Question

if your project for example has over allocate in one resource, as a hypothetcal scenario, and then resolve to the over- allocation

Answer 1

A resource becomes over allocated when organisation assign more work to that resource the can be completed within a particular time period, given that resources availability.Resources are what we use to get our project done (i.e., people, tools, and capital.) Projects will always need resources and resources are limited. Therefore, resource allocation in project management is a practice that makes the work of a project manager significant. It is the process of assigning and scheduling available resources most efficiently.

Resources, when poorly managed, are either under-allocated or over-allocated. With under-allocation, it means that there are more resources on hand than it is necessary to complete the job at hand. This results in wasted money, potential, and lower levels of productivity. With over-allocation, it covers instances where resources are overworked. Poor resource management can affect stress levels and employee morale, resulting in a lower standard of work.

To allocate resources in project management

1. Prioritize projects

"All our projects are a number one priority" is a common sentiment among project managers. So when resource allocation conflicts exist, there is a need for prioritizing projects. Project prioritization helps especially in scenarios where resources are overloaded or over allocated. Deciding which projects matter more can help our team make decisions as to which tasks they should focus on first.

Prioritizing projects is a challenge for today's project managers. We can use project management tools to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance and keep your team informed, so nothing falls through the cracks.

2. Get to know your resources

How many people are currently available? Are they all well-versed with the tools you use? Before we can allocate resources, we have to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of your resources.

Make a list of who fits within the budget allotted for the project. Write a brief description of the ideal resources for our project. Keep short profiles of each team member up-to-date with their experience and skill set. Whenever we have to handle the allocation process, review the profiles to see who will be a great fit. Doing this will allow you to strike a balance between over and under allocation.

3. Track and manage time

Are our resources efficient? It is a part of our job to make sure that a task that can be done in a few hours doesn't take a day or two. There are ways you can improve time tracking by estimating how long will it take to complete each task. Ask team to track their time, add working hours so organisation can allocate your resources appropriately.

If things go awry, reallocate your resources. With a time tracking tool, you can figure out whether your resources are appropriately allocated, or else reschedule them. If the resources take time more than expected, your project will be at risk.

4. Adjust your team's workload

It is quite common for managers to overly depend on some resources to deliver a given task while neglecting others. An important part to avoid over and under allocation is to balance the teams' workload. If some tasks are at risk of falling behind schedule, adjust the team's workload to ensure they are delivered on time.

5. Resist the urge to over-allocate

Over-allocation could lead to team burnout. If you know that your go-to developer is assigned many tasks the same week we need to release code to another client, it may be wise to look for another developer with more bandwidth. Though our team will never run from their responsibilities, it is in everyone's best interest to prevent burn out.

6. Link tasks

One way to boost productivity and reduce cognitive load on resources is to link tasks. Imagine you have to write two pieces of content. For each piece, you will need to: research the topic, search for relevant keywords, create an outline, write, edit, and conduct outreach. There are two ways to go about completing the articles – individually and concurrently. By linking the tasks (e.g. conducting research for article A around the same time as article B) you reduce the number of times you task switch, thereby increasing your productivity and reducing your cognitive load.

7. Account for risks

Unaccounted risks can result in so-called fires that need to be put out in order for the project to stay on track. When you're putting out fires, big and small, with your projects it can overload your resources as all hands are on deck. To avoid instances like this happening, ensure you're accounting for all risks and monitoring them throughout the course of the project.

As we can see, when our specialized resource is over-allocated we have many possible ways to handle this situation. So before we go negotiating with other resource managers for more resources or before you go and hire a new resource consider the many ways to remove or reduce this resource over-allocation.