Topic 11 Resource Management in Scheduling

The required reading for this week is Article 7, the Great Divorce: Cost Loaded Schedule Updating, by John P. Orr. This article starts with explaining the impact of resources on schedule, then goes on to resource related problems in scheduling. It is a little long (15 pages including a title page and a TOC) but it ties up nicely a number of things we have discussed. For a simpler explanation of resource constraints on project schedule, read Article 1.

Article 4 is another good article on resource loading and leveling. It starts with a discussion of float, which is our topic last week, then covers the processes of resource leveling. The author Michael R. Nosbisch, is the current AACE President. His co-author, Ron Winter wrote our required reading last week.

Article 5 deals with some practical issues with resource loading in P3 and MS Project. Article 6 is an academic discussion on resource constraint. You may find it difficult to read starting from page 4. Proceed with caution. Article 2 and 3 are on the specific issues of labor resource management. I would recommend Article 3 over 2.

By now you probably have noticed that a lot of these “better” articles are from a relatively small group. Just take a look at the familiar names below, Just, Chen, Winter, etc. Sometimes you can actually follow an individual’s work. Or better yet, you could become one of those individuals/leaders if you are willing to share what you have learned in your profession. You don’t really need an advanced degree for this.

1. The Effect of Resource Constraints on Project Schedules, Michael R. Just, CCE; James P. Murphy, AACE Transactions, 1994
2. Labor Resource Planning for Construction Projects, Anubhav Bhargava; Balkiz Oztemir; Allan D. Chasey, AACE International Transactions, 2002
3. Applying Trapezoidal Technique in Resource Management, Mark T. Chen, AACE International Transactions, 2006
4. Managing Resource Leveling, Michael R. Nosbisch, CCC PSP; Ronald M. Winter, PSP, Cost Engineering, Vol. 48, No. 07, 2006
5. Artificial Resource Loading for Schedule Review, Albert Joseph Kuhn, PSP, 2007 AACE International Transactions, PS.17, 2007
6. Advanced Scheduling Technology for Shorter Resource-Constrained Project Durations, Robert Richards, AACE International Transactions, 2008
7. The Great Divorce: Cost Loaded Schedule Updating, John P. Orr, PSP, 2011 AACE International Transactions, OWN.718, 2011

Topic 10 Float and Schedule Compression

The issue of float can be rather complicated. Many of the articles below are very technique. The goal for this class is to get a preliminary understanding of this issue. Article 7, Who should own the float, by Ron Winter (not Ron White), is the required reading for this week. This particular question has been asked over and over again in past years. Read Article 1 for an earlier take of this question. If you are interested in the technical aspect, you can start with Article 5. Article 6 is similar to Article 5. I also like Article 2. It is from a while ago but by a well-known author. The language is clear and precise. I wish I can write like that. The rest (Article 3, 4, and 8) deal with different aspects of the float issue.

Schedule compression is a closely related subject but I couldn’t find any suitable material for the class.

1. Who Owns Float?, Gordon G. Peterman, CCE, Cost Engineering, Vol. 21, No. 02, 1979
2. Float Ownership: Specs Treatment, Dr. Gui Ponce de Leon, PE, Cost Engineering , 1986
3. Schedule Density as a Tool for Pricing Compensable Float Consumption, Michael Ross Finke, Cost Engineering , 2000
4. Effect of Multiple Calendars on total Float and Critical Path, Nestor J. Scavino, CCC, Cost Engineering , 2003
5. Total Float Management for Delay Analysis, Khalid S. Al-Gahtani; Satish B. Mohan, AACE International Transactions, 2005
6. Total Float Management, Renovating a Misused and Abused Approach, Dr. Anamaria I. Popescu, PE, AACE International Transactions, 2008
7. Who Should Own the Float, Ron Winter, PSP; Timothy T. Calvey, PE PSP, AACE International Transactions, 2008
8. When is the Critical Path Not the Most Critical Path?, Murray Woolf, 2008 AACE International Transactions, PS.07, AACE International, Morgantown, WV, 2008