Project Resource Leveling

Any good plan has identified the activities or steps required to meet a goal successfully. Every activity in the plan should have a defined duration, scope and resources required. It is imperative to identify what these resources are! They could be tools, materials, cranes, and most important: skilled people by craft.

Only by identifying our craft labor by activity can we begin to understand what the overall resources are required to start our project as planned but to finish our plan on or before our target finish date. We accomplish this task bu consulting with your management team.  Resource leveling is paramount to maintaining cost control and holding your end of your project.

• When will our resources become available for our project? 
• How many resources will I need? Can I use them all when they become available? 
• Do I need them all at once or will they progressive become available throughout the project?

Interestingly, in the petrochemical or refining world, maintenance on a process unit should be accomplished as quickly as possible. Ideally this work is scheduled around the clock, as an idle crude oil topping unit cost lots of money not to run. However, there is often a limit as to how many individual jobs can be worked simultaneously and quite frankly there is a limit as to how many craft people you can “Safely” work on any given project. 

In turn, a well-planned project will account for a solid work scope that involves the density of the work force and their respective proximity to one another.  In many cases, work that occurs above other work may effect whether multiple jobs should be scheduled to occur at different times. This dilemma is controlled by logic relationships or constraints within the schedule.

Finally, when a complete scope of work is built in the schedule, including the required resources and proper logic relationships, will you have all the necessary work done to begin to calculate manpower and attempt to level the required resources. 

Obviously, some resources (ie Craft Labor, specialized heavy lift cranes, etc) are finite. These are definitely good candidates for resources you will want to level in your schedule.  Other, non-critical resources quantities, may easily be calculated from the schedule in a number of ways.

In general terms, resources are limited and very costly to your project. 

Efficient use of them, at the right time, is absolutely necessary! It is not an option…….

We are happy to support clients in the refining or petrochemical industries between Houston, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge!