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
While resource levelling is theoretically applicable to MTD’s Glasgow project, the fixed event date limits its use. A better approach may be resource smoothing keeping the deadline firm while redistributing tasks within available float rather than full resource levelling which risks pushing the project past the event date.
Christabell Simalambo
Cohort 32, team 3
Resource overload in project management refers to a situation where the demand for resources such as time, personnel, budget, or tools exceeds what is actually available. It is a common challenge in many projects and can significantly affect performance, quality, and overall project success.
A comprehensive view of resource overload goes beyond simply “too much work for too few people.” It includes poor planning, unrealistic deadlines, weak prioritization, and sudden changes in project scope. In M&E and public health projects, this can happen when field staff are assigned multiple overlapping tasks such as data collection, reporting, and supervision without adequate time or support.
The impact of resource overload includes reduced productivity, increased errors, staff burnout, and delayed project delivery. It can also affect data quality and decision making, especially in sensitive projects where accuracy is critical.
To manage resource overload effectively, project managers need to prioritize tasks, allocate resources based on capacity, and use planning tools to balance workloads. Open communication with stakeholders is also important to manage expectations and adjust timelines when necessary.
Ethically, it is also important to consider the well-being of team members. Overloading staff can lead to stress and poor performance, so sustainable workload management is both a practical and moral responsibility.
Overall, resource overload highlights the importance of realistic planning, effective coordination, and ethical leadership in ensuring successful project delivery.
Resource overload in project management occurs when the available resources such as people, time, budget, or equipment are insufficient to meet project demands. This situation can negatively affect project quality, timelines, and team performance if not properly managed.
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.
Ubong Etim (for Ubama Solutions)
No. It is not safe to apply project leveling to MTD projects since their projects always have deadlines tied the kickoff time of the main events. Project smoothing is appropriate. For me, I think it’s better to incur extra costs to deliver a project that have fixed deadline with the agreed timeframe and maintain good relationship which will bring about better opportunities than fail to deliver on time. Thank you.
Yes, it may be possible to use resource leveling in this situation, but it will depend on the time available for the project. Resource leveling can help spread the workload and avoid overusing people or equipment. However, if the event has a strict deadline, it may be difficult to adjust the schedule too much. Therefore, the project team would need to balance the available resources with the time constraints to make it work.
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Because MTD projects usually have a fixed deadline, resource levelling will not be a good option. A rescheduling of the project timeline may mean a failure of the project as the event has to go on and cannot be rescheduled easily. But in a situation where the issue is communicated to the project sponsor and stakeholders early, resource levelling could work if the project is one that its deadline could be adjusted easily.