Page 223 - DCAP304_DCAP515_SOFTWARE_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Unit 11: Resource Allocation

that those activities which are not on the critical path do not have fixed starting and finishing Notes
times but are constrained by the earliest and latest starting and finishing times. However, this
seeming difficulty offers the planner considerable scope for adjusting the demand for resources.
This will be discussed in more detail later, but the limits within which resources can be adjusted,
without extending the overall project duration, are the resource requirements between the
earliest starting times and the latest starting times. This is illustrated in Figure 11.3, which
shows the differing resource requirements that arise when both earliest and latest start times are
considered and also highlights the resource requirements for those activities which are on the
critical path.
Figure 11.3: Resource Unit Aggregation

Resource Leveling

Having established the resource requirements through resource allocation and aggregation, we
will now examine the next phase of the planning and resource management process—resource
leveling. We will now compare those requirements with resource availability by developing
resource profiles. However, the most likely scenario is that, at some point, demand will exceed
supply. Such a scenario is illustrated in Figure 11.4.

Notes Disregarding factors such as economic considerations, if sufficient resources are
available so that supply always exceeds demand then, we should have no problem.

Resource leveling is the process that ensures resource demand does not exceed resource
availability. The ideal scenario would be a build up of resource usage at the beginning of the
project and a reduction at the end of the project. However, the approach to resource leveling will
also depend on whether resources are dedicated to a particular project or shared across several
projects and whether there is a need to keep all resources fully utilized.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 217