Module 5 -Resource and Budget Planning
Key Takeaways
- The schedule can only ever be as good as the resources assigned to perform the tasks.
- With each schedule developed remember to optimise the four project variables (or constraints).
- Explore the early/late start and finish times.
- Select your resources based on a number of project-specific criteria.
- Consider identifying ‘backfill’ resources – just in case.
- Involve the stakeholders in the budgeting process.
- Don’t forget to communicate (and sign off on) the financial aspects of the project.
- Budgets are only as good as the estimates they are based on.
- Always state your underlying assumptions.
- Communicate the crash cost before you agree on the new timeline.
- Always baseline the schedule and track against it.
- Remember, many project resources are inherited from the available pool (which is different to handpicking the resources).
- Don’t become paranoid with levelling as it may be simply not possible in some projects.
- You cannot complete any task or project without resources.
- While your project may start with a task focus, its success will be resource-driven.
Exercises