Resource Leveling
Encyclopedia
Resource leveling is a project management
technique used to examine unbalanced use of resources (usually people or equipment) over time, and for resolving over-allocations or conflicts.
When performing project
planning activities, the manager will attempt to schedule certain tasks simultaneously. When more resources such as machine
s or people are needed than are available, or perhaps a specific person is needed in both tasks, the tasks will have to be rescheduled concurrently or even sequentially to manage the constraint. Project planning resource leveling is the process of resolving these conflicts. It can also be used to balance the workload of primary resources over the course of the project[s], usually at the expense of one of the traditional triple constraints (time, cost, scope).
When using specially designed project software, leveling typically means resolving conflicts or over allocations in the project plan by allowing the software to calculate delays and update tasks automatic
ally. Project management
software leveling requires delaying tasks until resources are available. In more complex environments, resources could be allocated across multiple, concurrent projects thus requiring the process of resource leveling to be performed at company level.
In either definition
, leveling could result in a later project finish date if the tasks affected are in the critical path
.
Resource Leveling is also useful in the world of maintenance management. Many organizations have maintenance backlogs. These backlogs consist of work orders. In a "planned state" these work orders have estimates such as 2 electricians for 8 hours. These work orders have other attributes such as report date, priority, asset operational requirements, and safety concerns. These same organizations have a need to create weekly schedules. Resource-leveling can take the "work demand" and balance it against the resource pool availability for the given week. The goal is to create this weekly schedule in advance of performing the work. Without resource-leveling the organization (planner, scheduler, supervisor) is most likely performing subjective selection. For the most part, when it comes to maintenance scheduling, there are very few logic ties and therefore no need to calculate critical path and total float
.
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
technique used to examine unbalanced use of resources (usually people or equipment) over time, and for resolving over-allocations or conflicts.
When performing project
Project
A project in business and science is typically defined as a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can be further defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems that are constituted by teams...
planning activities, the manager will attempt to schedule certain tasks simultaneously. When more resources such as machine
Machine
A machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...
s or people are needed than are available, or perhaps a specific person is needed in both tasks, the tasks will have to be rescheduled concurrently or even sequentially to manage the constraint. Project planning resource leveling is the process of resolving these conflicts. It can also be used to balance the workload of primary resources over the course of the project[s], usually at the expense of one of the traditional triple constraints (time, cost, scope).
When using specially designed project software, leveling typically means resolving conflicts or over allocations in the project plan by allowing the software to calculate delays and update tasks automatic
Automatic
- Technology :* Automatic transmission, or a car with an automatic transmission* Automatic firearm* Automatic watch* Automatic , a defunct American automobile company- Albums :* Automatic * Automatic...
ally. Project management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
software leveling requires delaying tasks until resources are available. In more complex environments, resources could be allocated across multiple, concurrent projects thus requiring the process of resource leveling to be performed at company level.
In either definition
Definition
A definition is a passage that explains the meaning of a term , or a type of thing. The term to be defined is the definiendum. A term may have many different senses or meanings...
, leveling could result in a later project finish date if the tasks affected are in the critical path
Critical path method
The critical path method is an algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities. It is an important tool for effective project management.-History:...
.
Resource Leveling is also useful in the world of maintenance management. Many organizations have maintenance backlogs. These backlogs consist of work orders. In a "planned state" these work orders have estimates such as 2 electricians for 8 hours. These work orders have other attributes such as report date, priority, asset operational requirements, and safety concerns. These same organizations have a need to create weekly schedules. Resource-leveling can take the "work demand" and balance it against the resource pool availability for the given week. The goal is to create this weekly schedule in advance of performing the work. Without resource-leveling the organization (planner, scheduler, supervisor) is most likely performing subjective selection. For the most part, when it comes to maintenance scheduling, there are very few logic ties and therefore no need to calculate critical path and total float
Float (project management)
In project management, float or slack is the amount of time that a task in a project network can be delayed without causing a delay to:* subsequent tasks * project completion date...
.
External links
- Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Microsoft Office Project 2007
- Open Workbench, open source free project software
- Project Management for Construction, by Chris Hendrickson
- Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling: Past Work and New Directions, by Bibo Yang, Joseph Geunes, William J. O'Brien
- Petri Nets for Project Management and Resource Levelling, by V. A. Jeetendra, O. V. Krishnaiah Chetty, J. Prashanth Reddy