The resource allocations screen (Figure 2) in Ruddr defaults to showing all allocations grouped by workspace member. This screen is only available to workspace members who have access to resource allocations via their security role. When a member has those permissions, the member will see a Resourcing menu item (Figure 1) in the nav bar.
Figure 1 - The Resources Navigation Option will Display when the Feature is Enabled
In the default allocations view (Figure 2), the workspace members will be listed down the left side of the screen. When you expand a member, you will see all of the projects assigned to that member on the left and the allocations to the right in the grid.
Figure 2 - Resource Allocations Screen
For more on the various views of the Resource Allocations screen, please refer to the View Resource Allocations article in the Ruddr Help Center.
Members with edit resource allocations permissions can create allocations and also take various actions on existing allocations via the allocations context menu.
The Allocations Context Menu
When you expand a member or a project row on the grid, you will see one or more individual allocations (Figure 3). These will show the project role and task (if those exist) as well as the number of hours per day and the total number of allocated hours.
Figure 3 - Individual Allocation Shows the Hours and Associated Assignment Information
Clicking on the allocation will bring up the allocation context menu (Figure 4).
Figure 4 - Take Action on Existing Allocations by Accessing the Allocations Context Menu
Actions that are available via the context menu include:
Edit Allocations
Clicking the Edit option in the context menu (Figure 4) will open the Edit Allocation drawer (Figure 5) which will show you the allocation details and allow you to edit or delete the allocation. Note that your security role must have the proper permission in order to modify resource allocations.
Figure 5 - Allocation Details can be Provided / Edited via the Edit Allocation Drawer
In addition to editing the allocation from the drawer, an allocation can be extended or shortened by grabbing the "handle" (Figure 6) at the beginning or ending of the allocation and then dragging the handle forward or backwards to extend or shorten the allocation.
Figure 6 - Each Allocation has a Handle that can be Dragged to Extend or Shorten the Allocation
Clone an Allocation
Often times, you may want to create an allocation that is very similar to an existing allocation. Perhaps you want to create the same allocation but assign that to a different member. Or, perhaps you want to create an allocation that is similar to another but need to change the assigned task.
To quickly create a copy of an existing allocation, click on an allocation (Figure 3) and select Clone from the context menu (Figure 4). An exact copy of that allocation will be created and displayed (Figure 7) in the allocations grid.
Figure 7 - A Cloned Allocation has been Created from an Existing Allocation
Split an Allocation
In the event that you need an existing allocation to have different settings depending on the timeframe, you can split a single allocation into two allocations. To do this, hover over the allocation on the date where you want to split it. As you click on the allocation, you will see a dotted line (Figure 8) that represents where the allocation will be split. If that is indeed where you want to split the allocation, select Split from the context menu (Figure 4).
Figure 8 - Split an Allocation at a Predetermined Point in Time by Selecting Split from the Context Menu
Taking this action will create two allocations from the single allocation, as shown below (Figure 9).
Figure 9 - An Allocation has been Split, Creating Two Allocations
Split an Allocation by Period
When creating an allocation, you can specify whether you want to allocate hours per day, per week, or per month. Based on that selection, you can split a single allocation that spans an extended period into multiple allocation records that span various periods:
Allocate by Month
If your allocation was created for a number of hours per month, you can split the allocation into multiples by:
- Month
- Week
- Day
Allocate by Week
If your allocation was created for a number of hours per week, you can split the allocation into multiples by:
- Week
- Day
Allocate by Day
If your allocation was created for a number of hours per week, you can split the allocation into multiples by:
- Day
To split an allocation by period, click on the allocation and select corresponding Split by option from the context menu.
Remove Overlapping Allocations
In some cases, you may want to ensure that resources do not have competing allocations, where one allocation "overlaps" another. In the below example (Figure 10), one allocation to an client billable project starts two weeks prior to an allocation for an internal project ending. In this scenario, you may want to prevent the internal allocation from overlapping the billable assignment. To accomplish this, and to better align the allocations with a member's capacity, you can choose to remove the overlapping allocation by clicking on the allocation you want to keep and selecting Remove Overlapping from the context menu (Figure 4).
Figure 10 - Two Allocations Overlap for a Period of Two Weeks
By clicking on the billable allocation, shown in green, and choosing Remove Overlapping in the context menu, the internal allocation, shown in yellow, will be "shortened" (Figure 11) and will no longer overlap the chosen, billable allocation.
Figure 11 - The Overlapping Allocation has been Adjusted
Delete an Allocation
To delete an allocation, you can take either of two actions:
- Click on an allocation and select Delete from the context menu.
- Click on an allocation and select Edit from the context menu. On the Edit Allocation drawer (Figure 5), click the Delete button to delete the allocation.