Best Practices Checklist: Assigning Resources to All Activities

  • The amount of available resources, whether labor or nonlabor, affects estimates of work and duration, as well as the availability of resources for subsequent activities.

  • The schedule should realistically reflect the resources that are needed to do the work and—compared to total available resources—should determine whether all required resources will be available when they are needed.

  • Resources are either labor or nonlabor, where labor is tracked in hours or FTEs and nonlabor can refer to subcontracts, consumable material, machines, and other purchased equipment. Resources are identified as fixed or variable.

  • Significant material and equipment resources are captured within the schedule along with other equipment resources that facilitate the project.

  • Budgets for direct labor, travel, facilities, equipment, material, and the like are assigned to both work and planning packages so that total costs to complete the program are identified at the outset.

  • Summary activities and milestones are not assigned resources.

  • If EVM is used to monitor the program, the fully loaded schedule, including materials, equipment, direct labor, travel, and LOE activities, is the basis for the PMB.

  • Activity owners are able to explain the logic behind their resource estimates.

  • The same assumptions that formed resource estimates for the cost estimate are applied to the estimated resources loaded into the schedule and are documented in the BOE. Underlying resource assumptions for the entire estimated scope of work are documented in the schedule basis document in appropriate detail.

  • Resource information is stored in the schedule in the form of assignments. If resource management is performed outside the schedule, a documented process feeds resource assignments back into the schedule so that it reflects the resolution of resource issues conducted separately.

  • Once the schedule is resource loaded, all resources in the schedule are crosschecked with the program budget and contractual cost constraints.

  • Resource peaks are examined for the feasibility of the available budget, the availability of resources, and the timeliness of the peaks. If the cumulative overlay of resources against major milestones shows resource peaks just beyond major milestone points, resources may have to be reallocated.

  • Resources have been leveled—that is, the scheduled time of activities or the assignment of resources has been adjusted to account for the availability of resources.

  • In general, activities that are delayed through resource leveling have the greatest free float available and the fewest resources assigned.

  • If critical resources delay the entire project, changes to resolve the resource conflicts are thoroughly documented in the schedule narrative and understood by all.

  • Planners and managers carefully examine and temper or adjust where necessary.

  • Resources are leveled only on detail schedules that include detailed resource estimates supported by historical data and sound estimating methodologies.