Substitute Resources on a Work Plan

Project Managers can easily replace a Resource with another Resource on a Work Plan. These substitutions can be either complete (a new Resource takes over the entirety of the old Resource's effort) or partial (a new Resource takes over the a percentage of the old Resource's effort).

Tip: The Work Planner can also be used to substitute Resources on specific Work Plan Tasks instead of the entire plan. See Substitute Resources on a Specific Task for more information.

This page covers the following substitution methods:

Conducting a Simple or Advanced Substitute: This method will work best if you have a substitute Resource in mind.
Conducting a substitution with the "Find Matches" feature: This method will work best if you would like Eclipse PPM to recommend the best substitution options for you.

To substitute Resources on a Work Plan with a Simple or Advanced Substitute:

Before You Start: Eclipse PPM user require the "Manage Resource Assignment and Allocation" permission from one of the Project's Policies to substitute Resources on a Work Plan.

Navigate to a Project.
Select the Open Work Planner button in the top right-hand corner of the screen:

Note: This will open the Work Planner in a separate browser tab.
Select the Resource Sheet tab in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen if it is not already open:
Select one of the substitution options from a Resource's drop-down menu:
- Simple Substitute (with a named resource): A Resource that represents an actual individual (either an Eclipse PPM user or a non-user) will be the replacement.
- Simple Substitute (with a generic resource): A Resource role will be the replacement. An individual's name will not be tied to the Tasks.
- Advanced Substitute: This option allows you to use Resource filters to find a replacement Resource.
Note: For information on the Find Matches option, see below.
Use the "What assignments should we replace?" drop-down menu to determine which assignments the new Resource will inherit:

Note: This field determines which assignments will be eligible for the substitute Resource to inherit. The actual portion of the assignments inherited will depend on the percentage entered into the "How Much? (%)" field below.
- Replace all assignments: The substitute Resource will inherit a percentage all of the original Resource's effort on the Work Plan.
- Replace assignments after a specific date: The substitute Resource will only inherit a percentage of the original Resource's assignments that occur after a certain date. A date field will appear that allows users to choose this date:
- Replace assignments on 'Not Started' tasks (task is 0% complete): The substitute Resource will only inherit a percentage of Work Plan Tasks that have not been started yet (0% complete).The original Resource will remain assigned to other Tasks.
- Replace assignments on 'Incomplete' tasks (task is < 100% complete): The substitute Resource will only inherit a percentage of Work Plan Tasks that have not been completed. The original Resource will remain assigned to completed Tasks.
Use the "How much (%)" field to determine the percentage of the effort that will be passed on to the new Resource:

Example: If "50" is entered into the "How Much (%)" field, the new user will only inherit 50% of the original Resource's effort. The original Resource will still be responsible for the remaining 50%.

Note: This percentage pertains to the Resource's effort, not the total Task effort. For example, imagine that Tim's time is only 50% allocated toward a Task:

Now imagine that Brady acts as a substitute Resource for Tim, but only 50%:

This means that Brady is taking 50% of Tim's workload, not 50% of the entire Task workload. Therefore, both Resources will be responsible for 25%:

This also applies if Tim is assigned to multiple Tasks on the Work Plan; Brady will take 50% of Tim's effort on each Task.
Use the "What should we do with the replaced resource" drop-down menu to determine what will happen to the original Resource's actual time:
- Remove assignments with zero allocated effort (0% / 0h): The replaced Resource will be removed from Tasks if its allocation toward the Task is 0% (or 0 hours) after the substitution.
  
  Note: If a replaced Resource was assigned to a Task but had a 0% allocation toward it prior to the substitution, that Resource will still be removed from the Task.
  
  Note: When "Replace all assignments" is selected from the "What assignments should we replace?" drop-down menu and "100 has been entered into the "How Much? (%)" field, the new Resource will take all of the replaced Resource's allocations. This means that the replaced Resource's allocations will become 0% and it will be removed from each Work Plan Task. However, if "Replace assignments after a specific date" is selected and the chosen date falls within the date range of a Task that the replaced Resource is already assigned to, the new Resource will only take over the Task after the chosen date. This means the replaced Resource will still have allocations before the chosen date and will not be removed from the Task.
- Keep assignments(reduced to 0% / 0h): The replaced Resources will still be assigned to the Tasks even when their allocation toward the Task is 0% (or 0 hours) after the substitution.
  
  Note: Resources will keep their assignments on Tasks even if they have not submitted any time toward them.
- Keep assignments on tasks with time entries (reduced to 0% / 0h): The replaced Resource will be removed from Tasks if its allocation toward the Task is 0% (or 0 hours) after the substitution unless that Resource has already entered time toward the Task on their Timesheet.
Click here for an example

Example: Jack Skelly (JS) is assigned to three Tasks on a Work Plan. His time has only been allocated to the "Convention Planning" Task; he has zero allocations on the other two Tasks:

Also, he has entered time toward the "Convention Guestlist" Task on his Timesheet even though he has no allocation toward the Task. On the "Convention Wrap Up" Task, he has no allocation nor does he have any time entries toward it.
The Project Manager decides to substitute Tim Stutzle for Jack on the Work Plan. Here is how Jack's assignment will be affected by each selection from the "What should we do with the replaced resource?" drop-down menu:

Remove assignments with zero allocated effort (0% / 0h)
Jack will be removed from Tasks if he has 0 allocation toward the Task after the substitution. In this case, "Replace all assignments" has been chosen from the first drop-down menu:

This means that Tim will take over all of Jack's allocations on the Work Plan, reducing them to zero. Jack is no longer assigned to any of the Tasks because his allocation is now zero on all of them:

Even though Jack's allocation on two of the Tasks was 0 before the substitution, he has still been removed from them.

