NOTE: This article is related to Magic Assign for OBX+PSX. If you are using Precursive 2.0 you can learn about Magic Assign here.

Magic Assign is the perfect companion for those already using OBX+PSX with Managed Resourcing Mode. It automates the time-consuming searching resource plans to find availability. Magic assign helps quickly find the best match resource to assign to a role or even individual task.

How to access Magic Assign

To access Magic Assign, navigate to the Phase level of a Project, and click the button in the upper-right corner. 

Tag Levels

Magic Assign introduces Skill Levels to Tags. You can set a Skill Level ranging from 1-5 to act as a measure of competence a Resource has for the chosen Skill.

Here’s how to Assign Tags to Resources:

1. Navigate to the Resources tab from Precursive HQ

2. Find the Resource you want to assign Tags to

3. Click on the Resource ID

4. When on the resource page, click on 'New' under Tags

5. Find the Tag you want to assign to this resource and define the Skill Level

6. Hit 'Save' or 'Save and New' to assign more Tags to this resource

Using Magic Assign

Magic Assign opens as a model from which you will be able to see all Tasks on the current Phase, as well as all the different Resources who can be assigned to those Tasks.

1. Filters: The filters allow you to define which Resources or Tasks are displayed.

2. Tasks: The Tasks are shown based on the Phase and Filters.

3. Resources: Resources are shown based on the matching Participant Role. The Resources are ordered left-to-right based on their Best Fit score.

4. Assign All: Once you have made your selection you can assign all the Tasks at once.

Filters

(1) Participant Role Filter

To start, you will need to choose the Role to assign, which can be done in the upper-left corner, e.g. Consultant or Project Manager. Magic Assign will calculate who the best fit is based on their Availability, Skill, and Cost. 

(2) Resource Skill Level Filter: 

You can filter by Skill level, which will show you the most ideal Resource for the Task. Once you select a Skill level, Magic Assign will recalculate and the best matched Resource will appear first. Selecting a Skill Level will only match Resources to that Skill where their Skill Level is equal to or higher than the one selected.

(3) Task Filter

To only assign specific Tasks you can filter the Tasks by Name. Enter a keyword and Magic Assign will recalculate availability for only the Tasks matching your filter.

(4) Add Skill Requirement

For Skills that are not included in your Template, for instance they may relate to the specific customer context e.g. Industry. You can add additional Skill Requirements which will then recalculate the Best fit Indicator based on the included Skills.

Indicator Labels

(1) Resource Best Fit Indicator

The Resource Best Fit % is weighted based on the scores across Availability and Skill. This is used to provide a single ranking for the Resources fit for all Tasks. This is used to order the Resources so that the best fit is always shown first.

(2) Resource Availability Indicator

The Availability displays as a percentage and indicates how much of the Task the resource has capacity for. If the Task is not yet scheduled, you will see a gray label.

E.g. The Task is planned for 16 hours over 3 days. This resource is only available for 12.4 hours across those same three days which is calculated at 78%.

(3) Resource Skill Indicator

The Skill indicator reflects the percentage of the Skill Requirements for that Task that the Resource meets that are of the same level as the “Resource Skill Level”. Skill Requirements that are defined on the Task can be shown on Magic Assign. These can be set on the Template, or they can also be added manually. 

E.g. If the Resource “E-commerce” is Level 2, and the “Resource Skill Level” was set to Level 3, then Magic Assign will only attribute the value of the Skill for Resources with Level 3 and above.

If a gray indicator is displayed, this means that the Task does not have any Skill Requirements.

Assigning Tasks

Tasks can be reassigned in an instant and can be done both individually and collectively. The “Select All” button under each Name enables you to assign all Tasks to a single person in one go, which will immediately add Bookings to the Precursive Plan. Alternatively, select the checkbox in the vertical list below each name to assign Tasks individually. 

Magic assign can be visited as many times as needed throughout the course of the project. When using Managed Resourcing Mode, the changes made are immediately reflected in the Precursive Plan.

Installing and Configuring Magic Assign

Magic Assign is an add-on to OBX+PSX and must be installed as a separate Managed Package. Contact support@precursive.com for access to Magic Assign.

Configuring Tag Skill Levels

Magic Assign introduces new fields on the “Tag” Object that should be added to the Page Layout and Tags Related List on the Resource.

NOTE: Existing Tags will not be assigned a Skill Level.

Add Tag Level to Tag Page Layout

1. Navigate to Setup > Object Manager > Tag > Page Layouts

2. Edit each Page Layout, adding the “Skill Level” filed beneath Tag Name.

3. Click Save and repeat for each Page Layout.

Add Tag Level to the Tags Related List on the Resource

1. Navigate to Setup > Object Manager > Resource > Page Layouts

2. Edit each Page Layout, configuring the “Tags” Related List to add the “Skill Level” filed beneath Tag Name.

3. Click Save and repeat for each Page Layout.

Assign the Magic Assign Permission Set

Magic Assign comes with a new Permission Set named “Precursive: Magic Assign User”. This provides access to the Skill Level field on Tag and the Skill Requirement field on Task. Assign this Permission Set to your Users. 

TIP: Include the Permission Set in a Permission Set Group to make Permission assignment easier to manage.