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
Looking at the scenario of MTD and Glasgow project, while looking at resource leveling which does not change the current capacity but it focuses instead on rescheduling with a possible impact on project deadline. Which is not good for the project both companies are doing because it will won’t change the current capacity even if they need to change it.
Resource smoothing on the other might be good for it because it preserve planning deadlines but it can increase cost which might bring a delay in the delivery deadline.
Resource levelling involves rescheduling tasks within the existing resource capacity, which means that the number of resources available remains the same. It aims to balance the resource workload and avoid resource overloads. In the case of MTD and the Glasgow event, if they are already working at full capacity and have allocated all available resources to various tasks, applying a resource levelling approach may not be feasible.
If MTD is facing resource constraints and is unable to allocate additional resources to the project, rescheduling tasks without changing the resource capacity may lead to delays in project deadlines. This could be problematic, especially if there are fixed event dates or commitments to stakeholders.
In such a scenario, resource smoothing might be a more suitable approach for MTD. Resource smoothing focuses on preserving planned deadlines while allowing for increased project costs. It involves adjusting the timing and duration of tasks within certain limits to avoid resource overloads. By smoothing out the resource requirements, MTD could ensure that the workload is distributed more evenly over time without exceeding the existing resource capacity.
However, it’s important to note that the specific details and constraints of the Glasgow event, as well as the available resources and project requirements, would ultimately determine the feasibility and effectiveness of applying either resource levelling or resource smoothing techniques. A detailed analysis of the project’s schedule, resource availability, and stakeholder expectations would be necessary to make an informed decision.
Looking at Meredith and Mantel on Scheduling Resources, a thoughtless optimism is what is likely to affect my project(s).
As the PM of MTD, I will implement Resource Smoothing because of the nature of the Project deliverables. This is a project that will affect the comfort of the users. Hence, adopting Resource Smoothing keeps the project timeline in focus while incurring little cost due to an increase in funding for more resources. Applying Resource levelling will not only discomfort the users but will incur higher costs of resources due to rescheduling.
Considering the MTD water project and the fact that the company was contracted for an already planned event with time frame, opting for resource levelling will affect the time given for the project i.e the deadline because the activities of the project/resources need to be rescheduled or extended. Remember, the event can not be rescheduled because the project wasn’t delivered due to arising issues but if more resources and funds can be employed, the deadline can be met.
Resource smoothing, therefore, is the best option in this case (since a deadline has to be met and an event done).
Since the MTD has a deadline to complete the project,I think resource smoothening will be a better option because it aims to maintain the original deadline of the project.
Resource levelling might not be the ideal method here as the deadline is already close. Hence, resource smoothing is ideal so that the deadline can still be achieved.
In my recall, MTD allocates a certain amount of cost for redundancies and unexpected change of events, therefore resource smoothening will be most suitable.
Since they already have a fixed deadline(first to be at the event and last to leave) resource levelling will cause a lot of setbacks and might even result in project failure they don’t have float time.
Utilizing resource leveling on the Glasgow Project might not be a good way to handle the pitfalls of the project. This is because the above method affects the deadline of the project which was already at hand.
For the MTD project, resource levelling isn’t such a great idea, because it involves not meeting up with deadlines. But in a situation where this can’t be avoided, I believe a proper discussion/meeting be held with stakeholders to explain reasons why deadlines have to change so as to carry everyone along