PMI-SVC Scheduling Forum “Let Me Level With You” Resource Leveling in Microsoft Project Mark “Doc” Dochtermann Scheduling Consultant August 4, 2015
About Doc Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) Certified PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Green Belt Certified Scrum Master (CSM) Certified IS Security Professional (CISSP) Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) 1 st Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo 8/4/20152
Understand What Resource Levelling is (and Isn’t) Learn about Total Slack, Free Slack, Lead, Lag, Critical Path, Forward Pass, Backward Pass, Capacity, Availability, Leveling Delay, Assignment Delay Learn How the Microsoft Project Scheduling Actually Engine Works Learning Objectives 38/4/2015
Resource Leveling... … is – a Tool / Aid to Assist With Managing Resource Over-Allocations – for Advanced Project Schedulers – a very Powerful Feature of Microsoft Project … is NOT – a Substitute for Project Schedulers – a “Silver Bullet” – a Way Out of Designing Good Schedules – for the Un-Informed or Novice Project Scheduler 8/4/20154
Capacity vs Availability 58/4/2015
Example Schedule 8/4/20156
Types of Slack 1.Total Slack in a Schedule: The Time an Activity Can Be Delayed Without Impact on the Finish Date of the Project. 78/4/2015
Types of Slack 2.Free Slack in a Schedule: The Time an Activity Can Be Delayed Without Causing Impact to Any Following Activity. 88/4/2015
Crashing a Schedule 3.Crashing a Schedule: Allocating More Resources So that an Activity Can Be Completed On / Before Time … Assuming That With More Resources the Activity Can Be Completed Earlier. 98/4/2015
Fast Tracking 4.Fast Tracking a Schedule: Activities That Are Normally Done in Sequence, are Assigned Partially in Parallel. 108/4/2015
Schedule Tailgating 4.Schedule Tailgating: Activities are Logically Linked and the “Driving” Task Continues to Force Start of its Successor, Even if the Task is Incomplete. 118/4/2015
The Critical Path 8/4/ Total Slack = 0d for Critical Path
Non Critical Tasks Free Slack = 4.6d
Resource Leveling Using the Tracking Gantt View we Can See How the Resource Leveling Function Resolves Over-Allocations 8/4/201514
Leveling Gantt View Using the Leveling Gantt View to Better Visualize What MS Project is Doing to Your Schedule 8/4/201515
Leveling Gantt Configure the Leveling Gantt View for a Better View and then Re-Level the Specific Resource(s) 8/4/201516
Leveling Gantt Understanding the Various Elements of the Leveling Gantt View 8/4/ Task Pre- leveled Task Free Slack
How The Microsoft Project Scheduling Engine Works Leveling Gantt View in the Top Frame and the Task Form in the Bottom Frame 8/4/ d Leveling Delay
Leveling Delay vs. Assignment Delay Assignment Delay - This Type of Delay Applies to Assignments Within a Task. Leveling Delay – This Type of Delay Applies to the Entire Task. 8/4/201519
Leveling Tasks Work Can be Pushed Out by MS Project by Introducing Task Leveling Delay 8/4/ d Delay 3d Task Duration 3d Free Slack Over Allocation Resolved Over Allocation Created
Resource Leveling Options 8/4/ Always Set to Manual Avoid Pushing End Date Concurrent Activity? Contiguous Work? NEVER !
Summary Start With a Well Structured Schedule Never Level All – Work on Areas of the Schedule Understand all of: Total Slack, Free Slack, Lead, Lag, Critical Path, Forward Pass, Backward Pass, Capacity, Availability, Leveling Delay, Assignment Delay MS Project is a Robust Tool for Scheduling and Resource Allocation and Tracking – You Need to Understand How the Scheduling Engine Works A Fool With a Tool is Still a Fool ! 8/4/201522
Resources Simon Sez IT – Project 2013 Training Tutorials st=PLzj7TwUeMQ3iTsQY6ERGqxg9YDK5Y9eBU st=PLzj7TwUeMQ3iTsQY6ERGqxg9YDK5Y9eBU Leveling Resources And Assignment Delay US/a029e6c b f99c /are- leveling-resources-and-assignment-delay-the-same- thing?forum=projectprofessional2010general US/a029e6c b f99c /are- leveling-resources-and-assignment-delay-the-same- thing?forum=projectprofessional2010general 8/4/201523
Contact Info Mobile: LinkedIn: Twitter: Doc_PMI 248/4/2015