Managing Resources › Resources and Roles

Resources and Roles

A resource is a person or object (such as a piece of equipment or material) that is used to fill a role or perform a task. A role is a generic description of a function or an object. For example, suppose that a man named Robert Smith is writing the code for a project on which you are working. "Smith" would be considered a resource whose role is that of "Developer".

Use the Resource Planner to create and edit resources and roles and assign them to projects. A role, such as Architect, Technical Lead, or Developer, can help define a project's tasks and scope. Later, you can replace the role with a resource who can perform the actual work.

You can create the following types of resources or roles:

Resource or Role Type

Description

Can be Allocated

Has Skills

Has Document Manager

Has Calendar

Labor

Any person or role who works or completes tasks.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Equipment

Any type of machinery used to perform a job, such as delivery trucks, printers, and computers.

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Material

Any type of material used to perform a job, such as training guides, chemicals, or fuel.

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Expense

Any costs associated with a resource or a role, such as the cost of traveling to a customer site.

Yes

No

Yes

No