Resource Curves (Not MSP Work Contours)

What a planner means

How units/cost are spread over the assignment duration. Default is even (start → finish) unless you assign a curve. Front-loaded crew, back-loaded closeout, a custom hump — that is a curve, not a change to remaining duration.

Oracle: 21 points at 5% intervals from 0 to 100. Twelve default curves in the application. New custom curves start from linear; Prorate makes the 21 values sum to 100% and keeps the shape.

Where it lives

• RSRCCURV: curv_id, curv_name, default_flag, curv_data (Data).
• RSRCCURVDATA: pct_usage_0 … pct_usage_20 (the 21 points).
• Assignment: TASKRSRC.curv_id (Curve).

Assignable only on Fixed Duration and Units/Time or Fixed Duration & Units. Oracle: cannot assign a curve on Fixed Units or Fixed Units/Time.

Curve starts on the lagged start date. Timesheet actuals ignore the curve for actuals; remaining units still follow the curve. Expenses are not curved (Accrual Type still spreads them).

Manual future periods

Edit a bucket in the Resource Usage Spreadsheet and the named curve is removed; the assignment becomes a Manual curve. Re-apply a named curve and the typed buckets are lost. Leading zeros are treated as lag (shorten duration). Mid zeros are part of the shape. Trailing zeros are not stored.

More granular than 21 points: type the buckets. See Oracle future-period pages.

Microsoft Project

Work Contour (assignment field): how work is distributed. Default Flat. Edit the timephased work and it becomes Contoured. Microsoft: duration is split into 10 segments, not 21. Names (Flat, Back Loaded, Front Loaded, Bell, …) are Project’s list, not P6’s twelve defaults.

Do not map curv_id to Work Contour by name, or treat 21 points as 10 segments. MPX does not support resource curves (Oracle import/export guide). Do not drop curv_id and call the assignment linear.