Resource Pools

A resource pool is a logical group of resources organized in a hierarchy for purposes of staffing and managing resources, and reporting on utilization.

Resource managers use resource pools to:

• Search for resources to fulfill project resource requests.

• Review projected utilization on the Resource Manager Dashboard.

Aspects of resource pools explained here include:

• Predefined resource pools

• Resource pool memberships

• Resource pool hierarchies

• Resource pool owners

• Resource pool managers

• Secured resource pools

Predefined Resource Pools

The following pools are predefined:

• All Resources

  This pool is always at the top of the resource pool hierarchy.

• Resources with No Pool Memberships

  This is the default pool for new resources. This pool is always unsecured, and all resource managers can take action on resources who are in the pool.

• Inactive Resource Pool Memberships

  This pool contains resources for the time period that the resources aren't eligible to fulfill project resource requests. For example, a resource who is on a vacation or leave of absence can be a member of this pool. Resources in this pool aren't available for staffing.

You can't move or delete the predefined resource pools.

Resource Pool Memberships

All managed project enterprise labor resources are members of a resource pool. Resources can belong to only one pool on any given date.

The pool membership From Date and To Date indicate the time period that a resource is a member of a resource pool. Pool membership dates for a resource must be within the From Date and To Date on the resource definition.

Caution: Pool membership dates for a resource must be contiguous and can't overlap.

If a resource becomes ineligible for staffing, then the application:

• Sets the To Date of the resource's current pool membership as of the day the resource becomes ineligible for staffing.

• Sets the From Date as of the following day for the resource's membership in the Inactive Resource Pool Memberships pool.

Resource Pool Hierarchies

Use the Manage Resource Pools page to build a resource pool hierarchy that reflects how the organization manages and reports on resources. For example, resource pools can group resources in a hierarchy by geographic locations, cost centers, skill sets, or primary project roles.

You can revise the resource pool hierarchy, such as moving a child pool from a parent pool in one hierarchy to a parent pool in a different hierarchy.

To delete a resource pool, you must first move all of its resource pool memberships to a different pool. To delete a parent pool, all child resource pools must have no resource pool memberships.

Caution: Deleting a parent pool also deletes the child pools.

Resource Pool Owners

You can assign any project enterprise labor resource as a resource pool owner. Typically resource managers own the resource pools.

When a resource manager searches for resources to fulfill a request, by default the application searches for resources who are members of:

• Resource pools that the resource manager owns.

• Resource pools that are children of resource pools that the resource manager owns.

However, if the resource pools are secured, then resource managers can search for qualified resources only in the pools that they have access to.

Resource Pool Managers

The resource pool owner is a resource pool manager by default. A resource pool can have multiple managers.

Secured Resource Pools

The option to secure resource pool is on the Manage Project Resource Management Implementation Options page of the Setup and Maintenance work area. When security is enabled, resource managers can access only those resources that belong to the resource pools that they manage. If security isn't enabled, resource managers can access any resources across all resource pools.

If your resource pools are secured, then only resource pool managers can perform the following actions.

• Create assignments or events

• Cancel adjustments or assignments

• Confirm assignments

• Change assignments or events

• Delete events

• Propose, reserve, or confirm resources for a project resource request

• Approve adjustments to project resource request

• Search and evaluate resources for project resource requests and assignments