Chapter 8 Resource Considerations

1. Chapter 8Resource Considerations

2. Learning Objectives • Learn how to take resource constraints into account • Determine the planned resource utilization for a project • Level the use of resources within the required time frame • Determine the shortest project schedule with limited resources 2 2

3. Real World Example • Vignette: San Diego County moves toward e-government • First year: replace 15-year old telephone system, old PCs, the data network, and several key software applications. Implement first ever countywide e-mail and voice mail systems. • Second year: replace the outdated HR system and their old financial system. Develop data warehousing capabilities. • Third year: provide an internet delivery channel for all county services, such as on-line permits and tax payments. • A $644 million pact was approved, making this one of the most aggressive outsourced contracts by a U.S. local government. 3 3

4. Real World Example • Vignette: Advice from an Expert – Barbara Perrier-Dreyer • After numerous successful projects and awards, Barbara offers the following suggestions: • Spend plenty of time on up-front design and requirements • Ask technical leads HOW they will build the product • Make sure you can measure progress along the way • Test. Test. Test. • Give the team regular feedback • Have some fun and say thank you – a lot!

5. 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. 4

6. Planned Resource Utilization • It’s necessary to indicate the amounts and types of resources needed to perform each activity. • Resource utilization based on each activity’s earliest start time are based on an as-soon-as-possible (ASAP) schedule. • Resource utilization charts based on each activity’s latest start time are based on an as-late-as-possible (ALAP) schedule. 5

7. 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. 6

8. 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 resourcelimits. 7

9. 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. 8