Welcome > Resources module > Create a resource

Create a resource

  1. To add a resource manually, on the Home page, click Resources > Resource.
    Note The system populates some properties with default values. You can change the default values of properties to suit your configuration.
  2. Select a Category other than the Default by consuming a category.
    Note By default, a new resource is assigned to your working category.
  3. Enter a Username for the resource.

    Note The username of a resource cannot be more than 56 characters.

  4. Enter a display Name for the resource.

    Note The name of a resource cannot be more than 40 characters.

  5. Enter the Email address of the resource.

    If you create a resource without an active email ID, and the Unique Email Enforcement option is set Yes in the System Settings module, then an error is displayed.

  6. Enter a Password to use for accessing the System.
    Note

    • If a password format is specified, the password entered should adhere to the specified format. For example, minimum 8 characters which includes at least 1 alphabet, 1 numeric and 1 special character.

    • On Windows, the Microsoft Virtual keyboard is disabled when using a text box in password mode.

  7. To confirm the password, re-enter it in the Confirm Password box.
  8. Enter the Phone Number of the resource.
    A phone number cannot be more than 30 characters.
  9. Assign a Working Category other than the default by consuming a category.

    This field specifies the category that appears when a resource performs an action, such as opening a map or creating a job on a process in the TotalAgility Workspace or designer.

  10. Optionally, set the resource as supervisor.
  11. Optionally, assign a supervisor to the resource.
  12. Optionally, associate an existing persona with a resource by consuming the persona in the Persona box.
    You can associate only one persona with a resource. See Persona.
  13. Optionally, in the Work Allocation Rule box, consume a work allocation rule (see Glossary for more information) to directly assign to a resource so that work can be streamlined based on the order defined in the rule.
    Note This option is not available for external resources.

    The work allocation rule assigned directly to a resource takes precedence over the work allocation rule assigned to the working group. If the work allocation rule assigned to the resource is cleared, the one assigned to the working group will take effect.

  14. Optionally, set the date range (Start Date and End Date) when the user is available, using the calendars.
    By default, the date range is Not Specified implying that resources are always available.
  15. Set the security level for the resource.
  16. Set the skill level for the resource.
  17. Set Costs as follows:

    • Fixed Cost Rate: Set the cost of the resource irrespective of the length of the activity. This is the actual cost of the job.

    • Variable Cost Rate: Set the rate per time period for this resource. The variable cost is added to the job. For example, a service repair man has a fixed callout charge of $100 plus charges of $10 per hour. If the repairman takes 3 hours to fix an issue, the cost of the fix is 100 + (10 *3) = $130.

      To set the variable cost, enter a value, and select days, hours, minutes and/or seconds as the unit of measure.

  18. Click Save.

Set the managerial level

A resource is Not a Supervisor by default. Specify that the resource is a supervisor by assigning a managerial level.

The managerial level ranges from 1 to 10. Lower values indicate more authority than higher values. For example, a resource at the top of the hierarchy has a value of 1. This setting is also used to derive the hierarchy of managers within an organization.

  1. Select Supervisor for Managerial Level.
  2. Select the managerial level.

    You can remove the supervisor status of a resource.

Remove the supervisor status of a resource

To remove the supervisor status of a resource, first detach all subordinate resources to ensure that the supervisor has no subordinates.

Note If the supervisor has subordinate resources, a message appears.

  1. To detach resources from the supervisor:
    1. On the list of resources, select the resource to detach.
    2. In the Supervisor box, click Delete Delete.
    3. Click Save.
    4. Repeat this process until you detach all allocated resources from the supervisor.
  2. To remove the supervisor status of a resource:
    1. On the list of resources, select the resource.
    2. For Managerial Level, click Not a Supervisor.
    3. Click Save.

    The supervisor status of the selected resource is removed.

Assign a supervisor to a resource

When assigning a supervisor to a resource, take into account the managerial level of the supervisor. Only supervisors with a higher managerial level than the selected resource can become supervisor.

For example, a supervisor with a managerial level of 6 cannot supervise a resource with managerial level of 5.

Consume the resource who will act as supervisor in the Supervisor field.

Set the security level of a resource

Security level of a resource control the assignment of resource to an activity. The value of security level ranges from 1 to 10, with 1 being the highest level of security and 10 the lowest. The default security level of a resource is 10.

You can also set the security level on an activity to control which resource can work on that activity.

  • If you assign an activity a security level of 1, only resources with a security level of 1 can complete the activity.
  • If you assign an activity a security level of 3, only resources with security levels of 3, 2, or 1 can complete the activity.
  • If you assign an activity a security level of 10, a resource with any security level can complete the activity.

Modify the default security level of the resource.

Set the skill level of a resource

Managing training and competency records for a team or department members lets you optimize resource use. These records help you:

  • Assign work to the resource with the correct training and skill level. For example, a complex task most likely needs a resource with a high skill level.

  • Tailor support for team members based on their needs. For example, team members with lower skill levels may require additional supervision and training.

When you add new resources, define the skill level according to their competence. Skill levels are global and available across all business processes.

Skill levels range from 1 to 10, with 1 being the highest skill level and 10 the lowest. The greater the skill level of the resource, the lower the skill level value will be.

By default, the minimum skill level is set to 10 and the maximum to 1. Use the maximum and minimum skill levels of a resource to determine which activities the resource can perform.

When manually assigning work, TotalAgility makes only those resources with the requisite competency levels to perform the work available.

When automatically assigning work, TotalAgility only assigns resources that have the required skill level.

Specify whether resources are available based on server level or process level skill settings. Or, select resources regardless of skill level. See Configure the work process settings for more information.

At the process level, you can specify the skill level required to perform the job. See Configure the general properties of an activity for more information.

  1. Enter a Minimum Skill Level for the resource.
  2. Enter a Maximum Skill Level for the resource.