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Short note: Resource leveling

Short answer

Resource leveling delays activities to keep resource demand within availability limits, potentially extending project duration. Non-critical activities are shifted using float, and if needed critical activities are delayed, until the resource histogram no longer exceeds the limit.

Write a short note on resource leveling and its process.

Resource leveling is the scheduling technique used when the resources available are limited. Activities are delayed, according to priority, so that the demand for a resource never exceeds its limit. The project duration may increase.

Process

  1. Prepare the network and the earliest-start schedule.
  2. Prepare the resource histogram for each scarce resource.
  3. Compare demand with the availability limit; find the periods where demand exceeds it.
  4. Delay (shift) non-critical activities using their float, in order of priority (least float first, shorter duration first).
  5. If the limit is still exceeded, delay critical activities or split activities; this extends the project.
  6. Recompute the schedule and histogram; repeat until demand is within the limit.
  7. Check the new project duration and cost.

Priority rules

Least total float first; earliest late start; smallest duration; most resources.

Result: a feasible resource-constrained schedule. Compare with resource smoothing, which keeps the project duration fixed and only evens out the demand.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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