Resource Management

Question 1

what are the techniques associated with resource management?

Answer 1

• resource estimation
• resource allocation (planning)
• resource smoothing
• resource levelling

Question 2

what are the tools of resource estimation

Answer 2

subjective - guestimates based on experience
bottom-up - costs estimated in WBS then aggregated
comparative - based on similar projects parametric

Question 3

what is bottom-up estimation and advantages/limitations?

Answer 3

• done during project definition stage
• resource cost estimates done with those responsible for the work
• • generally accurate
• • time consuming, costly to perform
• • errors compound

Question 4

practical problems in cost estimation

Answer 4

• cost changes throughout project lifecycle
• less is known at the beginning about project so costs less likely to be accurate
• unforeseen circumstances out of control of PM e.g inflation, resource prices

Question 5

what is comparative estimation and advantages/limitations

Answer 5

• information for similar projects is used and scaled accordingly
• • quick and simple
• • can be accurate
• • relies on accurate historical data
• • extrapolations may result in inaccuracy

Question 6

what is parametric estimation and advantages/disadvantages?

Answer 6

cost = F(a,b,c,d,f)

+may reduce estimation process costs

• very dependent on domain and industry
• based on historical data

Question 7

what is resource allocation?

Answer 7

the process by which resources are mapped against activities

Question 8

what are the stages in the resource allocation process?

Answer 8

1. draw network
2. create bar (gantt) chart
3. develop resource bar chart (add resource load)
4. draw resource diagram/histogram
5. check capacity
6. optimise resource allocation (smooth or level) and draw final resource histogram
7. calculate the cumulative resource budget (S-curve)

Question 9

what is resource loading?

Answer 9

evening out resource usage to avoid peaks and troughs

overloaded - resource requirements exceed capacity

underloaded - more capacity than work to do

Question 10

what are the two types of resource allocation optimisation?

Answer 10

resource smoothing (time limited scheduling)

resource levelling (resource limited scheduling)

Question 11

what is resource smoothing?

Answer 11

• when the resource allocation is adjusted to fit within a fixed time limit.
• used when the priority for the project is time
• activities are moved to overcome capacity overload

Question 12

what is resource levelling?

Answer 12

adjusts the compltion time within a fixed resource limit
can include;
- extending or shortening task durations
- scheduling activities according to when resources are available
- focus is to optimise usage for each task through identifying resource underloads

Question 13

what is stretching?

Answer 13

if a task takes 2 people 2 days, stretch to 4 days with 1 person

Question 14

what is splitting?

Answer 14

if a task takes 2 people 4 days and the required persons are available 2 days this week and two days next, the task could be split over that period

Question 15

what is the S-curve?

Answer 15

cumulative labour budget for project

• resource bar chart gives cumulative resource usage for project
• plotted as a curve (S-Curve)
• expressed in units of labour e.g. man-hours/man-days/cost
• this is powerful tool for monitoring and control purposes

Question 16

what is general order for re-scheduling tasks?

Answer 16

1. activities with free float - can be started later without delaying successor tasks
2. activities with total float - can be started later without delaying project tasks on critical path should not be rescheduled

Question 17

what is resource loading?

Answer 17

a measure of a resource’s usage over a period of time.

Shown on resource histogram