Setting Up Cost Resources
Another type of resource that you can use in Project is
the cost resource. You can use a cost resource to represent a
financial cost associated with a task in a project. While work
resources (people and equipment) can have associated costs (hourly
rates and fixed costs per assignment), the sole purpose of a cost
resource is to associate a particular type of cost with one or more
tasks. Common types of cost resources might include categories of
expenses you’d want to track on a project for accounting or financial
reporting purposes, such as travel, entertainment, or training.
Cost resources do no work and have no effect on the scheduling
of a task. The Max. Units Standard and Overtime pay rates and Cost/Use
fields do not apply to cost resources. After you assign a cost
resource to a task and specify the cost amount per task, you can then
see the cumulative costs for that type of cost resource, such as total
travel costs in a project.
The way in which cost resources generate cost values differs
from that of work resources. When you assign a work resource to a
task, the work resource can generate a cost based on a pay rate (such
at $40 per hour for the length of the assignment), a flat per-use cost
(such as $100 per assignment), or both. You set up such pay rates and
cost per use amounts once for the work resource. However, you enter the cost value of a cost resource only
when you assign it to a task. You can do so in the Cost field of the
Assign Resources dialog box or in the Cost field of the Task Form with
the Cost detail shown.
In this exercise, you’ll set up a cost resource.
-
In the Resource Sheet,
click the next empty cell in the Resource
Name column.
-
Type Travel and press the
Tab key.
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In the Type field, click
Cost.
Documenting Resources
If a resource has
flexible skills that can help the project, it is a good idea to record
this in a note. In that way, the note resides in the project plan and
can be easily viewed or printed.
In this exercise, you enter resource notes relevant to the new
book launch project.You
entered a task note via the Task Notes button on the Task tab of the
Properties group. You can enter resource notes in a similar way (via
the Notes button on the Resource tab of the Properties group) but in
this exercise, you’ll use a different method. You’ll use the Resource
form, which allows you to view and edit notes for multiple resources
more quickly.
In this exercise, you’ll enter notes in the Resource
Form.
-
In the Resource Name
column, click Toby Nixon.
-
On the Resource tab, in
the Properties group, click the
Details button.
Tip
You can also click Details, Resource Form on the View tab
of the Split View group.
The Resource Form appears below the Resource Sheet
view.
In this type of split view, details about the
selected item in the upper view (a resource, in this case) appear
in the lower view. You can quickly change the selected resource
name in the upper view by clicking directly on a name, using the
up arrow or down arrow keys, or by clicking Previous or Next in
the Resource Form.
The Resource Form can display one of several details;
initially it displays the Schedule details. Next you’ll switch it
to display the Notes details.
-
Click anywhere in the Resource
Form.
-
On the Format tab, in the
Details group, click Notes.
Tip
You can also right-click in the gray background area of
the Resource Form and, in the shortcut menu that appears, click
Notes.
The Notes details appear in the Resource Form.
-
In the Notes box, type
Toby worked on launch campaigns for Toni
Poe’s previous two books.
Notice that as soon as you started typing the note, the
Previous and Next buttons changed to OK and Cancel.
-
Click OK.
In the Resource Sheet view, a note icon appears in the
Indicators column.
-
Point to the note icon that appears next to Toby’s
name in the Resource Sheet.
The note appears in a ScreenTip. For notes that are too long
to appear in a ScreenTip, you can double-click the note icon to
display the full text of the note. You can also see more of long
notes in the Resource Form or in the Resource Information dialog
box.
To conclude this exercise, you’ll add a note for one more
resource.
-
In the Resource Form,
click Previous to shift the
focus to Sharon Salavaria and display her details.
Tip
You can also click on Sharon’s name in the Resource Sheet
view above the Resource Form.
-
In the Notes box, type
Sharon’s standard pay rate is adjusted for
her half-time work schedule. Then click OK.
Finally, you’ll close the Resource Form.
-
On the Resource
tab, in the Properties group,
click the Details
button.
The Resource Form is closed, leaving the Resource Sheet
displayed.
In this exercise, you’ve entered notes for some resources.
This information is unique to those resources.
Clean Up
Close the Simple Resources file.
