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
NDIDI IFEDIBA NWOKEDI, COHORT 17, TEAM 5
Quality should be focused on the customer’s needs.
– AGREE. The quality of a product should be customer-focused because if the customer is satisfied with it, it then means that high quality has been achieved.
Quality is focused internally.
– DISAGREE. When a product has quality, it should be evident both internally and externally, and not just internally.
Quality should be considered from the beginning of the project.
– AGREE. Yes, I completely agree. If a product is intended to have quality, it should be considered and implemented from the onset of the production to the end of the production.
The execution phase of a project is the most critical to achieve quality targets.
– DISAGREE. Quality targets should be achieved from the onset of the project to the end.
Quality issues should be discussed openly to find corrective actions.
– AGREE. Yes, quality issues should be openly discussed by the Project Manager and the stakeholders to attend to any area that needs correction or fixing.
Quality problems should be hidden from customers and possibly also managers.
– DISAGREE. Quality problems should not be hidden from managers. It should in fact be brought to the notice of managers and promptly addressed.
Also, if there is a quality problem and if the product has entered the market, it should be promptly recalled and corrected. That way, trust would be built between the project team and the customers.
People are keen on producing quality outputs.
-DISAGREE. Often, people just want the easy way out becaise it is faster. Creating quality takes more meticulous efforts and people don’t like stress.
Team members do not produce quality outputs without close supervision.
– AGREE. For quality to be achieved, there needs to be proper supervision during the project.
Resource levelling Versus Resource Smoothing
In the case of MTD water company, I believe resource smoothing is a more feasible approach, this is because MTD is working with a tight and fast approaching project deadline as observed in the scenario painted in the video.
Hence MTD event company, needs to look into an approach that doesn’t extend the project deadline but instead increase the cost either by increasing the resource capacity.
Ejiro Ogbon
Team 4, Cohort 17
Personally I think, for both MTD, the water installation events company and the Glasgow event, resource smoothing will be the better approach mainly because of the fixed dates of the projects
Let’s analyze the situation:
MTD, the water installation events company, is managing the Glasgow event. Considering the figure and descriptions, I think applying a resource levelling approach might be challenging for this project. Here’s why:
1. *Tight deadlines*: The event has fixed dates, and rescheduling might not be feasible.
2. *Limited resources*: MTD might have already allocated resources optimally, leaving little room for levelling.
3. *Complexity*: The event involves multiple stakeholders, and changes could impact the client and wider stakeholders.
However, if MTD identifies specific resource constraints or bottlenecks, they could attempt resource levelling by:
1. *Reallocating resources*: Shifting resources from non-critical tasks to critical ones.
2. *Rescheduling non-critical tasks*: Adjusting timelines for less important tasks to free up resources.
3. *Negotiating with stakeholders*: Collaborating with suppliers, contractors, or clients to adjust expectations or timelines.
But, if significant changes are required, a more comprehensive revision of the project scope, as mentioned in the text, might be necessary. This could involve:
1. *Reassessing priorities*: Evaluating what’s essential for the event’s success.
2. *Adjusting resources*: Adding or removing resources to meet revised priorities.
3. *Communicating changes*: Transparently sharing updates with stakeholders to manage expectations
So I think they should consider resource smoothing for the glassgow event.
Obongha, Bassey Ofem
Cohort 17
Team 7
Resources Levelling approach would be challenging for MTD Water Installation Company and Glasgow.
For me I will suggest Resources Smoothening is suitable for MTD Water Installation are temporary.
Resources Smoothening will allow the Project Manager to speed up the execution of the project to meet up with the required project completion time by adding new resources or working overtime.
For the Glasgow event, resource leveling is impractical due to its short duration and fixed timeline; instead, resource smoothing, which involves adding new resources or working overtime to meet deadlines, is the recommended approach.
CONFLICT AND ITS POTENTIAL SOURCES
I remembered witnessing a conflict that occurred during the implementation of Security Communication Upgrade Project in one the states in Nigeria.
Base on collaboration between the State Government and the security Agency to improve security, the State Government supported the agency to revamp the poor state of the agency’s communication system and in order to ensure effective project implementation and delivery, the contract was awarded to an independent security company instead of the agency’s communicatiin department handling the multi-million project for fear of failure and waste of government fund.
In the course of implementation, a conflict ensued between Engineers from the Contractor’s firm started by the technicians who are staff of security agency.
These technicians felt that they should have been the one to have handled the bulk of the installations at the various sites stating that since the bulk of the maintenance job would be undertaken by them as end users.
The rifts became hotter to the extent that the technicians began to withdraw their presence and support from the vendors.
This conflict arise as a result of differences in expectations and views between the agency’s engineers and the technicians of the security agency. This created an initial impediment to the progress of the project.
But since it was a high-level project implementation which was beyond the capacity and control of the agency’s specialized department, the project continued and was fully implemented with less input from the technicians.
The case would have taken a different direction if the technicians had sought for a mutual understanding and have negotiated with the contractor. That would not only speed up the timing for completion, a win-win scenario would have occurred because that collaboration would have led to more learning and modern skills acquisition on the part of the technicians.
Emmanuel Olusegun Omotere
Team 4
Cohort 17
I think it would be appropriate for MTD to use resource smoothing considering the water installation project is temporary and since it focuses on on preserving planned project durations and it deadlines unlike Glasgow that involved a long term resource levelling would be suitable.
In my opinion, applying the resource leveling approach to MTD, the water installation events company and the Glasgow event is not a good choice at all. The date and time for the event has already been fixed and the right thing to do is to try to meet up the demands of the event no matter what! The best option now is to apply the resource smoothening approach. This method will allow the project manager to speed up the execution of the project to meet up with the required project completion time by adding new resources or even working over-time. Also, the Project manager has to be careful so that mistakes are not made during the period of working over-time by his team.
Okiemute Iko-ojo Ojogbane
Cohort 17, Team 8
Resource smoothing is more suitable for the MTD project as events have fixed dates and it’s water installations are temporary unlike Glasgow. In the case of Glasgow, resource levelling will be appropriate for quality work which will last longer despite tampering with project timeline