Resource Leveling and Resource Constrained Modeling for Project Management

In the past month, you've had time to meet with other managers and get some (people) resources assigned to your team. You've loaded the resources into MS project and determined you may have a problem. You first attempted a "resource leveling" process using a "time constrained" model to see if you can hold the end date from POM 1.

Congratulations to those students that hedged in the first email by using words like tentative, preliminary or estimated with their end date; writing this email will be easier. The lesson here is that a project network is not a schedule until resources are applied.

Since time constrained modeling demonstrated you don’t have enough resources to meet the initial project plan, you applied a "resource constrained" model by leveling the project "outside" of available slack. This solved the problem but at a cost, not of money but of time.  And now you have to explain. 

Procedure

1. Open your POM 1 project file, correct if needed and re-save it as:  POM 2 Resources Added
   
   
2. Update the POM 2 file with the resources as shown on page 641.  Note: 500% = 5.0 units
   
   
3. Save this file (you’ll need it to answer Q1 on page 641)
   
   
4. Re-save the POM 2 Resources Addedfile as POM 2 TC. 
   
   
5. Attempt to resolve the resource over-allocation problem using time constrained resource-leveling parameters. You will not be able to get all over-allocations resolved but you need to see that for yourself.  Save this file and close it.
   
   
6. Re-open the POM 2Resources Added file and save as POM 2 RC.
   
   
7. Resolve the resource over-allocations using resource constrained leveling parameters.
   
   
8. Create a Word document
   • Start with the update to the Preliminary Scope (all topics)
   • Last (new)page: picture ofboth TC and RC Gantt charts matching the view in the appendix
     
     
9. Create an email containing responses to questions 1- 4 from Part 2, pg. 641in the text

Assignment Deliverables

• Email and Word document submitted via Canvas
• MSP file POM 2 RC (resource constrained model only) submitted via canvas

Technical Requirements

• Name all files: POM 2RC (one will be .docx and the other .mpp)
  
  
• All prior POM assignment formatting rules apply
  
  
• MSP resource constrainedfile
  • All formatting and columns match the Appendix example; add cost and work to default summary table view; remove resource names from bar area
  • Tasks are in verb-noun format, descriptive and correctly spelled
    
    
• Email
  • Sentence and paragraph format; do not use a bulleted list for each question
  • Explains how and why you arrived at the resource constrained project plan
    
    
• Scope
  • Deliverables should be in order, starting with the most important rather than time
  • Milestones must be in chronological order

Limits and Exclusions

• Do not submit the Resources Addedor POM 2 TC project files.
• Gantt charts may not have resource names with the bars (you may need to modify the program settings)