Step 3: Adjusting the working time for resources

A resource calendar controls the working and nonworking times of a resource. By default MS Project uses the Standard base calendar (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm). If all the working times for your resources are the same as the Standard base calendar, you do not need to edit any resource calendars.

However, it is very likely that your resources will need exceptions to the working time in the Standard Calendar, such as:

• A flexible work time schedule
• Vacation time
• Other times when a resource is not available to work on the project, e.g. fo time spent on training or attending a conference

When you change the working time in the Standard Project Calendar, the changes apply to the timeframe of the whole project. Therefore, it is better to make specific adjustments to the individual resources rather than to the Standard Calendar.

In the following exercise you will specify in your project plan that Mick Jagger will be on a holiday from 24 to 31 Dec 2008.

Exercise:

1. In the Resource Sheet view double-click on the resource Mick Jagger.
   
   
2. In the Resource Information dialog box click on the Change Working Time button. In the Change Working Time dialog box you can specify exeptions from the regular working times, i.e. the working times and nonworking times for each resource.

3. In the Exceptions pane type in "holiday" in the first row of the Name column and then enter the non working time for resource Mick Jagger by choosing the dates in the Start and Finish fields.
   
   
4. Then click on the OK button to close the Change Working Times window, and OK again to close the Resource Information window.

5. MS Project will now take into account that Mick Jagger will not be available to work on tasks on these days.

That was easy, wasn't it? You have now created your task list and have set up a resource pool for the project. In the next step of this tutorial you are going to assign the resources to the tasks.