The Plan Matrix window allows you to see and edit the work amounts planned as person-days required to fulfill work activities. The Plan Matrix window can be used as an interactive leveling tool to ensure the quantity of work scheduled across various activities in your plan does not exceed the FTE (full-time equivalent) resources that will be available to execute it.
You estimate the level of effort based upon:
- The Total Cost ($) column value.
- The Per Days from Cost column value and its 12 monthly person-days components.
These two columns can then be used in one of the following ways:
- Do everything by Total Cost ($) and ignore Per Days from Cost.
- Do everything by Per Days from Cost and ignore Total Cost ($).
- Use both Per Days from Cost and Total Cost ($): and balance them by making the Backlog column zero.
If your agency uses the first or second approach, then the top-pane column identified in the table below can be ignored or hidden. (See Plan Matrix Window#topic_Plan_Pane_Description_PlanMatrix for the description of the columns.)
Column | Use "Total Cost ($)" | Use "Per Days From Cost" | Use Both Columns |
|---|---|---|---|
The 12 "month" columns | Can be hidden |
|
|
Total Per Days | Can be hidden |
|
|
Backlog | Can be hidden | Can be hidden |
|
Per Days from Cost |
| Can be hidden |
|
Total Cost ($) |
| Can be hidden |
|
Cost Man Days | Can be hidden |
|
|
Amount |
| Can be hidden |
|
