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Zagazig University College of Engineering

Department of Industrial Engineering

Project Management
Chapter 8
Scheduling Resources and Costs

Dr. Mansour Abou Gamila

March, 2024 Chapter 8, Scheduling Resources 1

The Resource Problem

• Resources and Priorities
– Project network times are not a schedule
until resources have been assigned.
• The implicit assumption is that resources will be
available in the required amounts when needed.
• Adding new projects requires making realistic judgments
of resource availability and project durations.
– Cost estimates are not a budget
until they have been time-phased.

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The Resource
ExampleProblem (cont’d)
1 (cont’d)
• Resource Smoothing (or Leveling)
– Involves attempting to even out varying demands
on resources by using slack (delaying noncritical
activities) to manage resource utilization when
resources are adequate over the life of the project.
• Resource-Constrained Scheduling
– The duration of a project may be increased by
delaying the late start of some of its activities if
resources are not adequate to meet peak demands.

March, 2024 Chapter 8, Scheduling Resources 3

Types of Project Constraints

• Technical or Logic Constraints
– Constraints related to the networked sequence
in which project activities must occur.
• Physical Constraints
– Activities that cannot occur in parallel or are affected by
contractual or environmental conditions.
• Resource Constraints
– The absence, shortage, or unique interrelationship and
interaction characteristics of resources that require a
particular sequencing of project activities
• Kinds of Resource Constraints
– People, materials, equipment
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Classification of A Scheduling Problem

• Classification of Problem
– Using a priority matrix will help determine if
the project is time or resource constrained.
• Time-Constrained Project
– Must be completed by an imposed date.
• Time is fixed, resources are flexible: additional
resources are required to ensure project meets
schedule.
• Resource-Constrained Project
– Is one in which the level of resources available cannot be
exceeded.
• Resources are fixed, time is flexible: inadequate
resources will delay the project.
March, 2024 Chapter 8, Scheduling Resources 5

Resource Allocation Methods

• Limiting Assumptions
– Splitting activities is not allowed—once an activity
is start, it is carried to completion.
– Level of resources used for an activity cannot be
changed.
• Risk Assumptions
– Activities with the most slack pose the least risk.
– Reduction of flexibility does not increase risk.
– The nature of an activity (easy, complex) doesn’t
increase risk.
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Resource Allocation Methods (cont’d)

• Time-Constrained Projects
– Must be completed by an imposed date.
– Require use of leveling techniques that focus
on balancing or smoothing resource demands.
– Use positive slack (delaying noncritical activities)
to manage resource utilization over the duration
of the project.
• Peak resource demands are reduced.
• Resources over the life of the project are reduced.
• Fluctuation in resource demand is minimized.
March, 2024 Chapter 8, Scheduling Resources 7

Botanical
Garden

FIGURE 8.3

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Resource Allocation Methods (cont’d)

• Resource Demand Leveling Techniques
for Time-Constrained Projects
– Advantages
• Peak resource demands are reduced.
• Resources over the life of the project are reduced.
• Fluctuation in resource demand is minimized.
– Disadvantages
• Loss of flexibility that occurs from reducing slack.
• Increases in the criticality of all activities.

March, 2024 Chapter 8, Scheduling Resources 9

Resource Allocation Methods (cont’d)

• Resource-Constrained Projects
– Resources are limited in quantity or availability.
– Activities are scheduled using heuristics
(rules-of-thumb) that focus on:
1. Minimum slack
2. Smallest (least) duration
3. Lowest activity identification number
– The parallel method is used to apply heuristics
• An iterative process starting at the first time period
of the project and scheduling period-by-period the
start of any activities using the three priority rules.
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Resource-Constrained Schedule, Example 1

FIGURE 8.4

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Resource-Constrained Schedule, Example 1

FIGURE 8.4 (cont’d)

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Resource-Constrained Schedule, Example 1

FIGURE 8.5 (cont’d)

March, 2024 Chapter 8, Scheduling Resources 13

Allocation of Resources, EXAMPLE 2

Activity A B C D E F G H
Predecessors - - A B,C D E B, C F,G
Time 3 6 2 5 4 3 9 3
Number of 4 2 1 3 2 2 3 1
Employees

Activity Time Number of Employees

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Allocation of
Resources, EXAMPLE 2

The total time

= 21 days

Periods from (0-3) and (6-11)

March, 2024 Chapterneeds
8, Schedulingworkers
Resources more than the available
15 (5)

Allocation of Resources, EXAMPLE 2

•Activity B is delayed to start after activity A is finished.

