Using Quick Allocation to add, edit, and view resource allocations

Sometimes, small- to medium-sized organizations don’t want to follow the formal back and forth request process when allocating resources, due to its high overhead.

At these sorts of companies, the resource manager might know the skillset of each resource, and may want to use that knowledge to make allocation decisions, instead of relying on SmartMatch.

These managers can use Polaris’ Quick Allocation feature to make and edit allocations directly.

Even in larger organizations that primarily use the request fulfillment workflow, resource managers might sometimes want or need to make refinements to existing allocations. In this case, they might use Quick Allocation to make manual edit allocations, or to add new ad hoc allocations, rather than using requests.

Using Quick Allocation, you can:

Add, edit, and delete allocations
View actual hours worked, and compare them to allocated hours
Add projects on the fly, to allocate to resources
Sort and filter resources to find who you’re looking for
View a resource’s allocations per project
Easily compare users’ allocations

Configuring the maximum number of resources supported by Quick Allocation

Quick Allocation is more effective when managing a smaller set of resources. For this reason, this feature is only available if you have fewer than 1500 users in your system.

And, you can ensure Quick Allocation is only available for use with a manageable number of users by defining the maximum number of resources supported. To do this, update the Quick Allocation field located at the bottom of the Administration > Project > Project Settings page.

This field defaults to its maximum allowed value of 1499, and can be set to anything between 1000 and 1499.

Polaris will automatically disable Quick Allocation if you have more than the specified number of resources enabled in your system; this setting ensures the feature is only available for use with a manageable number of users.

Accessing Quick Allocation

To open the Quick Allocation page, click Resource Allocation in the side menu, and then click Quick Allocation.

Finding resources

Moving between pages

Filtering and searching for resources

Filtering allows you to limit visible resources, so only those who meet your basic requirements display. This can help you compare allocations assigned to different individuals.

Quick Allocation offers nearly a dozen filters to help you find resources. For example, you can filter by the project or role assigned to the resource, so only resources with those assignments display.

To filter the resource list, click the icon located at the right-hand end of the Search bar.

You can also use the Search field to search for strings that appear in resource names.

Viewing allocations

Changing the dates in view	You can change the time scale for the Quick Allocation page using the field located on the upper, right-hand side of the page. You can also switch between viewing hours or percentage of work time available. You can also click through date ranges, using the and arrows, located at the top of the page.
Viewing allocations per project	Click the icon to show the resource’s allocations by project Click the icon to display a side panel showing the resource’s roles, skills, and allocation history Click the and arrows to sort the project and role order alphabetically Click the icon to release the resource from the allocation Click + Add to Project to add an existing project to the list, to allocate the resource against The white background indicates the date range of the project The darker gray sections indicate time off
Viewing allocation statuses	Allocations that originated as requests are color-coded to show their status – Proposed, Complete, or Rejected. Complete allocations are shaded dark to light to show their percent allocation, so you can easily spot periods of under-allocation.
Viewing actual hours worked	You can compare actuals and allocations to estimate whether the project will be completed on time or cost more than planned. To display actual hours recorded in timesheets (or via SmartBeats), turn on the Actuals toggle. The actual hours will display on a black entry, beneath the corresponding allocation. The arrow indicates the resource has worked less than their allocated hours, while the arrow indicates they've worked more than their allocated hours. Click the icon beside the resource's name to see allocations and actuals for all projects the resource is allocated to. To see the actual and allocated hours for that period, and the difference between the two, click the actuals entry. You can keep the actual hours toggle off to reduce clutter on the page.

Why aren't actuals displaying for a resource?

Actuals are tracked for time entered against tasks and roles. For actuals to display for a task’s hours, the resource entering that time must be allocated to the same role as is used for their task assignment.

Adding, editing, or deleting allocations

Resource managers can use the Quick Allocations page to directly add, edit, or delete allocations, without first receiving a resource request from a project manager. Refer to the table below for details.

You can only edit or remove allocations from individual projects; that is, you can’t change the allocation totals located in the top row for a resource.

Adding an allocation for a project that already displays	To add an allocation: Click the icon to show the resource's allocations per project. Choose a project, and click the cell in it’s row, during the desired time period. Enter the hours or the percentage of the resource's available time to allocate. You can drag the ends of the allocation if you need to extend its date range. See Editing an allocation for details.
Adding an allocation for a new project	To add an allocation: Click + Add to Project. Complete the fields in the dialog that displays.
Handling availability conflicts	If the resource you select has availability conflicts with the proposed allocation, a dialog showing SmartFit options will display. Refer to Handling availability limitations when allocating resources to a project for more information about these options.
Editing an allocation	To edit an allocation: Click the icon to show allocations per project. Click a project allocation and update the value. You can also extend or shorten an allocation’s date range by clicking and dragging the located at either end.
Removing an allocation	To remove an allocation, click the icon to show allocations per project. Then: To remove all of a resource’s allocations for a project, click the icon, select Release Resources, and confirm release To remove individual allocations, click the allocation and set the value to 0. The allocation bar may still display, but won’t contribute to the total.

FAQs

Is the applicable project manager notified of changes I make via Quick Allocation?

Not currently.

Can we use both request-based allocation and quick allocation?

Yes, these two methods are compatible, so you can use requests for certain projects or groups, and make all other allocations directly. Or, you can use the ‘quick’ interface to refine fulfilled allocations.

Help Resource Managers