Creating and editing allocations

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

This article covers how to create project and non-project allocations in the Schedule People heatmap. If you'd like to learn more about resource allocation as a practice, see our blog post 6 Resource Allocation Best Practices You Can't Afford to Ignore.

This article includes:

• Understanding allocations and how they work
• Creating and editing allocations

Understanding allocations and how they 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

Forecast allows you to 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. See Overview of Time Management Settings for more information.

Time off allocation

Time off is another non-project time allocation that you can create and it is used for non-billable time off. Time off allocations can be created in People Schedule or from Timesheets. To read more about time off allocation linking, see Time off management updates (beta).

To customize the options available for time-off allocation, head over to the Admin panel and click on the Time Management section. See Overview of Time Management Settings for more information.

Creating and editing allocations 

Only users with the dedicated permission profile to access the Schedule People heatmap can create or edit allocations in a Forecast account. The permission profiles with access to the heatmap are Coordinators, Managers, Controllers, and Administrators.  To learn more about how the heatmap works, check out 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. 

Adding a project allocation

To add a project allocation:

1. 1. Click on Resourcing in the top navigation bar.
   2. Select the People Schedule from the dropdown.
   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. Allocation type: it is possible to define the allocation type, selecting between Soft Allocation or Hard Allocation.  
         
         Note: Allocation type is available only for project allocations. It is not available for internal time or time off allocations. To learn more about allocation types, see Using soft and hard allocations.
         1. Soft Allocation: Indicates a tentative need for this team member. The soft allocation will not be taken into account when looking at the team member's availability in the scoping and sprint pages but will appear in the heatmap calculation.
         2. Hard Allocation: Indicates a confirmed need for this team member. The allocation will be taken into account when calculating the team member's availability.
      6. Distribution:  Change the number of hours that this allocation should be focused on for each day of the week.
      7. Notes: Add a note to the allocation.
   6. Click Create.

Adding a task assignment

To add a task assignment:

1. Click on Resourcing in the top navigation bar.
2. Select the People Schedule from the dropdown.
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 assignment.
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

To add an internal time allocation:

1. Click on Resourcing in the top navigation bar.
2. Select the People Schedule from the dropdown.
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

To add a time-off allocation from People Schedule:

1. Click on Resourcing in the top navigation bar.
2. Select the People Schedule from the dropdown.
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.