Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation: Booking resources in the past with the Schedule Board

UPDATE, 19 Oct 2017
Microsoft has released update 2.1.0.30 for the PSA solution. One addressed issue is the bug in having to switch from Hours view to Day view to display resources.

--------------------
Tested on:
Dynamics 365 version 9.0
PSA solution version 2.0.0.273

Sometimes there's a need to book resources in the past if only to align what is seen on the Schedule Board with what actually occurred in your business. An example could be where your company's Resource or Project Manager has been sick and thus has not updated your company's resource bookings on the Schedule Board. Your business naturally doesn't wait for someone to return from sick leave so you and your manager doing the resourcing may find yourselves in a situation where what was planned and what actually happened don't match.

Resourcing in the past requires a few more clicks on the Schedule Board than what is usually needed so at first it may seem like Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation wouldn't allow it. There is, however, a small trick to get resourcing in the past done. A good place to start is the Project Team Members Associated View. This is accessed from the Related Records arrow at the top next to the project's name. Select a created generic resource and click on Hard Book to open up the Universal Resource Scheduling (URS) board or short the Schedule Board.

The Schedule Board will greet you with a kind error message stating there are no search results due to the fact that the dates are in the past. When you click ok, you will be able to access the Schedule Board's functionality.

Now comes the very important part. To get the bookable resources to show up on the board, do the following:

1. From the top of the board you must the change the view mode from Hours (always default on the board) to Days, Weeks or Months. I recommend Days for an easier overview of the resources.

2. The Schedule Board will give the same initial error message again. Simply click OK to ignore it.

3. The Schedule Board will now display the respective project.

4. Click on refresh at the top right corner.

5. Select the desired resource and proceed with the booking.

Looking at the photo below you will notice that the Book button is greyed out. This is because the Start Date and End Date are not set to the dates on which I want the booking to occur. When you set the dates, you will be able to book the resource.

Going back to the Project Team Members Associated View I can see that my resource Jane Doe now has 8 Booked Hours as well as 8 Assigned Hours.

I hope this small tip helps you use the Schedule Board more effectively. Big thanks to Matt Johnson for bringing this matter to light.

Disclaimer: 
All my blog posts reflect my personal opinions and findings unless otherwise stated.