Project Resource Planning and Resource Leveling - Assignment

This assignment delves into the critical aspects of project resource planning, focusing on resource leveling techniques and team dynamics. The student's solution begins with an introduction to resource planning, emphasizing its role in optimizing resource allocation, ensuring project success, and minimizing costs. The assignment requires the student to perform a resource leveling exercise, presuming limited resources, and to present a bar chart illustrating the final results. The student must also include a copy of the leveled resource histogram, produced manually. Additionally, the assignment prompts reflection on team dynamics experienced during a classroom exercise, analyzing aspects such as collaboration, communication, and conflict resolution within the project team. The solution also covers components of project resource planning, including "what-if" analysis, continuous service planning, workbench effectiveness, and date planning. The importance of resource leveling, its techniques (critical path method, crashing, and fast tracking), and its significance in project management are also discussed. This assignment provides a comprehensive understanding of resource management and its application in project environments.

Running head: PROJECT RESOURCE PLANNING 1
Project Resource Planning
Institution Affiliation

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Introduction
Resource planning is the process of allocating resource to a project so that to enable
optimal control of utilization of these resources by all the project teams. Accordingly,
resource planning helps to ensure that the project can meet customer satisfaction and ensure
that it has reduced the expenses incurred on the project staff (Lock, 2017). The ability to track
the project's resource at a certain interval as well as making regular adjustments to the
resources it increases the probability of delivering a project on time and within the set-out
budget. On the same note, resource planning helps to decline the chances of avoiding
predictable resource conflicts in addition to low resource usage as well as economic
inefficiency. In this sense, resource planning call for the ability to prioritize the right
processes. The ability to prioritize a project’s resource at a regular interval aid in ensuring
that most significant projects are always allocated with the necessary resource requirements
(Abu-Hussein, Hyassat, Sweis, Alawneh, & Al-Debei, 2016). Therefore, the coordination of
different project processes helps project managers in the ongoing adjustments of resource
planning for the entire project. Therefore, project resource planning involves a range of
activities of scheduling tools. Some of these scheduling tools include an easy-to-use
worktable which is used in the developing and adjusting of the online plan. As a result, it is
essential to optimize a project regarding date synchronization, impact analysis features and
cultured simulation to guarantee the delivery of the project product on time, within budget
and satisfy the client’s needs as planned.
Project Resource Planning
Project resource planning begins with the preparing of a project by describing the project
scope and the resolution of the project. During planning, it is projected that the project should
consist of a project team and a comprehensive and well thought out understanding of the

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client wants (Tarhini, Ammar, & Tarhini, 2015). Consequently, resource planning
necessitates analysis of the risk log. During planning the project managers is required to
calculate the cost relative to the project and at the same time defining the “who, why, what,
when, and how” of the project. Before the commencing of development of the project, the
project team and the project manager have to walk through the project for a comprehensive
planning way to pinpoint all the desirable specifications like what should be done, the person
who will be in charge and by what time. For that reason, planning plays a core part in the
managing of the project resources, budget, and time as well as schedule preparation
(Martinelli, & Milosevic, 2016).
Components of Project Resource Planning
“What ifs” Analysis: resource planning allows for a range of tools to be used in
developing of the “what is” activities in addition to analyzing the impact of these activities.
Addition, simulation is used to aid project managers in determining if the project meets the
anticipated changes to the planned project (Holliman, Thomson, & Hird, 2017).
Consequently, at this point project managers employ multi-level fixing which provides an all-
around perceptibility to elements in a bill of the resource. The project manager will conduct
an impact analysis to aid in illustrating a crashed, multi-level effect that is likely to result in
project delay. Therefore resource planning works to make sure that there is reconciliation
among dates between different project tasks, discrepancies, and contracts. As a result,
resource planning works to see to it that it is possible to synchronize project dates with regard
to a range of choices to arrive at the most suitable project plan requirements.
Continuous service planning: Project resource planning provides an extensive set of
planning implements for material-driven, service-plus material and service only projects. As
a result, project resource planning gives plans, re-plan for activities, synchronize dates,

