project management#12

Resource Loading and Leveling

Concept 1) The typical resource managed in most projects is people’s time. Additional resources that may need to be considered are:

• Machine time/capacity – Does the project require time on a specific machine, particularly one that is a scarce resource?
• Facility availability – Are facilities physically large enough to serve the needs of the project? In labor-intensive projects this could be the facility of office space including desks, chairs, phones, and computers.
• Transportation – Some projects, such as a major demolition or a large convention, may put unusual strains on the transportation capacity of an area.

Concept 2 )   Resource loading is the level of demand placed upon individual resources during a specific time interval in a project schedule.

Concept 3)  Resource leveling seeks to minimize fluctuations in the resource demand created by a project.

Concept 4) The activity slope, associated with “crashing” a project, identifies the trade-off between time and money when duration is reduced to expedite a project. Generally, the cost to perform an activity goes up as its duration is reduced.

Why is it important for a project manager to resource load their project schedule? What problems may arise if a project manager does not resource load their project schedule?

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