Resource leveling examples
To help you get a better understanding of how resource leveling can be applied across your
team, here are some examples:
Example one: Delaying a project start date
A project requires a designer to create mock-ups for the client, but the designer was double-
booked, and the rest of the design team is occupicd as well. They decide to start the project
two days later when the designer is available. Since the designer works fast, the project end
date remains the same.
Example two: Obtaining additional resources
The IT team has been responding to a large number of II requests to deal with a virus that
infected company computers. Since the company's current antivinus software isn't robust
enough to handle the virus. the team decides to invest in new antivinus software so they're
able to fix the computers.
Example three: Postponing a project end date
The marketing team is launching a new social media campaign and they're waiting for
approval from the social media manager, who is currently out of the office due to illnes.
Since the campaign isn't time-sensitive, they decide to push the launch date back by a few
days so the manager has time to review.
Whether you lead a marketing, sales, or IT team, resource leveling can come in handy for
resolving resource contlicts. Once you decide on a solution, let the rest of your team know
your plan. You can use a meeting template to plan the agenda.
Project resource leveling
Adding project resource leveling to your arsenal of skills will help you become a more
effective leader. Here are some resource leveling strategies you can apply to your team.
Critical Path Method (CPM)
that's used to calculate
The critical path method is a common resource leveling technique
project duration without taking resource limitations into account.
This technique involves linking dependent project activities in a logical sequence in order to
calculate the earliest and latest possible dates that each activity can start and finish by. The,
"critical path" refers to the sequence of tasks with the longest duration that needs to be
completed in order to successfully close out a project.
Once you figure out the activities on the critical path, you can determine their "float," or
scheduling flexibility:
Total float refers to how long tasks can be delayed from the earliest start date without
impacting the project completion date
Calculation: (Late finish date) - (early finish date) or (Late start date) - (early start date)
be without impacting the start
Free float refers to the number of days that tasks can delayed
date of subsequent activities
Calculation: (Early start date of next task)- (early finish date of current task)
float of zero, meaning that if one task is delayed, the rest of
Tasks on the critical path have a
well.
the project is delayed as
replacing the current security system, and
let's say the 11T team is working on
For example,
critical and two noncritical tasks:
they identify two
Critical:
the company within two days
of current security software
across
Discontinue the use
software on all company devices within four days
Install and test the new
Noncritical:
software vendor within a day
Finalize purchase details with the
Create how-to guide for using new software within two days
Based on this example, the shortest project duration is six days, since the critical path
activities are crucial to complete the project, whereas noneritical tasks may be optional.
Fast tracking
There are times when projects must be delivered on or before the deadline to satisfy client
requirements. In those cases, you can use fast tracking to run multiple parallel tasks to speed
up the project. This schedule compression technique can only work if the activities can be
overlapped with one another to a certain extent.
For instance, activities with dependencies can be staggered and activities without
dependencies can ocur in parallel.
An example of fast tracking is when the software development team starts building the back
end of a website while the design team is finishing up the website mock-up. With the fast
tracking technique, the work gets done on time and on budget, but there's also a higher
possibility of reworks.
Crashing
When fast tracking can't be applied or it's not effective enough, you can implement the
crashing technique. This is where additional resources are allocated to a project to shorten the
timeline. In this case, you have to assess the needs of high-priority tasks and look for resource
options that provide the most value at the least cost.
For example, the marketing team needs two more writers since their deadline was moved up
by two days. With no spare team members, the project manager decides to hire two
freelancers they've worked with before rather than spend time looking for new writers.
Before you decide to use crashing to compress project schedules, be sure to get approval from
your manager or client about obtaining additional resources.
Critical chain method
The critical chain method is an updated version of the critical path method. Unlike the critical
path method, the critical chain method takes resource limitations into account. In this case,
the critical chain refers to the longest path of tasks, taking into account both task and resource
dependencies. A resource can only be allocated to one task at a time.
Project scheduling using this method involves listing required resources for tasks and
reassessing their availability when needed.
The critical chain method includes a buffer period, which is placed between the last task and
the project finish date, acting as a contingency for the critical chain activities. Tasks that
finish early increase the buffer. Conversely, delays in eritical chain activities use up this
buffer but won't affect the project completion date.
For example, to publish a piece of content on time, the manager determines the resources
needed: a writer, editor, designer, and developer. They set a buffer of five days in case there
are delays between content or design reviews.
The critical chain method aims for realistic estimates of project duration and resources so that
projects finish on time without overextending resources.
Read: Howto prioritizevour mostimportant work
Resource leveling tools
Resource leveling will become easier with more experience. As you practice this technique,
here are some tips and tools you can use to your advantage.
Use Gantt charts: A Gantt chart is a bar chart that visualizes a project schedule and can be
ideal for identi fying and planning the critical path. You can easily get a high-level overview
of the task dependencies, start and finish dates, and project duration. As the projeet
progresses, you'll be able to rearrange the chart and adjust dates as needed.
. Leverage project management software: Some project management sofiware comes with
resource leveling algorithms that can help resolve overallocation conflicts. Project
management software also gives greater visibility into team members' schedules, which will
assist in preventing scheduling conflicts and double-booking ahead of time.
Draw network diagrams: A network diagram is another type of visual representation of a
project's schedule. It's shown as a chart with sequences of boxes and arrows to depiet the
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chronology of tasks. It can be used to plan the schedule as well as track project progress.
When you connect the series of boxes, each representing a task with its duration, you'll be
able to identify the noncritical and critical paths.
Use previous projects as a reference: Keep an archive of past project plans and schedules so
that you can reference them when doing a similar project to come up with a more accurate
project plan. Looking at past successful or unsuccessful projects will give you a better idea of
how much leeway to give each task and approximate which resources are required so you can
gauge resource availability before the project starts.
Make realistic estimations of resource needs: Resource leveling efforts have a better chance
of succeeding if you clearly define the project scope up front and make realistic estimates of
resource needs.
Here are some tips for making more precise estimates:
Make estimations in a team to reduce personal biases
Include potential project risks in the estimation process
Estimate in ranges rather than specific values to cover a wider set of possibilities
Use the sanme estimationtechnique each time to yield more consistent estimates
The better the initial resource estimates, the less drastic the resource leveling will be if issues
occur later on.
Resource leveling vs. smoothing
Both resource leveling and resource smoothing can be considered resource management
techniques.
The primary difference between the two is the project constraint that's prioritized: Resource
smoothing prioritizestime constraints whereas resource leveling focuses on the availability of
resources.
Here's an example: Say you're booked to work on a task for eight hours for five days, but
you only need 30 hours to finish the task, so you redistribute the schedule to six hours a day.
By doing so, you have more leeway to work on other tasks without affecting the project
deadline.
Resource leveling is used when there's resource overallocation, whereas resource smoothing
is used when there's an uneven allocation of resources. Resource leveling comes with the
flexibility of moving project dates around. but project dates are set when you use resource
smoothing.
After using resource leveling to resolve overallocation conflicts. you can use resource
smoothing to even out the project schedule.
Read: The beginner's guide to the theory of constraints
Level up your resource leveling skills
To make the most out of limited resources, you can use the resource leveling technique to
distribute available resources to help projects finish on time.
Use this strategy in tandem with customized templates for your team, such as 1T
emplates or marketing templates, to plan and schedule your projects.
Resource leveling relies on having solid resource management skills, but work management
software can help you take your project coordination to the next level.
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