Level Resources Dialog Box of the Activities Page

Overview

Use this dialog box to start the automated process of leveling project resources. Resource leveling ensures that resource demand does not exceed resource availability by changing the start of certain activities. During leveling, the resource requirements of all scheduled activities are compared to the maximum quantity available at the time of leveling. An activity is delayed if too few resources are available at any time during the activity's duration.

Screen Elements

Consider assignments in other projects with priority equal or higher than option

Determines whether the leveling process should include assignments in other projects during the leveling process. If you select this option, also specify the minimum (lowest ranking) numeric priority level. Other projects includes all closed projects in addition to the open ones normally leveled.

For example, if resources are assigned across multiple projects, you can determine whether to consider the resource assignments in other projects when leveling. A leveling priority number is assigned to each project with 1 being the highest or first priority, followed by 2, then 3, and so on with each successively higher number having a lower ranking. If you specify a priority value of 4, then levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 are included in the leveling process.

When including resource usage in closed projects the leveler assumes that the resource can be used 24 hours per day for all 7 days of a week across the entire activity duration. The resource's calendar is not used. This may potentially yield unexpected results when calendars in closed projects are different from those in the open projects being leveled.

Preserve scheduled early and late dates option

Determines whether early and late dates are preserved as scheduled or adjusted during the leveling process.

If you mark this option, the project's current early dates are retained before leveling. When you preserve these dates, P6 only forward-levels the schedule, which means that the early dates of activities from the start to the finish of the project are considered.

If you clear this option, the application also performs backward leveling. The application reverses the leveling process, beginning at the project's late finish and working towards the beginning of the project. If insufficient resources are available to schedule an activity on its late dates, the activity is advanced to an earlier date. When the schedule is leveled forward and backward (by clearing the option) the project's early and late start/finish dates are updated.

Level resources only within activity total float option

Determines whether to delay activities with resource conflicts only up to their late dates (late finish when based on finish float, late start when based on start float).

Preserve minimum activity float field

The minimum amount of total float time expressed in hours that you want to maintain for each activity during leveling.

This setting limits the amount of float an activity can use when being delayed in order to level the schedule.

For example if the float for an activity is 5 days and you set the value of this field to 2 days (or 16 hours assuming 1 day equals 8 hours) the activity cannot be moved more than 3 days.

You can specify any unit of time, for example 2w or 3d, and P6 will convert it into hours for you.

Maximum percent to over allocate resources field

The maximum percentage by which resource availability can be increased.

You can make adjustments to this field value each time you level resources. For example, if an important resource assignment does not fit within the available float using your first over allocation limit, you can try again using a higher limit.

Recalculate assignment costs when leveling option

Determines whether to recalculate the costs of assignments when leveling.

Display leveling log upon completion option

Determines whether to display the leveling log when leveling is complete.

Resources tab

See Resources Tab of the Level Resources Dialog Box of the Activities Page

Prioritization tab

See Prioritization Tab of the Level Resources Dialog Box of the Activities Page

Level Now button

Compares the resource requirements of all scheduled activities to the maximum quantity available at the time of leveling.

Getting Here

Click Projects.
On the Projects navigation bar, click Activities.
Click the Actions menu and select Leveler.

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