Instead, imagine the first-drop down menu is set to "Replace assignments after a certain date" and the chosen date is May 1^st:

The "Convention Planning" Task that Jack is allocated to runs from April 29^th to May 3^rd:

This means that Jack will still have time allocated to the Task after May 1^st. His allocation will not be zero so he will remain assigned to the Task:

Keep assignments(reduced to 0% / 0h)
Jack will remain assigned to the Work Plan Tasks even when his allocation toward the Task is 0. If Tim replaces all of Jack's assignments as part of the substitution, Jack will still remain assigned to all of the Tasks at 0%:

This also applies to Tasks that Jack was assigned to at 0% allocation ("Convention Guestlist" and "Convention Wrap Up"). Jack will remain assigned to them after the substitution.

Keep assignments on tasks with time entries (reduced to 0% / 0h)
Jack will be removed from Tasks if he has 0 allocation toward the Task after the substitution. However, he will remain assigned to Tasks with 0 allocation if he has entered time toward the Task on his Timesheet.
In this case, he has already entered time toward the "Convention Guestlist" Task even though he has a 0% allocation toward it. If Tim replaces all of Jack's assignments as part of the substitution, Jack will only remain assigned to the "Convention Guestlist" Task:

Even though his allocation on all three Tasks is zero after the substitution, he is still assigned to the "Convention Guestlist" Task because he has already entered time toward it.
(Optional) Select the "Remove the resource from work plan if they have no other assignments" checkbox if you wish to remove the replaced Resource from the Work Plan if the original Resource will not have any more assignments after the substitution.
(If you are conducting a Simple Substitute) Type a name / role into the "Select a resource by typing here" textbox and select it from the drop-dowm menu that appears:

OR

(If you are conducting an Advanced Substitute) Select a Resource filter from the drop-down menu and select the checkbox of your preferred substitute Resource:

Tip: You can use the textboxes / drop-down menus in the column headers to further filter your results.
(Optional) Select the graph button next to the Resource to view its Load Chart:

Note: While conducting an Advanced Substitute, you may need to scroll horizontally through the Resource table to reach the Resource's Load Chart button:

Tip: Use the Options drop-down menu to configure the selected Resource's Load Chart. For more information, see View a Resource's Load Chart.
Select the Substitute button.

After clicking Substitute, the selected Resource will replace the original Resource on the on the Work Plan.

To find a match for the original Resource:

Before You Start: Eclipse PPM user require the "Manage Resource Assignment and Allocation" permission from one of the Project's Policies to substitute Resources on a Work Plan.

Note: You will not be able to use the "Find Matches" feature for a Resource if the Resource does not have a Resource Type on the Work Plan:

Navigate to a Project.
Select the Open Work Planner button in the top right-hand corner of the screen:

Note: This will open the Work Planner in a separate browser tab.
Select the Resource Sheet tab in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen if it is not already open:
Select Find Matches from a Resource's drop-down menu:
Use the "What assignments should we replace?" drop-down menu to determine whether or not the substitution will only take place after a specified date:

Note: This field determines which assignments will be eligible for the substitute Resource to inherit. The actual portion of the assignments inherited will depend on the percentage entered into the "How Much? (%)" field below.
- Replace all assignments: The substitute Resource will inherit a percentage all of the original Resource's effort on the Work Plan.
- Replace assignments after a specific date: The substitute Resource will only inherit a percentage of the original Resource's assignments that occur after a certain date. A date field will appear that allows users to choose this date:
- Replace assignments on 'Not Started' tasks (task is 0% complete): The substitute Resource will only inherit a percentage of Work Plan Tasks that have not been started yet (0% complete).The original Resource will remain assigned to other Tasks.
- Replace assignments on 'Incomplete' tasks (task is < 100% complete): The substitute Resource will only inherit a percentage of Work Plan Tasks that have not been completed. The original Resource will remain assigned to completed Tasks.

Use the "How much (%)" field to determine the percentage of the effort that will be passed on to the new Resource:

Example: If "50" is entered into the "How Much (%)" field, the new user will only inherit 50% of the original Resource's effort. The original Resource will still be responsible for the remaining 50%.

