Creating and editing allocations

Resource allocation is an assignment of resources to specific use and it is fundamental to your resource management planning and execution.  Different factors are considered when allocating resources, such as resource availability and time needed for various roles in a project.

This article will go over how to create project and non-project allocations in the Schedule People heatmap. If you'd like to learn more about resource allocation, see 6 Resource Allocation Best Practices You Can't Afford to Ignore.

This article includes:

• Understanding how allocation work
• Creating and editing allocations

Understanding how allocations work

In Forecast, there are three allocation types that you can utilize to plan your resources for your projects. Allocations allow you to understand and gather information about how the time is spent by your team members.

Project/task allocation

In Forecast, you can choose whether you allocate resources based on projects or tasks through your account-wide Resource Management setting (see Selecting your resource management strategy).

If your Resource Management configuration is set to 'Allocating people to Projects' then you will be able to see and add Project allocations. Instead, if the configuration is set to 'Assigning People to Tasks' then it will be possible to view and add task allocations. 

Project allocation can be used if you are unsure of what tasks your contributors will be working on, but want to make sure that they are booked to work on that project for a certain period. If you already have an overview of the tasks required to complete the projects and want to ensure the individuals dedicate the necessary time for each task, use task allocation instead. 

Internal time allocation

Internal time is a non-project time allocation that can be added for each user and it is primarily used for internal non-billable time within your business. Internal time allocation can be used for internal meetings, stand-ups, company events and more.

To configure and customize the options available for internal time allocation, head over to the Admin panel and click on the Time Management section. 

Time off allocation

Time off is another non-project time allocation that you can create and it is used for non-billable time off.

To customize the options available for time-off allocation, head over to the Admin panel and click on the Time Management section.

Creating and editing allocations 

To create or edit allocations in a Forecast account, the right permissions profiles are required to access the Schedule People heatmap. Permission profiles with access to the heatmap are  Coordinators, Managers, Controllers, and Administrators.  To learn more about how the heatmap works, please visit Reviewing your resource heatmap (Schedule People).

The steps for creating an allocation vary depending on whether you are adding a project, task, or time off allocation. Once you select a period within the heatmap, a pop-up module will appear with all allocation types available. Choose the allocation you wish to create and fill in the necessary fields. Depending on the allocation type those fields will be different. 

If you are using the Bamboo HR integration, the Time Off allocation will not be available in your account, as time off must first be approved in Bamboo HR.

Adding a Project allocation

1. Click on your company portfolio (company name)
2. Select the Schedule People tab.
3. Click on the dropdown button next to each individual, to view each project they are working on.
4. You can now add an allocation in two ways:
   1. Click on a particular utilization number for that individual and then click Add Allocation.
   2. Click and drag under the relevant project in the heatmap to create an allocation
5. In the pop-up modal fill in the following information:
    
   1. Project: Select or confirm the project that this allocation should fall under.
   2. Assignee: Select who will be assigned to that allocation.
   3. Date: Choose the dates for the allocation.
   4. Allocation per person: Define the number of hours allocated and the percentage of allocation for each day.
   5. Distribution:  Change the number of hours that this allocation should be focused on for each day of the week.
   6. Notes: Add a note to the allocation.
6. Click Create.

Adding a Task allocation

1. Click on your company portfolio (company name).
2. Select the Schedule people tab.
3. Click on the dropdown button next to each individual to view each project they are working on.
4. You can now add an allocation in two ways:
   1. Click on a particular utilization number for that individual and click Add Task.
   2. Click and drag in the same line as the relevant project in the heatmap to create a task allocation
5. In the pop-up modal fill in the following information:
   
   
   1. Project: Select or confirm the project that this task should fall under.
   2. Phase: Select the phase in that project that it should fall under. If no phase is selected then the task will fall under 'Tasks with no phases'.
   3. Date: Choose the dates for the allocation.
   4. Task Name: Name the task.
   5. Assignee: Select who will be assigned to that task.
   6. Estimate: Enter the estimated hours this task will take.
6. Click Create.

Adding an Internal Time allocation

1. Click on your company portfolio (company name).
2. Select the Schedule people tab.
3. Click on the dropdown button next to each individual, to view each project they are working on.
4. You can now add an allocation in two ways:
   1. Click on a particular utilization number for that individual.
   2. Click and drag in the same line as the relevant project in the heatmap to create an internal allocation.
5. In the pop-up modal fill in the following information:
   
   
   1. Internal Time: Select or confirm the type of internal time that this allocation should fall under.
   2. Assignees: select who will be assigned to the internal time allocation.
   3. Date: Choose the dates.
   4. Allocation per person: Define the number of hours allocated and the percentage of allocation for each day.
   5. Distribution:  Change the number of hours that this allocation should be focused on, for each day of the week.
   6. Notes: Add a note to the allocation.
6. Click Create.

Adding a Time-off allocation

1. Click on your company portfolio (company name).
2. Select the Schedule people tab.
3. Click on the dropdown button next to each individual, to view each project they are working on.
4. You can now add an allocation in two ways:
   1. Click on a particular utilization number for that individual.
   2. Click and drag in the same line as the relevant project in the heatmap to create a time-off allocation
5. In the pop-up modal fill in the following information:
   
   
   1. Time off: Select the type of time off you wish to create an allocation for.
   2. Assignees: select who will be assigned to the time off allocation.
   3. Date: Choose the dates.
   4. Allocation per person: Define the number of hours allocated and the percentage of allocation for each day.
   5. Distribution:  Change the number of hours that this allocation should be focused on, for each day of the week.
   6. Timesheet: Select if you wish to add this allocation on the timesheets. This ensures that time off is reflected both in the schedule people and the timesheets. Please keep in mind that you will not be able to delete it from the timesheets if the allocation is created in the schedule people.
   7. Notes: Add a note to the allocation.
   8. Click Create.