RESOURCE

CONSIDERATIONS

Resource Consideration

■ Resources can include people, equipment, machines, tools,

facilities, and space.
■ The consideration of resources adds another dimension
(beyond the element of time) to planning and scheduling.
■ In many projects, the amounts of the various types of
resources available to perform the project activities are
limited. Several activities may require the same resources
at the same time, and there may not be sufficient
resources available to satisfy all the demands.
■ If sufficient resources are not available, some activities
may have to be rescheduled for a later time when
resources are available for them.

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 Learning Objectives
■ Learn how to take resource constraints into
account when developing a network diagram,
■ Determine the planned resource utilization for a
project,
■ Level the use of resources within the required
time frame of the project,
■ Determine the shortest project schedule with
limited resources available.

Resource-Constrained
Planning
■ Nearly all projects have limits on available
resources.
■ Project delays often occur due to certain
resources being unavailable.
■ A network diagram can be drawn to reflect the
availability of a limited number of resources.

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Resource-Constrained
Planning
■ One way to consider resources is to take them into
account when drawing the logical relationships among
activities in the network diagram.
■ In addition to showing the technical constraints among
activities, the network logic can also take into account
resource constraints.
■ The sequence of activities can be drawn to reflect the
limited availability of a number of resources. If
resources are to be considered in planning, it’s
necessary to indicate the amounts and types of
resources needed to perform each activity. For this
reason, a resource profile is often developed.
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Resource-Constrained
Planning
Technically Constrained Activity Sequence

Build
Build Frame Put on Roof
Foundation

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Resource-Constrained
Planning
Activity Sequence without Resource Constraints

Paint Living
Room

Paint Finish
Start Project
Kitchen Project

Paint
Bedroom

Resource-Constrained
Planning

Activity Sequence Based on Resource Constraints

Start Paint Living Paint Paint Finish

Project Room Kitchen Bedroom Project

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Planned Resource Utilization

■ It’s necessary to indicate the amounts and

types of resources needed to perform each
activity.
■ Resource utilization chart based on each
activity’s earliest start time are said to be
based on an as-soon-as-possible (ASAP)
schedule.
■ Resource utilization charts based on each
activity’s latest start time are said to be based
on an as-late-as-possible (ALAP) schedule.

Planned Resource Utilization

Painting Project Showing Needed Resources
Paint Stairs
and Hall
Paint First 4 Days
Floor Rooms 1 Painter
8 Days Paint
2 Painters Bathroom
2 Days
Paint Basement 1 Painter
Start Finish
Rooms
Project Project
4 Days
1 Painter

Paint Bedrooms
6 Days
1 Painter
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Planned Resource Utilization

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Resource Profile for Painters

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Resource Leveling
■ Resource leveling, or smoothing, is a method
for developing a schedule that attempts to
minimize the fluctuations in requirements for
resources.
■ This method levels the resources so that they
are applied as uniformly as possible without
extending the project schedule beyond the
required completion time.
■ In resource leveling, the required project
completion time is fixed, and the resources are
varied in an attempt to eliminate fluctuation.
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Resource Leveling
Look at the painting project to determine whether
resource utilization can be leveled.
- Critical path; activities on this path can not be delayed
- Non-critical path; activities have positive slack, can be
delayed
 Two alternatives actions could be taken to level the
daily resource requirements for painters:
Alternative 1. Delay the activity with the most positive slack
(“Basement Rooms”, +8 days slack).
Alternative 2. Delay “Bedroom” so that it will start on day 4, after
“Basement Rooms” is completed.

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Resource-Leveled Utilization

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Resource-Leveled Profile for Painters

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Resource Leveling

■ Resource leveling, or smoothing, is a trial-and-error

in which non-critical activities are delayed beyond
their earliest start times in order to maintain a
uniform level of required resources.
■ For a large project with many different resources,
resource leveling can get very complicated. Various
project management software packages are
available that will assist in generating a resource-
leveled schedule and resource utilization charts
and profiles.

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Resource-Limited Scheduling
■ Resource-limited scheduling is a method for
developing the shortest schedule when the number or
amount of available resources is fixed and cannot be
exceeded.
■ This method will extend the project completion time if
necessary in order to keep within the resource limits.
■ It is an iterative method in which resources are
allocated to activities based on the least slack.
■ In resource-limited scheduling, the resources are
fixed, and the project completion time is varied
(extended) in order not to exceed the resource limits.

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Effect of Limited Resource Availability

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Original Resource Utilization

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First Resource Allocation

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Second Resource Allocation

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Third Resource Allocation

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Notes:
■ As the result of third iteration of allocating the
painters, the project completion time is four days
beyond the required project completion time, but all
the activities have been scheduled to start and
finish so as to stay within the limit of two painters.
No further iterations are needed.
■ In order to accelerate the schedule to complete the
project by day 12, it would be necessary to
implement one or more approaches to schedule
control, such as adding more painters, working
overtime, reducing the scope of work or the
requirements for some activities, or increasing
productivity.

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Resource-Limited Scheduling

■ For a large project that requires many different

resources, each of which has a different limit of
availability, resource-limited scheduling can get
very complicated.
■ Various project management software packages
are available that will assist with this process.

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The Differences between Resource

Leveling and Resource-Limited Scheduling

Fixed Variable Elements for Resource Leveling and

Resource-Limited Scheduling

Fixed Variable
Resource Project Required Resources
Leveling Completion Time

Resources- Resources Project Required

Limited Completion Time
Scheduling

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Project Management
Software
■ Provides excellent features for handling resource
considerations within a project.
■ Allows you to create and maintain a list of resources.
■ Resources can be assigned to various tasks within a
project.
■ The user is informed if any resources have time
conflicts or if they are over-allocated.
■ Numerous resource allocation reports can be
generated.

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Exercise
Activity Immediate Activity Number of
Predecessor Time Resource Limits
A - 4 2
B - 4 1
C - 4 2
D A 2 5
E B 3 2
F C 2 2
G D 3 5
H G 5 3
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Exercise

■ Draw network diagram

■ Draw resource utilization
■ Level resource based on resource
limitations

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Case Study #1
A Not-for-Profit Medical Research Center
Using the revised schedule you calculated in response to
item 1 in Chapter 7 to eliminate all the negative slack (or
if you did not have any negative slack to eliminate, then
use the schedule you calculated in item 2 of Chapter 6),
and the responsibility matrix you developed in Chapter 5,
now develop:
1. A planned resource utilization chart; and
2. A resource profile, for each resource, based on an as-
soon-as possible (ASAP) schedule.

Note: this case study will continue in Chapter 9, so save the results of
your work.
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