Use resources to understand what the scheduled work requires over time. Resource loading can help answer questions such as “When does labor demand peak?” or “How much planned cost sits in next month’s work?”

Resources do not automatically level the schedule or drive activity dates and durations. A resource demand peak is something to review and plan around; it will not move activities by itself.

Open the Resources panel

Open a schedule and choose Resources. The panel provides resource assignments and a time-based chart. Select the resource category you want to inspect.

Use the category’s units consistently. A labor-hour value is not a count of people, and an inventory quantity is not a monetary cost.

Review or add assignments

Select the relevant activity and inspect its assignments. In an editable schedule, use the available assignment controls to choose a resource and enter the applicable planned values, rate, or distribution settings.

Check the activity, resource, and unit before filling down or copying assignments. The same resource can appear on many activities; changing one assignment’s amount does not necessarily redefine the resource itself.

Use the resource display/unnesting control where available to show assignments as rows beneath activities in the schedule grid. This is useful when reviewing which activities contribute to a total.

Read the loading chart

Choose a specific resource or the all-resource option, then review the chart over the timeline. Use Selected versus All Tasks to choose the relevant activity scope. Check active schedule filters as well, because the visible scope can affect what you are reviewing.

Cumulative shows an accumulated total rather than only the amount in an individual time period. A rising cumulative line and a peaked period chart can describe the same loading in different ways.

When a total looks wrong, first check resource category, unit, activity scope, filters, and the time window. Then inspect the underlying assignments.

Distribute the requirement over time

Distribution settings and curves control how assignment values are spread through an activity’s span. Available curve shapes include flat, bell, double peak, ramp up, and ramp down. Use a shape that represents how the work is expected to consume the resource.

For example, a flat curve may suit steady supervision, while installation might build to a peak. The curve changes the loading pattern; it does not change the activity’s network logic or create a resource-constrained finish date.

Manage reusable definitions in Assets → Resources and Assets → Curves. Copy a shared curve before making a change that should apply only to one reporting setup.

Imported resource information

Import coverage differs between P6 and Microsoft Project. The presence of a resource name does not imply that every rate, cost, contour, or timephased value was imported. Binary file compatibility and source settings also matter.

Consult P6 resources and assignments or Microsoft Project resources and assignments. XER export has its own omissions, so check the export coverage before treating a round trip as a full resource-data handoff.

Use loading in a planning review

Filter to the area or trade under review, check the period demand, and identify the activities responsible for a peak. If the crew or supply plan cannot support it, make a deliberate change to sequencing, durations, calendars, or assignments, then recalculate and review the loading again.