How do resource smoothing and resource leveling differ from each other?
Resource smoothing aims to maintain original project deadlines while increasing project costs. On the other hand, resource leveling does not alter the existing resource capacity but instead emphasizes rescheduling, which may have an impact on project deadlines.
The accompanying diagram, sourced from the APM Body of Knowledge, provides a comparison between the two approaches.
Resource levelling and smoothing options (APM, 2019, p. 179)
© Association for Project Management (APM) (2019) APM Body of Knowledge (7th edn), Princes Risborough: APM.
At a more significant level of impact, certain projects undergo more than just rescheduling or resource allocation adjustments. They may undergo a reevaluation of their project scope by the project sponsor. This involves a broader analysis of the entire project and requires reconsideration of how time, cost, and quality interact within the project.
A prime example is the review of large-scale infrastructure projects like railways. Such projects often undergo rescaling due to increased costs, resulting in significant deviations from the original plans. The consequences of these revisions can affect the client and a wider range of stakeholders and may even result in the loss of subsequent work opportunities (Kerzner, 2009, p. 529).
Now, let’s consider MTD, the water installation events company, and the Glasgow event that you have been following in the course videos thus far. When examining the provided figure, do you think it would be feasible to implement a resource leveling approach in this scenario?
Share your thoughts and join the discussion below.
© The Open University
Yes, applying a resource leveling approach could be beneficial for MTD company in managing their resources and addressing the challenges they face. Resource leveling aims to balance resource usage to avoid over-allocation or under-utilization, which can help improve project efficiency and mitigate scheduling conflicts.
It’s important to note that while resource leveling can help optimize resource usage, it may impact project deadlines. The trade-off between resource utilization and project timeline needs to be carefully managed and communicated to stakeholders. By adopting a systematic resource leveling approach, MTD Event Company can better manage their resources, reduce the likelihood of conflicts, and improve overall project performance.
For MTD, resource smoothing is a better option because a lot of things can come up which may be totally out of control or new in the climate and a need to adjust is necessary.
For MTD, Resource smoothing would be the best option as this will involve increasing the resources but maintaining project delivery deadline, thereby making the event to start on the specified date without any disruption.
Attempting resource levelling will not be a good option as this will mean maintaining the current situation and altering the project delivery date (not meeting the customers’ project delivery deadline). This will greatly impact negatively on the proposed event as the start date will have to changed or start without MTD required services.
Name:Nnabuife Chiamaka Rosemary
Cohort 7
Team2
Following, the project,of MTD , I will like to indicate the importance of project manager in a project, “flexibility, transparency, and the ability to solve every challenge presented to him or her.
Now, looking, at this present project, we understand that any slightest change can change everything including time, cost etc, but as a project manager,you have to deliver.
Using the resource leveling approach, it means,the deadline will change,it will affect their time management and increase cost.
Inclusion,as a project manager, using the resource leveling approach will affect the project, but, at the end, it will enable you to adjust and deliver positive result.
Considering MTD’s work scope, resource leveling will not work due to stakeholders expectations and concerns , however, resource smoothing will be a perfect fit.
The peculiar nature of processes of production of water at MTD and the constant flow that the system demand because of consumer needs the resource leveling will not be a suiting approach rather resource smoothing is appropriate becaused it focuses more on meeting and maintaining project deadlines even as the project cost is likely to increase. The scope of project and the time frame needed to satisfy clients and stakeholders favour resource smoothing.
MTD is a water installation project in which any delay or prolong of any of its activities will affect its completion. Using resource levelling will definitely affect the completion time of the water installation because resource levelling is a technique in which the start and finishing dates are adjusted based on resource constrained with a goal of balancing the demand for the resources with available supply.
I will recommend resource smoothing because it has an alternative way of dealing with resource overload by moving some of the resources from non- critical path activities so that the project gets completed on time.
Resource smoothing… according to the diagram shown I observed that in this sheduling it has a planned end….in whatever you’re doing using this project method,consideration of time should be our major factor .
And secondly can even implement such in the project of water installation event company and the Glasgow event just to make sure as a project manager you deliver before the deadline and as well maintain quality of the project.
No because it will affect the deadline for project completion and water is an essential commodity to any community.
So I’ll recommend smoothing ahead of levelling in this scenario.
Applying resource leveling is okay here since it only affects time and not cost.