Modify Leveling Settings

Modify Leveling Settings

We can modify leveling to help us fine-tune how Project determines which tasks are leveled, and to what extent.

1 Click the Resources tab. In the Level group, click Leveling Options.

2 In the Resource Leveling dialog box, Under Leveling calculations, select how we want leveling to occur. If we choose automatic leveling, clear the Clear leveling values before leveling check box. When this check box is cleared, Project levels only new and unleveled assignments. This check box is selected by default, but when leveling automatically, leaving it selected can significantly slow down our work in the schedule because all tasks are leveled.
However, in the Look for over-allocations on a box, click a time period, or basis, for the sensitivity with which leveling will recognize over-allocations. Day by Day is the default. This setting establishes the point at which we want leveling to intervene. For example, when we have an overallocation within just one minute, one day, one week, or one month.
Manual leveling (the default) occurs only when we click Level All. Automatic leveling occurs instantaneously whenever we change a task or resource. Use automatic leveling if we want to reschedule tasks whenever resources are assigned more work than they have the capacity to complete.

3 Under Leveling range for, select to level the entire project or to level only those tasks falling within a specific time range.

4 In the Leveling order box, select the leveling order that we want: 

• Select ID Only to level tasks in ascending order of their ID numbers before considering any other criteria.

• Select Standard to first examine predecessor dependencies, slack, dates, priorities, and constraints to discover whether and how tasks should be leveled.

• Select Priority, Standard to check task priorities first and only then examine the standard criteria.

5 To prevent the finish date of our project from being delayed, select the Level only within available slack check box.

6 To allow leveling to adjust when a resource works on a task independently of other resources that are working on the same task, select the Leveling can adjust individual assignments on a task check box.

7 If we want leveling to interrupt tasks by creating splits in the remaining work on tasks or resource assignments, select the Leveling can create splits in remaining work check box. If a resource is assigned to tasks concurrently beyond what the resource's schedule can handle, then a task that has remaining work can be split and worked on when the resource's schedule will allow it.

8 To include proposed resources, select the Level tasks with the proposed booking type check box.

9 To allow leveling to change manually scheduled tasks, select the Level manually scheduled tasks check box.

10 If we want to clear the previous leveling results before leveling again, then click Clear Leveling.

11 If we are leveling manually, click Level All. If we are leveling automatically, click OK.