Project Management Techniques Report: Time & Resource Optimization

This report delves into project management techniques focusing on time and resource optimization. It begins by assessing current resource utilization and identifying areas for improvement. The core methodologies explored include the Critical Path Method for determining project task durations and identifying critical paths, cross-functional resource allocation to enhance team collaboration, and fast-track scheduling to mitigate delays. The report also examines project crashing to reduce project timelines. A case study is presented, detailing how these techniques were applied to optimize a construction project, including adjustments to schedules, resource allocation, and cost analysis. The report concludes with a comparison of the original and optimized project schedules, highlighting the benefits of these techniques in terms of reduced project duration and cost savings, emphasizing the importance of project manager coordination and phased construction approaches for efficient project delivery. The report also includes references to relevant academic sources.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
PLANNING REPORT
TIME AND RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION
For time and resource optimization, the current utilization of resources was first explored
through calculations of total available force, effective force, and ideal force, based on which
effective workforce ratio and ideal force ratio was calculated.
The figure above shows the existing timelines and durations of the project schedule and based
on the same calculations were made and scope for optimization was identified. One key
method of resource optimization is resource levelling which involves critical path analysis,
fast tracking of the processes, and project crashing (Alcabes, 2000).
Critical Path Method: Critical path method was used for determination of the exact
durations of each project task and then a critical path was calculated to find out the maximum
time tasks can take to proceed from initial stage till the last stage for the project. If there is
any delay in this critical path, it can cause the delay in the entire project. Thus, most
resources need to be given to the critical path (Rajguru & Mahatme, 2016).
The table below shows the critical activities or tasks of the project

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors Resource Names

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Plans and site 36 days Wed 28-02-
18 Wed 18-04-18
Create site
plans 2 days Wed 28-02-
18 Thu 01-03-18 Draftsperson
Arrange
council permit 2 days Fri 02-03-18 Mon 05-03-18 2 Draftsperson
Prepare site 7 days Mon 26-03-
18 Tue 03-04-18 3FS+14
days
Labourer[300%],Carpenter[300
%]
Organize
materials 4 days Mon 26-03-
18 Thu 29-03-18 4SS Supervisor
Lay
foundations 7 days Wed 04-04-
18 Thu 12-04-18 4,5 Concrete,Carpenter,Labourer[20
0%]
Plumbing for
sewerage 3 days Fri 13-04-18 Tue 17-04-18 6 Plumber
Pour slab 1 day Wed 18-04-
18 Wed 18-04-18 7 Concrete[300%],Carpenter[300%
],Labourer[300%]
Foundations
complete 0 days Wed 18-04-
18 Wed 18-04-18 8
To Lock up 25 days Thu 19-04-18 Wed 23-05-18
Erect framing 4 days Thu 19-04-18 Tue 24-04-18 9 Carpenter[400%]
Lay roofing 12 days Wed 25-04-
18 Thu 10-05-18 11 Roof
Tiler[200%],Labourer[200%]
Brick walls 6 days Fri 11-05-18 Fri 18-05-18 12 Bricklayer[400%]
Fit windows
and doors 3 days Mon 21-05-
18 Wed 23-05-18 11,13 Carpenter[200%]
Lockup 0 days Wed 23-05-
18 Wed 23-05-18 14
Fit out 89 days Wed 28-02-
18 Mon 02-07-18
Electrical
cables 2 days Thu 24-05-18 Fri 25-05-18 15 Electrician

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Internal
plumbing 3 days Thu 24-05-18 Mon 28-05-18 17SS Plumber
Plaster walls 6 days Tue 29-05-18 Tue 05-06-18 17,18 Plasterer[300%]
Internal doors
and trim 4 days Wed 06-06-
18 Mon 11-06-18 19 Carpenter[200%]
Install kitchen 4 days Tue 12-06-18 Fri 15-06-18 20 Cabinet Maker[200%]
Install
Bathroom 6 days Tue 12-06-18 Tue 19-06-18 21SS Cabinet Maker,Plumber
Final electrical
fittings 2 days Wed 20-06-
18 Thu 21-06-18 21,22 Electrician
Final plumbing
fittings 2 days Wed 20-06-
18 Thu 21-06-18 23SS Plumber
Paint 6 days Fri 22-06-18 Fri 29-06-18 24 Painter[300%]
Council
approval 1 day Mon 02-07-
18 Mon 02-07-18 25
Construction
complete 0 days Wed 28-02-
18 Wed 28-02-18
Cross-Functional resource allocation: Further, cross-functional resource allocation was
used to allocate the project resources to this critical path. For this, a plan was developed to
create a team that collaborated and worked together to achieve common goals. For this, a
project manager was allotted the work of bring coordination among different functional teams
and resolving conflicts (Bishop, 1999). This project manager would guide the other team
members working on the project including draftsperson, electrician, plumber, concrete,
labourer, painter, supervisor, cabinet maker, roof tiler, bricklayer, and plasterer. Project
manager would take a project tracking meeting at the end of each major milestone including
planning, lock up and fit out completion. Besides these review meetings, there would also be
technical meetings conducted every week in which technical details and problems of the
project would be discussed and resolved (Gupta, 2016).

