Scheduling issues with 150+ tasks

[Ramesh Sreedhar]

I have a project schedule with 160 tasks with 6 resources assigned against them. When there is a change in the duration due to actual work hours the plan adjusts itself since it has predecessors linked properly with no danglers.
The resources have been assigned as per their availability and as an when they come out of other tasks.

During the course of the project a new resource joins and I need to accomodate him into the tasks plus I have the need to shuffle resources based on their performance on prior tasks (complexity, skills etc...)

When I try to do this, I need to re-look and re-adjust the entire plan to re-assign the predecessor links. It is so difficult,time consuming and tedious to do it. What I currently do is to filter by the resource names and re-set the predecesor links. But what I am not sure is if my resources are allocated in the most optimal manner as I had done it when I prepared the schedule the first time with a lot of thought process.

I use Microsoft project for scheduling. I would like to know about better and smarter ways to handle a schedule that is highly dynamic.

This is my first post and thanks in advance for all your help.

[pmkb]

It sounds like you are adding predecessors/successors for soft logic. It's something that most (all?) scheduling programs do not address well IMO. In classic CPM theory/practice, relationships should only represent real or necessary (hard) constraints between tasks.

[Ramesh Sreedhar]

Thanks pmkb for your response. Appreciate it. Would be nice if you could you ellaborate on it a little more. I did not quite understand your point. Thanks.

[pmkb]

Soft logic represents relationships that are added to a CPM network to reflect a desired plan of execution, but not necessarily a true constraint. For example, tying a string of similar tasks FS because one resource/crew will be assigned to the work (whereas it may be possible - though not planned - to assign more resources and work the tasks in parallel or work them in a different order/sequence).

Hard logic represent relationships that represent real, unavoidable constraints. For example, you have to open the tube of toothpaste before you can extrude toothpaste onto your toothbrush.

In general, schedules that contain a lot of soft logic will require a lot of editing when project execution invariably deviates from the plan.

[pepkoRn]

if you're the one who built the structure of the schedule then basically you know how to get into its branching. I still try to configure til now (4 months) the P3 schedule turned-over to me by our previous planner and the technique i have encounter, maybe a little answer to your problem is to identify the critical path or the major activities where the rest is connected. Try understanding the structure as one-line item only, then connect everybody to that single line. Experiment.