A comprehensive view on resource overload ( PM Course discussion)

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

A comprehensive view on resource overload ( PM Course discussion)

1,606 thoughts on “A comprehensive view on resource overload ( PM Course discussion)

  1. Resource smoothing is used when the time constraint takes priority. The objective is to complete the work by the required date while avoiding peaks and troughs of resource demand. Resource levelling is used when limits on the availability of resources are paramount. It simply answers the question With the resources available, when will the work be finished?

    Few re-usable resources are limitless, so the time schedule has to be adjusted to take into account the limited availability of resources over time. There are two approaches to reconciling resource limits and time constraints; resource smoothing (or time limited resource scheduling) and resource levelling (or resource limited scheduling).

  2. Resource smoothing for MTD is better, because their work has to do with a fixed date of delivery, there is no way they they can reschedule since it is a fixed day of event.

    Reply

  3. Considering the MTD’s Glasgow event scenario, resource leveling will not will not work because the stakeholders are not flexible with time of delivery.
    However, the best approach to use is resource smoothing which will have effect on the cost but delivering date will be achieve.

  4. Since resource leveling involves adjusting project start and finish dates to match resource availability, potentially extending the timeline if necessary. It is possible and feasible to implement resource leveling in the MTD’s and Glasgow’s projects, because the goal is to balance resource demand with available supply, ensuring that no one is overworked or underutilized.

  5. Resource leveling can work, however, the disadvantage in resource leveling is that the project may end up being below the original standard and quality that was envisioned. In my opinion, if the resources can be made available, it should be smoothed in order to maintain the standard that was initially planned, but if the resources are not available, the rescheduling is the best option to work with.
    Deborah Adeoye

  6. Resource leveling is feasible to implement in this scenario because, scheduling of project activities will be shifted within their available floats. And the stable workload reduces the risks of stress, together with enhancing morale.

  7. Resource leveling is a project management method used to fix situations where too many tasks need the same resources at the same time. It does this by moving some tasks around without hurting the overall progress too much.

    For MTD’s water installation project at the Glasgow event, it’s important to check if this method will work by looking at things like deadlines, how many people and tools are available, and how it might affect cost and quality.

    If the Glasgow event has a tight deadline, resource smoothing would be better. It helps make the best use of resources without changing the project timeline. But if there’s more time to work with, resource leveling can help reduce pressure on workers and improve efficiency.

  8. Implementing a resource leveling approach for MTD’s Glasgow event would depend on the project’s deadline flexibility, stakeholder impact tolerance, scope adaptability, and cost considerations. If deadlines are flexible and stakeholders can accommodate changes, resource leveling may be feasible. However, if strict deadlines are in place, alternative approaches like resource smoothing or reevaluating the scope might be more appropriate.

  9. According to my understanding Resource levelling is a technique used to align available resource with capacity while smoothing is preserving the deadline no matter the circumstance.
    Using MTD and Glasgow company, considering the type of product and service the deliver, both resource smoothing levelling is the best technique to apply.
    Resource levelling will be a good technique because the company has to deliver quality outputs but in the case of some unforseen circumstance, they have to apply smoothing because they can’t afford to delay delivery if the product.

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