How to Schedule Projects in Dynamics 365 Project Operations

In the business landscape, projects rarely follow a set, well-organized path. Nevertheless, every project requires project managers to define time, resources, and a set of tasks to achieve an objective effectively. These factors must be expertly managed to deliver outstanding Project Operations results.

The process of assigning tasks is fundamental to efficiently utilize resources, obtain realistic project scheduling, and identify resource capacity or potential bottlenecks. That is why project management is critical for businesses.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Project Operations is an excellent solution to improve resource bookings and achieve an equitable task assignment, avoiding duplicated resources in a task. Additionally, Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Project Operations enables intelligent resource assignments with real-time visibility to resources using unified scheduling.

To achieve the effective use of this tool and utilize the scheduling, it is necessary to follow some steps.

In this article, I will explain, step by step, the most effective manner to schedule resources in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Project Operations.

Scheduling resources and projects in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Project Operations

First, you have to create the project where you want to assign a resource.

1. Login to https://login.microsoftonline.com with your assigned email and password.

2. Then, select the “Project Service” module and click on “projects” within the Planning and delivery option:

3. Next, you have to select the “New project” option to create it or select an existing one by clicking on the project name.

4. Then, we have to select the task option to enter the “Work Breakdown Structure” (WBS):

5. After completing the tasks created with the required dates within the WBS, we must assign a general resource to each task:

6. Afterwards, we have to select the “generic resource” to reserve a company and associate it with the required role. Then, click on the tap Team, “BOOK” option:

7. After all General requirements are done, go to the schedule board and then select the necessary filters (date, role, type, etc.) in the “Schedule Assistant Filter” section to apply the search for the required resource:

8. With the above filters’ application, we will see the desired resource and its availability to schedule. Then, we have to select the day where we want to apply this scheduling:

9. As soon as we have selected the resource, we can visualize the “Create Resource Booking” section to create and confirm the resource scheduling according to the required availability:

10. Subsequently, if the reservation was successful, the update will be shown and updated in the Schedule:

11. At the Project Team Member section, we will see the booked resource with the dates and hours indicated. This process must be done for all the generic resources associated with the project.

12. Finally, we can go back to the WBS section to associate the resource booked with the tasks needed.

Thanks to this functionality, I have improved scheduling resources and assigning them correctly to a project avoiding overload and distributing all the tasks equitably.

This allows us to optimize the use of each resource to deliver the projects without delays.