Note: This percentage pertains to the Resource's effort, not the total Task effort. For example, imagine that Tim's time is only 50% allocated toward a Task:

Now imagine that Brady acts as a substitute Resource for Tim, but only 50%:

This means that Brady is taking 50% of Tim's workload, not 50% of the entire Task workload. Therefore, both Resources will be responsible for 25%:

This also applies if Tim is assigned to multiple Tasks on the Work Plan; Brady will take 50% of Tim's effort on each Task.
Use the "What should we do with the replaced resource?" drop-down menu to determine what will happen to the replaced Resource's actual time:
- Remove assignments with zero allocated effort (0% / 0h): The replaced Resource will be removed from Tasks if its allocation toward the Task is 0% (or 0 hours) after the substitution.
  
  Note: If a replaced Resource was assigned to a Task but had a 0% allocation toward it prior to the substitution, that Resource will still be removed from the Task.
  
  Note: When "Replace all assignments" is selected from the "What assignments should we replace?" drop-down menu and "100 has been entered into the "How Much? (%)" field, the new Resource will take all of the replaced Resource's allocations. This means that the replaced Resource's allocations will become 0% and it will be removed from each Work Plan Task. However, if "Replace assignments after a specific date" is selected and the chosen date falls within the date range of a Task that the replaced Resource is already assigned to, the new Resource will only take over the Task after the chosen date. This means the replaced Resource will still have allocations before the chosen date and will not be removed from the Task.
- Keep assignments(reduced to 0% / 0h): The replaced Resources will still be assigned to the Tasks even when their allocation toward the Task is 0% (or 0 hours) after the substitution.
  
  Note: Resources will keep their assignments on Tasks even if they have not submitted any time toward them.
- Keep assignments on tasks with time entries (reduced to 0% / 0h): The replaced Resource will be removed from Tasks if its allocation toward the Task is 0% (or 0 hours) after the substitution unless that Resource has already entered time toward the Task on their Timesheet.
Click here for an example

Example: Jack Skelly (JS) is assigned to three Tasks on a Work Plan. His time has only been allocated to the "Convention Planning" Task; he has zero allocations on the other two Tasks:

Also, he has entered time toward the "Convention Guestlist" Task on his Timesheet even though he has no allocation toward the Task. On the "Convention Wrap Up" Task, he has no allocation nor does he have any time entries toward it.
The Project Manager decides to substitute Tim Stutzle for Jack on the Work Plan. Here is how Jack's assignment will be affected by each selection from the "What should we do with the replaced resource?" drop-down menu:

Remove assignments with zero allocated effort (0% / 0h)
Jack will be removed from Tasks if he has 0 allocation toward the Task after the substitution. In this case, "Replace all assignments" has been chosen from the first drop-down menu:

This means that Tim will take over all of Jack's allocations on the Work Plan, reducing them to zero. Jack is no longer assigned to any of the Tasks because his allocation is now zero on all of them:

Even though Jack's allocation on two of the Tasks was 0 before the substitution, he has still been removed from them.

Instead, imagine the first-drop down menu is set to "Replace assignments after a certain date" and the chosen date is May 1^st:

The "Convention Planning" Task that Jack is allocated to runs from April 29^th to May 3^rd:

This means that Jack will still have time allocated to the Task after May 1^st. His allocation will not be zero so he will remain assigned to the Task:

Keep assignments(reduced to 0% / 0h)
Jack will remain assigned to the Work Plan Tasks even when his allocation toward the Task is 0. If Tim replaces all of Jack's assignments as part of the substitution, Jack will still remain assigned to all of the Tasks at 0%:

This also applies to Tasks that Jack was assigned to at 0% allocation ("Convention Guestlist" and "Convention Wrap Up"). Jack will remain assigned to them after the substitution.

Keep assignments on tasks with time entries (reduced to 0% / 0h)
Jack will be removed from Tasks if he has 0 allocation toward the Task after the substitution. However, he will remain assigned to Tasks with 0 allocation if he has entered time toward the Task on his Timesheet.
In this case, he has already entered time toward the "Convention Guestlist" Task even though he has a 0% allocation toward it. If Tim replaces all of Jack's assignments as part of the substitution, Jack will only remain assigned to the "Convention Guestlist" Task:

Even though his allocation on all three Tasks is zero after the substitution, he is still assigned to the "Convention Guestlist" Task because he has already entered time toward it.

(Optional) Select the "Remove the resource from work plan if they have no other assignments" checkbox if you wish to remove the replaced Resource from the Work Plan if the original Resource will not have any more assignments after the substitution.
Select the checkbox of one of the recommended Resources:

Resources are recommended based on their Resource Type. In the example above, the Resource's Type on the Work Plan was an Analyst. The Work Planner has searched Eclipse PPM for other Resources that also have Analyst as a listed Type. Alistair's Default Type is Account Manager, but he also has "Analyst" listed as a Resource Type on his profile.
(Optional) Select the graph button next to the Resource to view its Load Chart.

Note: You may need to scroll horizontally through the Resource table to reach the Resource's Load Chart button:

Tip: Use the Options drop-down menu to configure the selected Resource's Load Chart. For more information, see View a Resource's Load Chart.
Select the Substitute button.

After clicking Substitute, the selected Resource will replace the original Resource on the on the Work Plan.