Resource Leveling versus Resource Smoothing - Key Project Management Concepts from the PMBOK

Summary

This video explains the key differences between resource leveling and resource smoothing in project management, particularly for PMP exam preparation. Resource leveling adjusts resource use to match availability, often changing the critical path by shifting tasks. It’s useful when resources are over-allocated, such as a single person assigned to multiple tasks simultaneously. In contrast, resource smoothing adjusts activities within their float to avoid changing the critical path, using available schedule flexibility. The video provides examples and emphasizes the importance of understanding these techniques for effective project scheduling.

Takeaways

• 📚 Resource optimization adjusts start and finish dates of activities to match resource availability, avoiding overallocation.
• ⚖️ Resource leveling is used when shared or critically required resources are overallocated during the same time period.
• 🔄 Resource leveling can cause changes to the original critical path due to shifting activities to balance resource use.
• 👥 Example: If a person is assigned to two tasks simultaneously, one task must be shifted to another time period to avoid overallocation.
• 🕒 Resource leveling extends the time frame of activities, which can affect the overall project schedule.
• 🔧 Resource smoothing adjusts activities within their available float without changing the critical path.
• 🛠️ Unlike resource leveling, resource smoothing only uses available slack time and does not extend the project duration.
• 📈 Critical path remains unchanged during resource smoothing as it only adjusts activities within their float.
• 🗓️ Example: A task with 5 days of float can be delayed without affecting the project timeline, maintaining schedule integrity.
• 💡 Understanding the difference between resource leveling and smoothing is crucial for project management, especially for PMP exams.

Q & A

What is resource optimization in project management?

Resource optimization is used to adjust the start and finish dates of activities to align planned resource usage with actual resource availability. This helps ensure that more resources aren't used than are available, avoiding delays due to a lack of resources.

What are the two techniques used for resource optimization?

The two techniques used for resource optimization are resource leveling and resource smoothing.

How does resource leveling differ from resource smoothing?

Resource leveling adjusts the resources by moving their assignments and can extend the project schedule, potentially changing the critical path. Resource smoothing, on the other hand, adjusts activities within their available float, ensuring the critical path and overall schedule remain unchanged.

When is resource leveling typically used?

Resource leveling is used when shared or critically required resources are over-allocated, meaning they are assigned to two or more activities during the same time period.

What impact does resource leveling have on the critical path?

Resource leveling can change the critical path because it adjusts the schedule to level out resource usage, which may extend the project's timeline.

Can you give an example of resource leveling in action?

In resource leveling, if Sue is assigned to two activities (A and B) during the same time period, the project manager would move activity B to a different time period, ensuring Sue is not working on two tasks simultaneously. This adjustment might extend the project's timeline.

What is the purpose of resource smoothing?

Resource smoothing aims to adjust activities within their free and total float without changing the critical path. It ensures that resources are used efficiently without extending the project timeline.

How does resource smoothing affect the project schedule?

Resource smoothing does not change the critical path or the overall project schedule because it only shifts activities within the available float.

What is the difference between free float and total float?

Free float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the subsequent activity, while total float is the time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project's overall finish date.

Why is it important to understand resource leveling and smoothing for the PMP exam?

It is important to understand these concepts because they are frequently tested on the PMP exam, and confusion between the two could lead to incorrect answers. Understanding when to use each technique and their effects on the project schedule is crucial.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Resource Optimization

The video introduces the key project management concepts of resource leveling and resource smoothing, with a focus on understanding these techniques for the PMP exam. The speaker highlights the importance of grasping these concepts to ensure success in project scheduling questions on the exam. Resource optimization adjusts the start and finish dates of activities to align resource usage with availability, ensuring work can be completed efficiently without over-allocation of resources.

⚖️ Resource Leveling Explained

Resource leveling is described as a technique used when resources are over-allocated, such as when a person is assigned to two tasks at the same time. The speaker explains how resource leveling resolves this by adjusting the schedule, often causing changes to the project's critical path. An example is provided where Sue is assigned to two tasks at once, but leveling spreads out the activities to prevent overload. This may extend the project duration since resources are redistributed to avoid conflicts.

