Project managers are often given due dates for a project long before even the commencement of the project. Most projects have a constraint, either as to time or resources availability. Therefore, it is essential for project managers to plan for the project to ensure it meets organizational requirements. Resource scheduling is a concept that provides for a plan of all the resources available for a given project and the timelines for the completion of such projects. It is a timetable that is used to highlight all the project activities. Is essence, project scheduling allows for the project manager to arrange the kind of resources that will be required for a project and the timelines of their availability (Chapman, 2016). This essay analyzes the various resource scheduling methods and how they are utilized in project management.
It is essential to note that there are two types of resources; renewable and consumable. Renewable resources are the ones that can be replenished at every stage of the project as required while consumable resources concerns only the requirement as to quantity because they are non-renewable. Renewable resources are limited and hence scheduling ensures the efficient allocation of such resources in the appropriate time during the project. The benefits of scheduling these two types of resources are that it ensures efficient and maximum utilization of the available resources. Additionally, scheduling build confidence in the project as it shows that the project is realistic. Scheduling also ensures that conflicts that would otherwise arise out of resource scarcity or time constraints are eliminated (Dominguez, 2016).
Since the main factors that influence resource scheduling is time and resources then the main methods used in scheduling are time limited resource scheduling and resource limited scheduling. Time limited resource scheduling, also referred to a resource smoothing is employed when there is a time constraint to a project which is given priority. When a project is required to be completed on a specific date, then time is of the essence when planning for the project. The objective of using this method is to ensure that a project is finalized by a given date so that the highs and lows of resource demand are avoided. This approach seeks to avert any flexibility in the resource scheduling and at the same time provide for means of addressing any unavoidable delays in the projects (Dominguez, 2016). The end result would be that the projects turns out to be efficient and benefits from cost-effective resource utilization. This is the appropriate method for the CLC team would be time limited scheduling method since the project is time bound. Therefore, having a schedule that focuses on time would ensure the project is completed within the required time.
On the other hand, resource limited scheduling, otherwise known as resource leveling is essential where priority has to be places on the limitations resulting from the availability of resources. In this instance, there I time flexibility and the time for completion is based on the availability or non-availability, in terms of supply, of the required resources. The estimated duration of the projects can change at any given time depending on resource constrain. The concept of demand and supply is employed as the methods suggests that where there is a requirement for more resources than they are available then the duration of the project must be elongated to allow for sourcing of the appropriate resources(Chapman, 2016).
An example of resource leveling would be in the case of human resource. If for example a resource (human) is scheduled to do some work on a task for eight hours in a given day such as Monday and on the same Monday the resource is assigned fours tasks, it would mean that the person will have to work for a total of thirty two hours to be to meet the projections. This is impossible since a person cannot work for thirty two hours in a day and hence the scheduling was inaccurate. Therefore, it is essential to allocate resources according to their projected and reasonable capabilities to ensure efficiency.
However, there are various challenges that are faced by project managers when it comes to resource scheduling. First, is the issue aspect of uncertainties both in time and resources. The resources scheduled for a given project might seize to function at a certain stage and such it is hard to project at the time of planning and if there are no alternatives then there can be unnecessary delays in the projects. There is the problem of an unstable labor which requires constant change throughout the project cycle (Dominguez, 2016). For instance, the workers can seize to work on a given project in the middle of a project and therefore, the project will be halted to enable the managers to source for other employees which might delay the project. Closely, related is the dependency that scheduling has on skills and knowledge. This requires that the schedule gives appropriate people the tasks so as to achieve maximum productivity. Second, the when it comes to time constraints, it is hard to accurately estimate the possibility of unavoidable delays that may come up during the project and as a such the schedule might be ineffective in sticking to the projected time.
In conclusion, therefore, projects managers rely a lot on resource scheduling to foresee the implementation of a project. It is essential to determine beforehand the type of constraint, time or resource that is to be prioritized in a project so that an effective schedule is drawn.
References
Chapman, J. R. (2016). Project Schedule Estimating. Retrieved from www.hyperthot.com/pm_sked.htm
Dominguez, J. (2016). Project Scheduling and Resource Levelling. Retrieved from https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-scheduling-and-resource-levelling.php
