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Typically, Jobs are created early in the pre-sales phase. At that time, it is not yet known which resources will participate in the execution. Yet, you want to be able to create a realistic Job plan. Usually you know what kind of resources will be required, e.g. developers, consultants, project managers. To this end, it should be possible to create Job Planning Lines for a Resource Group to prepare the basic resource and cost estimation for a project.

Once the Job starts, you then want to start allocating specific tasks to specific resources. In that case, you want to be able to start using up the planned budgets of a Resource Group. In other words, the planned quantities for a Resource Group should be considered as non-allocated resource quantities. The ideal scenario would therefore be:
1. Plan usage based on Resource Group
2. When planning a specific resource, allocate one part of the Resource Group quantities to a specific resource. The remaining unallocated quantity should remain on a Resource Group.
3. Keep reallocating budgeted hours for a Resource Group to specific Resources until all hours are reallocated.
4. In case you need more resources, add additional Resource planning lines as required.
STATUS DETAILS
Needs Votes
Ideas Administrator

Thank you for this suggestion! Currently this is not on our roadmap. We are tracking this idea and if it gathers more votes and comments we will consider it in the future.

Best regards,
Business Central Team

Comments

D

A suggested creative solution; create a TBD Resource (you could add this/create one for each Resource Group). On Job Planning Lines, assign the TBD Resource. The type could equal = Budget only. when the resource is scheduled, create a new planning line for the portion for the new resource. Or replace with the TBD.The TBD resource hours assigned can be included in reporting to gage how many hours are still not assigned.

Category: Project Management

D

We are testing Job module and cleary find that Resource Groups are the "only" way serious project companies can create budgets. I have no idea the use case under just having Resource as the only option to make estimates.

Category: Project Management

D

Clearly needed, great explanation - it's a basic concept needed for Job/Projects, the lack thereof limits BC to be able to address the market of SME's in a project based business

Category: Project Management

D

This is an excellent idea.

We are reconsidering our plan to implement Business Central due to the lack of this type of functionality.

Our projects can last six to eighteen months - the person who will carry out a task and book their time to the task planning line is unknown; they might not be even employed by us yet!

There are a host of different reasons why you cannot predict the actual person when creating the job budget, but you do know the skills/trade that is required

Category: Project Management

D

An excellent idea. We have staff ranks that we use for costing and it would be appropriate at the quotation stage to use ranks instead of named resources.

Category: Project Management