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144 RESOURCE LEVELING, GAMES OF CHANCE

Options That Affect Resource Leveling

Before we get into practical techniques for resource management, let’s consider
the various differences in the resource scheduling and leveling capabilities in
project management software products. In addition to the basic leveling methods
that we discussed earlier, we can identify several dozen design attributes that can
affect the ability to define a project’s resource parameters and influence the re-
source leveling outcome. The variations are extensive. Figure 4.3a presents most
of the attributes that directly affect the resource leveling function.

Practical Uses of Resource Scheduling

In Chapter 4.4, we look at practical uses of resource scheduling. Here is a preview
of some things that you should find interesting.

Long Term/Short Term Practical resource scheduling is best achieved via a bal-
ance of long-term resource aggregation (analysis of predicted resource loads) and
short-term resource leveling (possibly with user intervention). We outline a rec-
ommendation that should suit most applications.

Use of Total and Free Float Have you been taught that we use CPM scheduling
so that we can obtain a measure of float? And that we use these float values to help
us make decisions on priorities, and to analyze project schedule risk? Get ready to
learn all over again. When we use resource leveling, we can forget about using the
resultant float values as a time management tool. I explain why, in Chapter 4.4.

Use of Accomplishment Value in Place of Float There are other techniques avail-
able to help analyze project progress. Accomplishment value (based on popular
earned value protocols) can be used, even without using the cost management
features of your project management software.

A Design for Optimized Resource Scheduling Is there a better way of doing re-
source scheduling using project management software? We share some ideas on
this subject.

Trends in Resource Management

Resource management may well be the real oldest profession. Certainly it is not
a new function. I’ll bet that even when the pyramids were built, there were
fairly well-structured practices in place for managing the projects and the re-
sources. Frederick Taylor, at the turn of the twentieth century, published new