What if analysis lets you test out changes to resource capacity, project timings and different mixes of projects. And to see the impact they have on your resources, projects and portfolio.
Note: This article refers to projects. Depending on your configuration, you may see alternate terminology used in your environment.
The following features when used together provide a robust what-if analysis capability.
Scenarios
Scenarios are like versions of plans. A scenario can be created and used to test out changes without impacting your current resource plan.
Model resource capacity changes
Sometimes you need to model the effect of increasing resource capacity (i.e. hiring staff) or reducing the capacity of resources (i.e. laying off staff) to help you understand the effect this will have on your plan. This can be done using the capacity adjustments feature.
Include and exclude projects
You can include or exclude projects from the plan. When you exclude a project, the project remains in the plan but the project allocations are excluded from the plan utilization calculations, the dashboard and the utilization heatmap and charts. Excluded work will pause meaning the remaining work estimate and timings remain as is (as if work has stopped on the project).
Resize a project (extend or compress)
Use the resize option to extend or compress the length of a project. Choose if the amount of work stays the same or adjusts to the new project duration.
Adjust project timings
Adjust the timing of your projects to see the impact on your resources. You can move a project backward and forward in time.
Set priorities
In priority view, you can organize your projects and resource allocations by priority.
Work at the top of the plan has a higher priority than work at the bottom of the plan. The priority of work is used to decide when to show over allocation alerts.
Cut off
You can also use the cut off line to exclude projects from the plan.