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
For the water events company, the resources smoothing is the best approach as it would only increase cost but the deadlines will be met, which is the most suitable one as events guest will not lack water usage. Resource levelling will not work in MTD unless, the event date would also be adjusted to the new deadline date.
Considering MTD as a case study resources smoothing us the best approach, because application of resources levelling might affect the usage of water by the beneficiaries during their event which is bound by a timeline.
In the case of MTD Resource Levelling is the best approach in my opinion because they might be on a budget which results in the effective & efficient use of resources available but of course the deadline will be affected too.
For the MTD project, the application of either the resource smoothing or resource leveling depends largely on the Funds available. If there are no available funds to extend the project, the organization may decide to apply the Resource Leveling – that is, making do with what is available.
AKINREMI PATIENCE, COHORT 9, TEAM 1
MTD Event is a water company that supplies quality and safe drinking water to events. When they are given a project to handle. In situations like this, there will be a specific time frame for the execution of the project which I believe will be non-negotiable.
For these reasons, the best approach for executing MTD projects is resource smoothing because it works with a deadline to achieve results irrespective of the high cost.
As such, resource leveling will not be suitable for this kind of MTD event.
For a large water facility installation company like MTD, in most cases it is better for the project manager to have a meeting with the sponsors and tell them the major requirements of the project. The sponsors will always know to beat the set deadline, so it is better to go with resource smoothing and brief them on the benefits.
why is it best option and what it will need to achieve.
Considering the Water Project of MTD, Resource smoothing is adviced as the Project deadlines is not affected, The Glasglow event is on a set date, so its not advisable to delay critical or any activities as the company cannot afford a slip on Time.
However Overtime of the resources available or getting new resource to complete the project will be advised while managing the impact in Project cost and training new hires
Resource smoothing would be the best approach here considering it’s a multitasking project which needs to meet a time deadline increasing the project cost
The best approach here will be resource smoothing due to work ethics of MTD change in cost is acceptable in this case as long as deadline is met.
MTD’s project is time-bound. Rescheduling, in this case, will be highly impossible since most of their projects have to do with sporting events which run on their own calendar. I will recommend resource smoothing as the best approach because it focuses on preserving the planned project duration and deadline.
Cohort 9 (Team 6)
Resources levelling focuses on rescheduling with a possible impact on a projects deadline.
Application of resources levelling would be possible if there was no defined end date for the MTD’s project, However, if the project had a planned end date, implementation of resource levelling will alter project duration with zero cost, only if duration of activities on the non-critical paths was extended within the available float.
Resource leveling aims to balance resource availability and project schedule, ensuring a consistent workload for resources. However, in the case of MTD’s event, where various factors like venue availability, weather conditions, and vendor schedules might impact the project timeline, strict resource leveling might not align with the dynamic nature of event planning. Moreover, events often have unique and time-sensitive aspects that cannot be easily rescheduled. Therefore, while resource leveling principles could offer insights, resource Smoothing is a more flexible and adaptive approach necessary to successfully manage the complexities of event projects.
Considering the time-sensitive nature of the projects undertaken by MTD, I recommend adopting a resource smoothing approach rather than resource leveling. This approach prioritizes meeting the planned project deadline while allowing for increased project costs if necessary.