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perform impact analysis in addition to simulation to make advancements and timely
completion of projects (Chang, Kuo, Wu, & Tzeng, 2015). Hence with the existence of a
project management interface application, resource planning finds it easy to gaining access to
Microsoft Project which helps in enhancing project intercutting of a different task, scheduling
and graphically displaying of the task. With the ability to link routings, bills of the project
resources with the assistance of service elements, resource planning ensure that all the project
resources and materials arrive at the right time and the desired place.
Lot-for-lot vs. SEITAN: To make sure that the project running in a cost-efficient way
in its purchases and production, project resource planning allows the project manager to craft
a lot-for-lot or merged plan (Chang, Kuo, Wu, & Tzeng, 2015). During the lot-for-lot, the
project manager makes an order of quantities and organize them in line with demand qualities
using variables such as scrap being put into consideration. As a result, this organization
enables multi-level nailing, which is particularly beneficial for engineer-to-order and make-
to-order components. Similarly, merged scheduling can be addressed using the SEIBAN
operation. SEIBAN entails the allocation of a distinct number to an assembly element. And
then the entire project components. Therefore, it is possible to assign a cost to every single
element and then roll out with the assistance of the SEIBAN costing.
Workbench effectiveness: The workbench provides a single entry point for the
development and project plan revising as well as access to the needed files of data.
Subsequently, the workbench allows the project manager to utilize the project resources in an
ideal manner which corresponds fast and properly to any adjustments to the project schedule
(Umulisa, Mbabazize, & Shukla, 2015). As a result, the workbench involves a number of
workbench actions that is carried on the different projects items. These workbench actions
are:

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 Initial dates establishing
 Performing project simulations
 Re-planning of project dates
 Creating SEIBAN
 Production of supply order
 Performing impact analysis
 Dates reconciliation
After the workbench actions there is a workbench display which displays different items
of the project resource plan as follows:
 Critical items only
 Exceptions alone
 Single level
 Multi-level
 Multi-level position by client
 Multi-level prominence by distinct demand such as project agreements
 Workbench by date range, customer or SEIBAN.
Date Planning: project resource planning is set out with the help of planning for projects
dates. The most common planning dates include:
 Contract material line modules like scheduled commencing date, planned completion
date, planned material expected date; simulated material expected date, simulated start
date, simulated end date, projects dates according to supply orders; simulated material
expected date; and planned material expected date.
 Contract service line components like planned start date, planned end date, simulated
start date and simulated end date.

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Options for date reconciliation: During date reconciliation, project resource planning will
have to synchronize dates in accord with one of the following options:
 Dates can be reconciled to come into agreement with the contract item dates
 Contract item dates should be reconciled to match with the task dates
 Task dates are reconciled to equal those of the supply orders
 Material line items are reconciled to ensure that they are in line with the delivery
timeline dates of the product.
Indeed, project planning and resources scheduling play a substantial part in project
management, which helps in recognizing the scope of the project before the actual period in
addition to managing and resource allocation in an organized manner. Similarly, planning and
resources scheduling gives an overview of the persons responsible for delivering what and by
when (Kerzner, & Kerzner, 2017). That is to mean that planning and scheduling provides one
with a clear picture of all the things that are taking place in the project lifecycle, which helps
in the management of every task through clear communication and coordination.
Resource leveling exercise
Scheduling of Resources: The scheduling of resources aids in assisting the project
manager in several ways such as
 Offering a platform to monitoring and control of dissimilar project tasks
 It helps the project manager to be in the position to determine the manner in which to
assign resources and tasks to the project teams in the most suitable way that will
enable to accomplish the primary purposes of the project.
 It aid in the easement of time delays as well as the identification of its impact on
delivery of the project.

