Asta - Layout and data input query

David,

like you I am waiting for the answers to your questions given by Asta users.

I want to learn how packages other than Spider Project manage work quantities.

Using quantities requires to use resource productivity. Activity duration shall depend on activity volume (quantity, amount) and assigned resources.

Hi David

Sorry but I missed your original thread.

One reason why you are getting an "18 week lead in" could be the calendar setting is giving you a long non working period and you have pitched your start date in the middle of it.

There are a lot of standard preset calendars that you can use or there is a calendar wizard to help you get started.

Use the task properties > dates to see what calendar is attached to your task.

The columns act as a standard spreadsheet that shares data with the tasks - similar to Spider.

The permant resource dialogue has a resource modelling section where you can calculate the duration of the task by any combination of work v output v gang size (allocation) = duration.

When you have allocated your permant resource to a task then all the data can will show on the column. It can be changed in either the task or the column.

This feature is really useful when you are copying a range of data from an excell spreadsheet ( I prefer Lotus 123) into an Asta spreadsheet - such as %progress - it is done in seconds.

Keep at it - you will find the benefits are worth the effort.

Best regards

Mike Testro

Mike,

I hope that David understood how Asta works with activity volumes. I did not.

It looks like I shall study Asta tutorial if it is available.

Can you explain it using simple example like this:

Earthwork is done by two excavators with different capacities (trucks amount is sufficient to make them busy).

Productivities of each are known, calendars of each are known, total volume of work (m3) is known. How Asta calculates original and remaining (after entering actuals) duration?

I know that Asta has problems with team assignments, so let's suppose that excavators work independently of each other.

Thanks,

Vladimir

http://www.astadev.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Whats-new-in-Version-12.pdf

The above illustration is for a calculator that has nothing to do with resources.

I would like to see a print screen of the permanent resource dialog resource modeling section where you can calculate the duration of the task by any combination of work v output v gang size (allocation) = duration. Then I would like to see how it works. By the description it looks like it fixes duration of task using a rudimentary calculator and does not respond automatically to available resources.

Hi Vladimir

I would split the tasks and assign a volume to Excavators A and B - balancing the assigned volume to create the same completion date against the known output.

They would both have the same predeccesor and successor and run concurrently.

Best regards

Mike T.

Mike, the volumes of each excavator are not known before scheduling.

Hi Vladimir

You know the total volume and you know the outputs.

Simple arithmentic tells you how to split the volume.

Best regards

Mike Testro

Mike,

You can try yourself a simple scenario, so simple it consist of a single activity.

Activity 1 500 cm rock excavation
Resource 1 [Excavator 1] production 10 cm/hr and works Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 10 hrs/day
Resource 2 [Excavator 2] production 15 cm/hour and works on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10 hrs/day

If activity starts on Monday:
Monday =>> Resource 1 will produce 100 cm
Tuesday =>> Resource 1 will produce 100 cm
Wednesday =>> Resource 1 will produce 100 cm
Wednesday =>> Resource 2 will produce 150 cm
Thursday =>> Resource 2 will produce 50 cm in about 3 hours
Activity will take 3 days 3 hours.

If activity starts on Wednesday :
Wednesday =>> Resource 1 will produce 100 cm
Wednesday =>> Resource 2 will produce 150 cm
Thursday =>> Resource 2 will produce 150 cm
Friday =>> Resource 2 will produce 100 cm in about 7 hours
Activity will take 2 days 7 hours.

Every time the activity is delayed, the distribution of work is shifted, when you have many such activities and work on different hour shifts, different days it can become quite complicated. For a single shot you can use manual distribution of work among shifts for anything else distributing work by hand is nuts.

How would you model such simple scenario in Asta, a single activity, two resources? Cannot be any easier.

Best Regards,

Rafael

Mike,

simple arithmetic does not take into account resource calendars.

Hi Vladimir

Are you saying that your excavators have a different work pattern?

One Catholic and the other Jewish?

Mike, there are many reasons for potential different work patterns of people and machines.

Among them are different times and duration of scheduled repairs, the need of partial use of certain resources on the parallel jobs, etc.

Do you need other examples when assigned resources have different work calendars?

If I understood you properly in Asta productivity (rate) is activity property and is set manually. If resource crew was changed the user shall use some other tool for determining new activity rate and enter it manually. It does not change automatically when resource crew is changed.

Am I right?

And remembering that Asta does not model team work each excavator may work at different time just because it became available earlier or later than another one. If one started to work earlier than another what will happen with assignment durations?

What Asta does if calculated activity duration was 5 days, one of the excavators already worked for 5 days and the second excavator is still busy on another job?

Hi Vladimir

You can apply different work patterns and calendars to different resources. They can be changed at any time.

Resource calendars over rule task calendars so you have toremeber what you have done or it gets confusing.

Best regards

Mike T.

Mike, I believe that resources may have different calendars.

I remind you that you answered: "Are you saying that your excavators have a different work pattern? One Catholic and the other Jewish?" to my question about determination of activity duration when assigned resources have different calendars and productivity. You did not answer and I expect that "pure arithmetic" does not work in this case.

I am waiting for an answer to another question: What Asta does if calculated activity duration was 5 days, one of the excavators already worked for 5 days and the second excavator is still busy on another job?

Do you know the answer?

Hi Vladimir

Yes. Any down time for either excavator would be set on the calander for the allocated task - not the resource.

Best regards

Mike T.

Hi Mike

Thank you for your short answer to my long questions.

Best Regards,

Vladimir

Hi David,

Have your queries been answered now or is there anything further we can help you with?  Please do give our office a call if you would like to talk through any specific frustrations you are still having with orientating yourself around the product.

Thanks,

Ben @ Asta Powerproject