🗓️ Example of Resource Leveling

An illustrative example of resource leveling is presented, showing how the critical path changes when resources are adjusted. Initially, Sue and Tom are both assigned to Activity A, but Sue is also assigned to Activity B in the same period. To resolve this, Sue's tasks are rescheduled, spreading the activities over multiple days to avoid overlap. This adjustment lengthens the project's timeline, altering the critical path due to the resource redistribution.

🌟 Resource Smoothing Overview

The speaker introduces resource smoothing, another technique that adjusts activities within their float (or wiggle room) without affecting the critical path. Unlike resource leveling, smoothing does not extend the project timeline. It ensures resources are used efficiently within the available flexibility of the schedule. By using available float, project managers can avoid delays while ensuring resources are appropriately allocated.

📊 Example of Resource Smoothing

A practical example of resource smoothing is provided using a schedule network diagram. The diagram shows activities with no float and one with five days of float, which can be adjusted without affecting the critical path. By shifting this activity, the project maintains its original timeline while still optimizing resource usage. The speaker emphasizes how resource smoothing allows flexibility within the project schedule, ensuring smooth resource allocation without extending deadlines.

🔑 Key Differences Between Resource Leveling and Smoothing

In conclusion, the video highlights the key differences between resource leveling and resource smoothing. Resource leveling may alter the critical path and extend the project timeline, while resource smoothing uses available float to adjust tasks without changing the overall schedule. Understanding these differences is crucial for effectively managing resources in a project and passing the PMP exam.

Keywords

💡Resource Optimization

Resource optimization refers to the process of adjusting the start and finish dates of activities to align resource use with resource availability. In the video, this concept is central to ensuring that resources aren't over-utilized, meaning project activities are modified so the workload matches the actual resources available, preventing delays or inefficiencies.

💡Resource Leveling

Resource leveling is a technique used when resources are over-allocated, meaning they are assigned to multiple tasks at the same time. In the video, an example is given where 'Sue' is assigned to two activities in the same time period, which requires shifting activities to resolve the conflict. This adjustment often changes the critical path because the schedule has to be extended to accommodate the limited resource availability.

💡Resource Smoothing

Resource smoothing adjusts activities within their available float (slack time) without affecting the critical path. In the video, this method is shown as a way to balance resource use without extending the overall project timeline. The focus is on maintaining the project schedule by only delaying tasks that have some wiggle room.

💡Critical Path

The critical path is the sequence of activities that determines the shortest time in which a project can be completed. Resource leveling can change the critical path by delaying tasks, while resource smoothing does not affect the critical path because it only adjusts activities within their float. The video uses examples to highlight the importance of managing the critical path during resource optimization.

💡Float

Float, also known as slack, refers to the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the entire project. The video discusses both 'free float' (time an activity can be delayed without affecting subsequent activities) and 'total float' (time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project’s completion). Resource smoothing utilizes this concept to adjust task schedules without changing the overall project timeline.

💡Overallocation

Overallocation occurs when resources, such as personnel, are assigned to multiple tasks at the same time, leading to inefficiencies. The video explains how resource leveling can help mitigate this issue by adjusting schedules to ensure that resources are not stretched beyond their capacity, as seen in the example where 'Sue' is over-allocated to two tasks.

💡Schedule Network Diagram

A schedule network diagram visually represents the sequence of project activities and their dependencies. The video shows this diagram as a tool for identifying where float exists and where adjustments can be made using resource smoothing. It helps project managers understand which tasks can be delayed without impacting the project's critical path.

💡Start and Finish Dates

Start and finish dates refer to the planned timeline for activities within a project. Resource optimization, as explained in the video, involves adjusting these dates to better match resource availability, especially when resources are over-allocated or under-utilized. Resource leveling may shift these dates, extending the project, while smoothing aims to preserve them.

💡Free Float

Free float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the start of the next activity. In the video, free float is shown as a buffer that can be used to smooth resource allocation without affecting subsequent tasks or the project deadline, making it a useful tool in resource smoothing.

💡Total Float

Total float is the total amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project's overall completion date. The video discusses how resource smoothing relies on total float to ensure activities are adjusted within this buffer, avoiding any impact on the project's critical path or final deadline.

