number of enhancements to the worker resource

management tools in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3

let you schedule workers for projects and quotation

more efficiently.

May 2014

White paper www.microsoft.com/dynamics/ax

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Contents

Worker resource scheduling in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 3

Scenario 1: Staff a project 3

Scenario 2: Assign tasks to resources by using project team members 5

Scenario 3: Review resource availability 7

Scenario 4: Soft-book resources on a project quotation 9

Scenario 5: Set up resource scheduling 11

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Worker resource scheduling in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 This document describes some the new major scenarios that are made possible by enhancements being introduced in

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3.

The following is a summary of the key resource management capabilities that have been introduced or improved in AX

2012 R3 to provide more effective resource scheduling and assignment:

• Use visual cues, such as color-coded representations of worker availability, to speed up the process of scheduling

workers in projects.

• Form a project team by identifying project roles and competencies required for the team.

• Search for available workers based on role requirements.

• Align resource assignments with project schedule changes.

• Identify schedulable resources, and schedule them on projects.

• Rationalize team and work breakdown structure (WBS) resource assignments.

• Assign a percentage of a worker’s capacity to a project.

• Assign a specific number of hours of a worker’s capacity to a project.

• Make group resource assignments.

• Convert all soft-booked hours for a project to hard-booked hours in one step.

• Utilize enhanced resource assignment inquiries and an Export to Excel tool.

• Staff projects in the desktop version of Microsoft Project by using workers from Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Scenario 1: Staff a project 1. Create a new project in Microsoft Dynamics AX.

2. In the Projects form, on the Project team and scheduling FastTab, click Add roles to define the resource

requirements of the project.

The following illustration shows the Add roles to project dialog box, where you can specify the type of role to add to

a project team and the number of workers in that role.

3. Click OK to add the role to the project team.

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By default, the schedule start and end dates of the project will be used as the start and end dates of the role. You

can update these dates as necessary. By default, the skills and qualifications defined in the project role template will

be used. These can be tailored to meet the unique requirements of the role within this particular project.

4. Select a role, and then click Book worker to open the Worker booking form.

The following illustration shows the Worker booking form with a list of resources ranked by competency match and

availability.

5. Select the check box next to the name of each worker that you want to book.

6. Click Hard book, and then select Full capacity.

The workers you selected are booked on the project for the project role, and their calendars are marked as hard-

booked.

The workers that you add to the project team are also added to the associated project validation group, so that

they can report time and expense against the project.

In the Projects form, on the Project team and scheduling FastTab, in the Hours booked column, you can verify the

number of hours that a worker is booked for a project. The Hours assigned column indicates the number of hours

assigned to the worker in the WBS.

The following illustration shows details about a worker’s assignment to a project team on the Project team and

scheduling FastTab.

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Scenario 2: Assign tasks to resources by using project team members 1. Use the Work breakdown structure form to create a new WBS for a project.

The following illustration shows the Work breakdown structure form.

2. In the project you used for scenario 1, add the necessary tasks. Then, for each task, enter the effort hours, and the

start and end dates.

3. For one of the tasks, in the Workers column, click the drop-down arrow.

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The following illustration shows the Workers column, which contains a list of workers who are project team

members, and who have soft-booked or hard-booked hours.

4. Select the workers to assign to the activity, and then click OK.

The task effort hours are assigned and divided equally among the selected workers between the start and end

dates.

5. On the Line details FastTab, click the Worker assignments tab.

The following illustration shows the hours assigned to the activity on the Worker assignments tab.

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Note: If you do not want the effort hours to be distributed equally, on to Worker assignment tab, click Assign worker,

select the workers, and then specify the capacity from workers that need to be assigned to the task.

Scenario 3: Review resource availability 1. Click Project management and accounting > Common > Project resources > Resource availability to open the

Project resource availability page.

The following illustration shows the Resource availability list page with color-coded worker availability details in the

grid.

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2. To view the assignments that each cell in a worker row represents, double-click the cell.

The cell can represent a daily, weekly, or monthly assignment. If the project manager for the project has a primary

contact address that is not private, you can contact the project manager.

The following illustration shows a dialog box with details about a worker’s current assignments.

3. To view more information about the information in the cell, click View full booking details.

4. To view the information in multiple cells, such as for a two-week period, select the cells, right-click, and then select

Booking details.

The following illustration shows worker availability details for multiple periods.

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Scenario 4: Soft-book resources on a project quotation 1. Create a project quotation.

2. Create a WBS for the quotation.

The following illustration shows the Project quotation form. The Work breakdown structure button is located in the

Maintain group on the Project quotation tab.

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3. On the Line details FastTab, on the Worker assignments tab, click Assign worker.

Note: Alternatively, in the form header, you can click the drop-down arrow in the Workers column, click View

workers, and then soft-book workers. In this case, select the name of a worker, and then use the Soft book button

to soft-book that worker for some or all of the activity.

The following illustration shows the Worker assignment form for a quotation.

4. Approve and confirm the project quotation, and then transfer the quotation to a project.

5. Open the new project, and then click the Project team and scheduling FastTab to view the workers who are soft-

booked.

6. Select the workers that have soft-booked hours, and then click Confirm hours.

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Soft-booked hours of the selected team members are converted to hard-booked hours.

Scenario 5: Set up resource scheduling 1. Identify schedulable workers by navigating to Project management and accounting > Common > Project resources

> Resources.

The following illustration shows the Resources list page and the names of all workers who have a calendar

associated with them.

2. On the Action Pane, in the New group, click Resource.

3. Select a worker for which to add schedulable resources for projects or quotations.

Note: The calendar associated with the worker must have working times defined for the period of time during which

you need to be schedule workers on projects or quotations. You can verify that calendars have working times

defined in them by navigating to Organization administration > Common > Calendars > Calendars.

In addition, a project or quotation must be associated with a scheduling calendar before you can schedule workers

for it.

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