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Fast Track Scheduling: As the new resource added due to the leaving of old draft person,
the project schedule was likely to get increased and in order to prevent this from affecting the
whole project timeline, fast track scheduling was applied. For this, a phased approach to
designing and construction was used. In the earlier process, one task of designing or
construction was completed and then only the second would start but to reduce the timeline,
design work was divide into packages including foundation, structure and exteriors. As soon
as the site requirements were clear, the foundation design would start (Hutchison-Krupat,
2011). Upon completion of design work, construction would start and at the same time,
designing of structure would begin. In the same way, with framing completion, the designing
for fit out work would begin. This would compensate for the increasing tie requirement of the
new draftsperson. In the same way, even the construction work was phased such that only the
dependent work that needed preceding task to be completed first would have to wait for
previous task completion while at the same time, other tasks would begin.
Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessor
s
Resource Names
1 Plans and
site
32 days Wed 28-02-18 Wed 18-04-18
2 Create
site plans
1 days Wed 28-02-18 Thu 01-03-18 Draftsperson, Project
Manager
3 Arrange
council
permit
2 days Fri 02-03-18 Mon 05-03-18 2 Draftsperson
4 Prepare
site, site
plan
7 days Mon 26-03-18 Tue 03-04-18 3FS+14 days Labourer[300%],Carpente
r[300%], Draftsperson
5 Organize
materials
4 days Mon 26-03-18 Thu 29-03-18 4SS Supervisor
6 Lay
foundations
7 days Wed 04-04-18 Thu 12-04-18 4,5 Concrete, Carpenter,
Labourer[200%]
7 Plumbing
for
sewerage
3 days Fri 13-04-18 Tue 17-04-18 6 Plumber
8 Pour slab 1 day Wed 18-04-18 Wed 18-04-18 7 Concrete[300%],Carpente
r[300%],Labourer[300%]
9 Foundatio
ns
complete
0 days Wed 18-04-18 Wed 18-04-18 8 Project Manager
To Lock up 21 days Thu 19-04-18 Wed 23-05-18
10 Erect
framing,
start Lay
roofing
4 days Thu 19-04-18 Tue 24-04-18 9 Carpenter[400%], Roof
Tiler[200%],Labourer[200
%]
11 Lay
roofing
8 days Wed 25-04-18 Thu 10-05-18 11 Roof
Tiler[200%],Labourer[200
%]

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
12 Brick
walls, Fit
windows
and doors
6 days Fri 11-05-18 Fri 18-05-18 12,11 Bricklayer[400%],
Carpenter[200%]
14 Lockup 0 days Wed 23-05-18 Wed 23-05-18 14 Project Manager
Fit out 89 days Wed 28-02-18 Mon 02-07-18
15 Electrical
cables
2 days Thu 24-05-18 Fri 25-05-18 15 Electrician
16 Internal
plumbing
3 days Thu 24-05-18 Mon 28-05-18 17SS Plumber
17 Plaster
walls
6 days Tue 29-05-18 Tue 05-06-18 17,18 Plasterer[300%]
18 Internal
doors and
trim
4 days Wed 06-06-18 Mon 11-06-18 19 Carpenter[200%]
19 Install
kitchen
4 days Tue 12-06-18 Fri 15-06-18 20 Cabinet Maker[200%]
20 Install
Bathroom
6 days Tue 12-06-18 Tue 19-06-18 21SS Cabinet Maker, Plumber
21 Final
electrical
fittings
2 days Wed 20-06-18 Thu 21-06-18 21,22 Electrician
22 Final
plumbing
fittings
2 days Wed 20-06-18 Thu 21-06-18 23SS Plumber
23 Paint 6 days Fri 22-06-18 Fri 29-06-18 24 Painter[300%]
24 Council
approval
1 day Mon 02-07-18 Mon 02-07-18 25 Project Manager
25 Constructi
on
complete
0 days Wed 28-02-18 Wed 28-02-18
Project Crashing: This technique would involve reduction of the time duration of one or
more of the critical paths such that the overtime duration of the project completion would be
reduced. This would include reduction of the time needed for carpeting work as it would be
clubbed with the work of other labours at the same time such that more work is completed at
stretch with utilization of available labour for support such that carpenter can finish the work
faster. However, this can incur crashing cost which would be adjusted along the project
(Moschetto, 2014).
With the utilization of the three techniques of time and cost optimization, the project could be
completed 8 days prior to previous completion data and the labour cost would be saved due to
cross-functional team building and reduction of the waiting time for the workers.
CURRENT PROJECT STATUS

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Currently the project has a new draftsperson joining who would take 6 days to work
completion instead of 4 days as was initially planned with the old drafts person. This would
add delay to the project as all the project tasks could begin only after drawings are completed.
However, with resource levelling applied, the draftsperson would get the support from a
project manager as well as would be able to get time for task completion during the project.
The draftsperson would finalize on the design for foundation in one day and the project
would proceed. While the site is being prepared, the draftsperson who is otherwise ideal can
utilize the time for development of the design for the framework and fit outs. Further, the
other construction work is also packaged into plumbing, carpenter work, tiling, brickwork,
electrician work, and painting.
TIME & COST VARIANCES TABLES
The time for which the force is idea would be utilized to spread these packages to reduce the
overall project time line and fast track the same. The three strategies identified in the report
above were utilized to create optimized schedule with resource and cost optimization such
that the overall duration the cost of the project were reduced. The total cost and duration for
each major milestones identified in the project schedule earlier can be used to calculate and
compare the differences between earlier process and the optimized process to see if there are
benefits expected. Thus, a table is used for making this comparison for plans and site, lock up
and fit out stages (MALPANI, et al., 2016).
These strategies would change the durations as follows:
Task
Name
Earlier
Duration
New
Duration
Deviation Earlier HR
Resource cost
New HR
Resource
Cost
Deviation
Plans
& Site
36 32 4 Days 7128 6464 664
Lock
Up
25 21 4 Days 2240 2240 0
Fit-out 89 89 0 7120 7120 0
Assuming the Cost project manager as $100 per hour

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
As per the changed durations and human resource requirements, the project would save on 8
days of duration and $664 of labour cost directly. Because of faster completion of the project,
the cost of labour for the duration would also get reduced. The project resources could be
released early and thus, hidden costs that would otherwise occur would be avoided.