•Also, activity G is delayed to start after D is finished.
•The total time will be 26 days
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Example 3, Allocation of Resources

• You have a project described as follows:
• Activity “A” begins at the start of the project.
• Activity “B” can begin upon the completion of “A”.
• Activity “B” precedes activities “C, F, I”.
• Activity “D” follows activity “C”.
• Activity “E” starts after activity “D” is finished.
• Activity “G” cannot start unless activity “F” is finished.
• Activity “H” follows activity “G”.
• Activity “J” can begin when activity “I” is completed.
• Activity “K” can not start unless activities “C,F,I” are finished
• Activity “K” precedes activity “L”.
• Activity “M” starts after activities “J,L” are finished.
• Completion of activities “E, H, M” mark the end of the project.
• The resources of the activities are listed below:

Activity A B C D E F G H I J K L M
Time (hours) 2 4 4 3 1 2 3 1 5 5 4 1 2
Workers 3 2 2 1 3 2 3 3 2 3 1 4 4

March, 2024 Chapter 8, Scheduling Resources 17

Example 3, Allocation of Resources

a. Draw a Gantt chart based on the earliest start times. How many
hours are required to complete the project? Identify the critical
path?
b. Suppose that the machine is needed for activity “C” is damaged.
How much extra time is available for repair without delaying the
project.
c. Knowing that the number of workers available is 7 workers.
Draw a Gantt chart and determine how many hours are added to
the project time?
d. Knowing that Activities (J, L) use the same machine, of which
only one unit is available. Draw a Gantt chart, and determine the
minimum time required to complete the project when resource
requirements are considered?
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Example 3, Allocation of Resources

a) Total time = 18 hr.

Critical path: A – B – I- K-L-M
A – B- I – J - M
b) Slack C = 11-10=1 day
c) The effect of number of
workers
‫ ﻷنه ليس على‬H ‫تم ترحيل النشاط‬
‫المسار الحرج وﻻ يعتمد عليه انشﻄﺔ‬
‫ ولذا لن يتأثر الزمن الكلى‬،‫اخرى‬
‫للمشروع‬
Total time = 18 hr.
d. The effect of machines:
‫ بمقدار ساعﺔ واحدة‬L ‫تم ترحيل النشاط‬
‫ وبالتالى سيتم‬، J ‫حتى ينتهى النشاط‬
‫ بمقدار ساعﺔ‬M ‫ترحيل النشاط‬
‫واحدة‬
March, 2024
Total time = 19 hr.
Chapter 8, Scheduling Resources 19

Example 4, Allocation of Resources

The following table contains information related to the major
activities of a research project.

Activity 1,2 1,3 1,4 2,5 2,8 3,5 4,5 4,6 5,7 6,8 6,9 7,8 8,9
Time (days) 5 5 7 4 3 3 3 6 7 4 5 2 1
Workers 2 1 3 2 2 1 1 1 2 3 1 2 2

a. Draw a Gantt chart based on the earliest start times. How many days are required
to complete the project?
b. What is the longest path in the network and what is its relation by the critical
path?
c. Suppose that the machine is needed for activity “6,8” is damaged. How much
extra time is available for repair without delaying the project?
d. Knowing that Activities (5,7& 6,8 & 6,9) use the same equipment, of which only
two units are available. Draw Gantt chart and determine how many days are
added to the project time when resource requirements are considered.
e. Knowing that the number of workers available is 6 workers. Draw a Gantt chart,
and determine the minimum time required to complete the project

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Example 4, Allocation of Resources

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