Highlights

Introduction to project management key concepts with a focus on resource leveling vs resource smoothing.

Resource optimization adjusts the start and finish dates of activities to align with resource availability.

Resource leveling is used when resources are over-allocated, ensuring that resources are not used more than they are available.

Leveling focuses on moving the resources, while smoothing focuses on adjusting activities within the critical path using float.

Resource leveling can cause changes in the original critical path due to shifting resource allocation.

Example of resource leveling: when Sue is assigned to two activities in the same time period, resource leveling is needed to shift the timeline.

After resource leveling, activities are rescheduled to ensure that resources are not double-booked, which may extend the project duration.

Resource smoothing adjusts the activities within their free and total float without changing the critical path.

Unlike resource leveling, resource smoothing maintains the critical path, utilizing the available float to adjust activities.

In resource smoothing, activities with float can be pushed back without affecting the overall project schedule.

The critical path method is explained, highlighting that activities without float cannot be delayed without impacting the project.

Example of resource smoothing: one activity has 5 days of float, allowing it to be pushed back without altering the schedule.

Resource smoothing uses available wiggle room to balance resource allocation without extending the project timeline.

Key difference: resource leveling may change the critical path and extend the timeline, while resource smoothing keeps the timeline intact.

The importance of understanding these concepts for the PMP exam is emphasized, particularly to avoid confusion between leveling and smoothing.

Transcripts

hi everyone

welcome back to this series of project

management key concepts

where we're delving deeper into the

project management body of knowledge

this one in particular is resource

leveling versus resource

smoothing and the reason why we're

looking at this is sometimes these items

you can get confused on the pmp exam so

it's just

just a good idea to sort it out before

going into the exam

and just in case you get a question on

these two items on your project

schedule so what is well resource

optimization

in general is used to adjust the start

and finish dates

of activities so we're adjusting the

planned resource use

to be equal to or less than the resource

availability

because we don't want to be using more

resources than we actually

have we probably won't get this little

bit of work done if we don't have the

resources to

do it for example so we might need to

level or

smooth those resources out so these are

the two techniques used

and leveling focuses on moving the

resources themselves

while smoothing focuses on moving the

activities

for example within your critical path

using float

now you might be familiar with some of

those terms but we'll go into a few

examples and that should make it a

little bit more clear as well

so resource leveling this can be used

when shared or critically

required resources are over allocated

such as when a resource has been

assigned to two or more activities

during the same

time period so obviously you know unless

you

can clone that person if the same person

is assigned to two activities

in one time period then probably they

may not get one of those things done

so we just need to level that out so

when we're resource leveling it can

often cause the original critical path

to change

and here is what i mean by that you'll

see in this example

so as you can see in the first example

here we've got

su and tom performing activity a

but we've also got sue again performing

activity b

in the same time period so again unless

we can clone sue

which i don't think is possible quite

yet we may have to shift that

activity so that sue is not doing uh

those two things in the same time period

and then we've got the the third one

over here that seems to be clear

it's just one person doing that activity

so after resource leveling

as you can see we've got uh during day

one we've got su and tom

doing their activity a yep then we've

got sue

doing her activity be on day two and

then tom

moving his out to day three and this is

why

we say that the critical path may or

will

change during resource leveling because

we are

leveling out the resources but we're

also

extending out the time to suit because

we've had to res uh to level out those

resources so the critical path

may change now resource smoothing

adjusts the activities of a schedule

model within

their free and total float

so because of that as you know with

critical path

uh the critical path is not changed

because we're just using up

the available wiggle room in our

schedule

and again let's have a look at what we

mean

this is an example of a schedule network

diagram and this is

what all of the different boxes mean so

you've got early start the duration

and the float those are the two things

that we're really looking at here

so as you can see we've got no float on

this

on this activity no float on this

activity

but we have got five days worth of float

or

wiggle room on this particular activity

so maybe we can push this back

by five days and it will still be okay

things can be smoothed out and it won't

adjust the critical path

or our overall schedule and that is the

idea of resource leveling

versus resource smoothing

[Music]

[Applause]