Understanding Positions and Allocations

In Operating, work on a project is organized into positions and allocations.

• A position is a role someone holds in a project. It can have attributes like rate and (optionally) role, seniority, or skills (requirements).

• An allocation is a block of time assigned to that position for a specific period.

One position can have many allocations. For example:

• Lauri is a Project Manager on Project X (position)

• His allocations might be:

  • 100% for the first two weeks

  • 50% for the next week

  • A break (no allocation) for two days

  • 4 hours on one day the following week

This structure makes it possible to plan work accurately while preserving history — a position records who held the role, while allocations record when and how much they worked.

To learn how to add, edit, or end allocations, see Managing Allocations on the Timeline.

FAQ

• What if a person has multiple different “roles” within one project? In some cases, a person might have multiple positions on a project, e.g. if they work as a project manager and a strategy consultant. This is completely fine.

• A new consultant is replacing someone else in a project, how to make sure historical data is preserved? When rotating a consultant off a project and replacing them with another person, end the current consultant’s allocation on the project. Then add a new position for the incoming consultant and create an allocation starting from that day onward. This ensures historical data is preserved.

• How can I remove a person from a project? To remove a person from a project, you can click on the project position they’re assigned to, and in the popover that appears, remove them as the assigned person for the position.