Allocating and Managing Constrained Resources

Allocating and managing constrained resources allows for a variety of techniques that may be used to monitor resources used in a project. Although the primary focus is on human resources, the principles discussed can also be applied to other types of project resources.

Limitless material resources are not only unavailable most of the time, they may actually be a hindrance. And remaining lean and mean can often be a blessing.

– Michael Gibbert, Martin Hoegl, and Liisa Välikangas

The Big Ideas in this Lesson

You have to have the right resources at the right time. This involves staying flexible and making changes as necessary, rather than hewing to a predefined structure that might not be useful as conditions change.
Constraints on resources are inevitable, but by combining geometric-order techniques such as resource leveling and resource smoothing with an adaptive, living order approach, you can prevent project crises.
Project managers have to look outside their projects to find the resources they need. Somehow, within their organizations, they have to secure the resources they need. Meanwhile, on the portfolio-level, executives have to manage resources to ensure that they are available for many projects over the long term.

Source: University of Wisconsin
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