Microsoft Project 2013: The Missing Manual

Identifying Project Resources

For small projects and tight-knit organizations, a list of skills might be enough to identify Bob and Jan as the people you need. But in most cases, some resource planning is needed before you start working on resources in Project. Early on, you identify which groups are involved in the project, which portions of the project they participate in, and the level to which they’re engaged in goings-on. After you identify the project work and estimate what it will take to complete it, you identify the skills you need to get it done—and other resources, such as materials, equipment, and money. Part of resource planning is figuring out how many resources you need and when you need them. Then you can begin to line up specific people to staff your project. At long last, a project organization chart shows who reports to whom on your project, so everyone knows whom to ask to resolve resource issues. This section introduces each aspect of resource planning.

Who’s Responsible for What

Just as too many cooks spoil the broth, too many groups claiming responsibility for the same work is a recipe for disaster. Turf wars waste time and money because tasks get weighed down with extraneous requirements from fringe groups. Far more dangerous is when no one takes responsibility for work, because the work doesn’t get done, or isn’t done on time and within budget. The project’s responsibility matrix (sometimes called the responsibility assignment matrix or RACI matrix, which ...