Assign One or More Resources to a Task

Keeping track of which resource performs a particular task, how much work a resource has in a certain time period, and how much your resources have cost since the project began can be difficult and time-consuming. But there’s one thing you can do that enables Microsoft Project to take care of these responsibilities for you: assign resources to tasks.

When you assign a resource to a task, you create an assignment. You can assign any resource to any task and change assignments at any time.

You can assign more than one resource to a task and specify whether a resource works full-time or part-time on the task by using resource units. Resource units indicate the percentage of the resource’s time allocated to the task. By default, Microsoft Project assigns 100 percent units to each resource (unless a resource is a part-time resource). If the resource represents a single entity, 100 percent units means the resource is working full-time on the task. If you assign a resource group — for example, a group of three painters — at 100 percent, it means only one of the painters is assigned to the task. If you assign all three painters, it would be 300 percent.

If the work assigned to a resource exceeds the daily full-time allotment indicated in the resource’s working times calendar, Microsoft Project displays the name of the overallocated resource in red in resource views.

To assign a resource to a task

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .
2. In the Task Name field, select the task to which you want to assign a resource.
3. Click Assign Resources .
4. In the Name field, select the resource you want to assign to the task.
   If necessary, type the name of a new resource in a blank Name field.
5. Click Assign.
   A check mark to the left of the Name field indicates that the resource is assigned to the selected task.

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