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 Gives the project manager the capacity to track the progress of the project as well as
the project’s condition.
 Enables the project manager to familiarise with the project so that to understand and
evaluate if the project has extra resources to be allocated to other projects or tasks.
Resource levelling
Resources levelling is a technique applied under project management to oversee the
assigning of resources in addition to resolving any possible conflicts that are likely to arise
due to over-allocation. Thus, resource levelling work to ensuring that the project manager
always has a project plan when undertaking a any given project to enable them allocate
resources in an organized manner to each task (Kyriklidis, & Dounias, 2016). Consequently,
resource levelling give project managers the opportunity to avoid running into conflicts and
delays in delivering project products. Hence, resource levelling is an essential stool for
controlling resources in developing a project (Bianco, Caramia, & Giordani, 2016). The
problem of not allocating resource in a rightful manner can lead to incurring of problems
such as over-allocation of resources on certain tasks and under-allocation of resources on
some tasks. Consequently, such issues if not checked early enough can amount to projects
experiencing financial constraints that in the long run result in late delivery of the project
product.
The primary objective of resource levelling is to enhance effective and efficient resource
assigning to project task to allow accomplishment of the project within the given timeframe
and within budget. Thus, resource levelling has to be split into smaller manageable
components. For example, projects that can be completed using all the allocated resources
and those which get accomplished without exhausting the allocated resources. However, in
case a project does not utilise all its allocated resources it has to be extended for a given

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period to ensure that it uses all the assigned resources. Nonetheless, it happens that a project
has exceeded the allocated resources and yet it is not complete the project can have to be
shelved until later.
Significance of resource levelling
Resources levelling allows the project to make use of the prevailing resources to the
maximum hence the perspective behind resource levelling is to reducing resource wasting
such as to avoid over-allocation of resources to some tasks and under-allocation of the same
(Markou, Koulinas, & Vavatsikos, 2017). Indeed, the project manager has to identify all the
resources that have not been used and take measures to prevent such from happening and
taking advantage out of it.
Resource levelling Techniques
The most common type of technique applied by project managers in resource levelling is the
critical path method. The critical path outlines both the shortest as well as the longest
duration paths in a network diagram taken to accomplish a given project (Braglia, &
Frosolini, 2014). Apart from the use of critical path idea in resource levelling other
techniques used include crashing and fast tracking at times when things get out of hand.
Crashing: it is the process of assigning resources extra resources to the existing ones
with the target of getting the work done quickly (Cheng, Prayogo, & Tran, 2015). The
process comes with incurring of extra expenses like equipment and labour.
Fast tracking: this process performs a critical path task however, this process takes a
longer time.

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In conclusion, the chief goal of resource levelling is ensuring efficiency during the
process of project performances to maximize the usage of existing resources. Additionally,
with proper resource levelling, it helps to prevent experiencing additional expenses.
Resource Histogram for Project Management
Activity Predecessor Duration per days Cost/Day
A - 3 400
B A 3 500
C B 5 500
D C 4 300
E C 7 200
Gantt chart activities

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Principles of Communication
Project resource planning foster a collaborative communication whereby different project
teams’ work in unity to increase productivity to ensure the project is completed in time, on
budget and satisfies the client requirements.
Accordingly, during the process of resource levelling I experienced a lot of cooperation
from the team I was working with in creating the project Gantt chart as well as the histogram.

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References
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management factors are affecting the enterprise resource planning projects’
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Bianco, L., Caramia, M., & Giordani, S. (2016). Resource levelling in project scheduling
with generalized precedence relationships and variable execution intensities. OR
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Chang, B., Kuo, C., Wu, C. H., & Tzeng, G. H. (2015). Using fuzzy analytic network process
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Cheng, M. Y., Prayogo, D., & Tran, D. H. (2015). Optimizing multiple-resources leveling in
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Kerzner, H. (2018). Project management best practices: Achieving global excellence. John
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