Back to ArticlesBack

Join 50,000+ PM Professionals

Get expert PM insights, PMP prep tips, and earn PDUs with exclusive content delivered weekly.

Protected by reCAPTCHA: Privacy & Terms

MPUG - Master Project User GroupMPUG

Bob G. of South Bend, IN and Chad of Marshalltown, IA both asked: Can you modify the resource usage view to show a percentage of work time on a task rather than the hours allocated?

Answer: This can be accomplished very easily by following the directions below:

  1. View | Resource Usage.
  2. Right click on the right side of the screen and select “Detail Style” or Format | Detail Styles.
  3. On the left side of the form scroll down and select “Percent Allocation.”
  4. Click on Show in the middle.
  5. Select a different color for the value at the bottom, click OK

Here is a picture of the result with the timescale zoomed to the by-week level. We are showing both percent allocation and work time on the assignment. I should note that the percent allocation is the percentage of the assigned work in relationship to the total availability as indicated on the resource calendar. The Percent Allocation is the second line in light blue.
Ask the Teacher: Resource Percent Allocation
In the Detail Styles form there are many fields that can be added to the view to customize the information you would like to show. Task Usage also has the same customization capability. You don’t have the ability to add custom fields to either view.

By the way, Bob G. said that he was thrilled to learn about this because adding this column was going to save him and the other project managers eight to 12 hours per month.

Get Weekly PM Insights

Join 50,000+ PMs receiving updates on the latest PM methodologies, PDU opportunities, tool reviews, career tips, and member exclusives.

Protected by reCAPTCHA: Privacy & Terms

PMI ATP
PMI Authorized Training Partner
REP #4082

Learning Paths

PMP® TrainingCAPM® TrainingPgMP® TrainingPMI-ACP® TrainingMS ProjectMS PlannerMS TeamsJira

PM Resources

PDU TrackerLive WebinarsSalary CalculatorTool ComparisonsJob BoardKnowledge BasePM GlossaryOur Faculty

Community

Discussion ForumStudy GroupsEvents Calendar

Follow Us

LinkedInYouTubeTwitterFacebook
MPUGMaster Project User Group

© 2026 MPUG. All rights reserved.

TermsPrivacySitemapAdvertise
Articles

Ask the Teacher: Resource Percent Allocation

Bob G. of South Bend, IN and Chad of Marshalltown, IA both asked: Can you modify the resource usage view to show a percentage of work time on a task […]

2 min read
•over 18 years ago•Updated 8 months ago•
E
Ellen LehnertAuthor
Project Management
Microsoft Project
Best Practices
Productivity
E
Ellen Lehnert

Content Writer

Ellen Lehnert, PMP, Microsoft Project MVP, MCP, is a independent consultant and trainer on Microsoft Project and Project Server. She has taught Microsoft Project over 400 times and is the author of  MS Project 2010 and 2013 published courseware. Ellen is also a contributor and tech editor for many reference books, a developer for the Microsoft Project certification tests and is a frequent meeting speaker for Microsoft, MPUG and PMI. Contact Ellen at ellen@lehnertcs.com.

View all articles by Ellen Lehnert
Related Content

Continue Reading

Discover more insights and articles that complement your current reading

Asana AI Teammates Are Now Included in Paid Tiers — and Billed by Consumption After That
Articles
1 min read

Asana AI Teammates Are Now Included in Paid Tiers — and Billed by Consumption After That

MPUG Editorial · September 18, 2026 · ~4 min read · Category: PM Platforms From mid-September, Asana AI Teammates and the Dash assistant are included in the company’s paid Agentic […]

A
Anonymous
6 days ago
Read
Teams Google Calendar Sync Retires in October 2026: What Project Managers Need to Do
Articles
1 min read

Teams Google Calendar Sync Retires in October 2026: What Project Managers Need to Do

MPUG Editorial · September 15, 2026 · ~4 min read · Category: Microsoft Tooling Microsoft is retiring Teams Google Calendar sync in October 2026, and if your program spans both […]

A
Anonymous
10 days ago
Read
Copilot in PowerPoint Live Now Explains Your Slides to Attendees
Articles
1 min read

Copilot in PowerPoint Live Now Explains Your Slides to Attendees

MPUG Editorial · September 7, 2026 · ~5 min read · Category: AI & Copilot Copilot in PowerPoint Live can now explain your slides to the people watching them. In […]

A
Anonymous
18 days ago
Read
Explore All Articles