Hi,

in this Blog Post I will show you how to use Actual Start and Finish date with Material Resources in a proper way. Of course, using MS PROJECT 2013!

First I’m going to create brand new Project:

As you can see I will make a Backup, and a Cake in the same project

Now I’m going to create some resources:

Now I’m going to assign Resources to Tasks:

and then for a Cake:

as you can see I need Mary, and 10 eggs for the cake!

Now I’m going to switch to Task Usage View:

As you can see, for the Cake Mary will use 5 eggs first day, and 5 eggs second day! Does it make a sense. NO! So I will change that, so Mary will use all eggs in day no. 1:

and:

and you will get:

Now I will “schedule” eggs in Wednesday 10.06.2015:

and I will get:

Now it make a sense, doesn’t it?

Let’s say that our Backup was started and finished at Thursday, 11.6.2015:

and I will get:

Everything is just perfect. Now, let’s say that Mary started with making a cake at Wednesday, 10.06, and finished at Thursday, 11.06:

and I’ll get:

So far, so good! BUT! Le’s say that I spent those famous eggs at Friday, 12.06:

and I will get:

WOW! Wonderful! Mary made a cake without eggs, at Wednesday and Thursday, and Eggs were jumped in the cake from the blue at Friday! Magic eggs!! I’m kidding, of course. You can see that this Scenario doesn’t make a sense at all.

You should be very careful when you put Actual Start and Finish dates for Material Resources, according to work (People) Resources.  That is my point!

Best wishes!