Project Resource Allocation Research Articles

Evaluation of Critical Factors Influencing Resource Allocation in Indian Construction Projects

The problem of resource allocation in the construction industry is a global phenomenon. Resource allocation plays an important role in Indian construction projects. The effective resource management is a prerequisite for project success. This paper aims to identify the critical factors that influence the resource allocation in Indian construction projects in private and public sectors. From extensive literature survey and based on experts’ opinion, forty four factors influencing resource allocation in Indian construction industry were identified. For the quantitative confirmation of the effectiveness of factors influencing resource allocation during the construction stage of a project, a questionnaire survey was conducted with construction professionals like clients, consultants and contractors. Subsequently the collected data was analyzed using the descriptive statistical method and the factors were measured and ranked under each group with Impact index. The findings reveal that the eleven top most critical factors such as materials selection and changes in types and specifications during construction, improper maintenance of equipment, shortage in construction materials, financing between the owner and contractor, force majeure (Fire, Wind damage, Hurricane, Flood), shortage of labours , poor procurement of materials, skill of labours, available of equipment and poor quality of materials. Results show that there is relatively highest agreement between contractor and consultant of about 66.7%. The resources like manpower, materials and equipment related factors are having a total contribution of about 60% and other groups are having of about 40% in resource allocation. However this paper presents recommendations for a better resource management techniques and procedures which can be adopted during conceptual , detailed planning and execution phases of the construction project.

A novel approach for complexity measure analysis in design projects

This study report presents a graph-based model to measure the relative complexity of design projects. Using managerial and technical graphs and complexity design structure matrix, the relative complexity of design projects can be determined. The relative complexity measure can support assembly-oriented design, and guide the designer in creating a product with the most effective balance of manufacturing and assembly complexity. Furthermore, the complexity measures can be used as a yardstick for budgeting and resource allocation for future design projects or maintenance cost estimation. An illustrative example is demonstrated to present the application of the model.

Software Economics: An Application Of Price Theory To The Development Of Expert Systems

Expert Systems in computer software appear to offer a potential for increases in project productivity in the range of Orders of Magnitude. This paper offers a software development model illustrating not only the optimal allocation of project resources between tool making and tool application but also appropriate investment in the project and several means of dealing with project risk. The model illustrates that much more benefit is to be derived from extending the domain of applicability of expert systems than from increasing the productivity gains of those techniques. We also find that it is possible to compensate for a more risky approach by alternative scheduling.

Constraint‐based human resource allocation in software projects

AbstractResource allocation in a software project is crucial for successful software development. Among various types of resources, human resource is the most important as software development is a human‐intensive activity. Human resource allocation is very complex owing to the human characteristics of developers. The human characteristics affecting allocation can be grouped into individual‐level characteristics and team‐level characteristics. At the individual level, familiarity with tasks needs to be taken into account as it affects the performance of developers. In addition, developers have different levels of productivity, depending on their capability and experience; the productivity of developers also varies according to tasks. At the team level, characteristics such as team cohesion, communication overhead, and collaboration and management also affect human resource allocation. As these characteristics affect the efficiency of project execution, we treat them as constraints of human resource allocation in our approach. We identify individual‐level constraints and team‐level constraints based on the literature and interviews with experts in the industry. With these constraints, our approach optimizes the scheduling of human resource allocations, resulting in more realistic and efficient allocations. We also provide a guideline supporting various factors, with respect to roles and module characteristics, to estimate the productivity of developers based on COCOMO II. As productivity data are hard to obtain and manage, our guideline can provide a useful direction for human resource allocation in case of software projects. To validate our proposed approach, we document a case study using real project data. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

RISK ASSESSMENT AND ACTION SELECTION IN PRELIMINARY DESIGN

New product development (NPD) has typically had strategic implications for the success and prosperity of an organization. This paper applied refined failure mode and effect analysis and genetic algorithm techniques to develop and establish an integrated risk analysis model for improving preliminary design of NPD. Three core items, technological performance, cost, and schedule risk, were used to improve the process of preliminary design and resource allocation in NPD projects. Risk severity, occurrence, and correlation characteristics are collected for each core item. A real study case was implemented to conclude an improving design decision and process change for NPD project.

Human Resource Allocation for Remote Construction Projects

As the construction industry expands from local markets to global markets, many construction and engineering firms have acquired tenders remotely from their home base. When allocating human resource for the management team of distant project sites, these firms have the strategies between assigning regular staff and hiring local temporary employees. Since management expenses and project risks may vary for these two strategies, it is important to make a favorable decision between the choices to mitigate project risks and achieve maximum benefits during the global expansion of construction companies. This paper first proposes a decision-making model for human resource allocation in remote construction projects by estimating project cost, which is the sum of total project expenses, expected project loss, and direct construction cost. Next, this study provides a case study of three remote construction projects to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed model. The case study results show that regular project administrators, who are able to reduce managerial flaws and cut down project losses, are favored over local ones. Regular site engineers, who hold lower level managerial responsibility, on the other hand, apparently lose their edge to local employees because of their high wages and relatively minor impact on overall project performance.

Managing Resource Allocation and Task Prioritization Decisions in Large Scale Virtual Collaborative Development Projects

The authors use a simulation approach to determine effective management of resource allocation and task prioritization decisions for the development of open source enterprise solutions software in the context of a large scale collaborative development project (CDP). Unlike traditional software systems where users have limited access to the development team, in open source environments, the resolution of issues is a collaborative effort among users and the team. However, as the project grows in size, complexity, and usage, effective allocation of resources and prioritization of tasks become a necessity to improve the operational performance of the software system. In this paper, by mining an open source software repository, the authors analyze the effects of collaborative issue resolution in a CDP and its effects on resource allocation of the team developers. This article examines several scenarios to evaluate the effects of forum discussions, resource allocation, and task prioritization on operational performance of the software system.

Applying Memetic Algorithm in Multi-Objective Resource Allocation among Competing Projects

This paper presents a memetic algorithm for solving project resource allocation problems, where the resource requirements of each project concern numbers of monetary units and never exceeds the amount of capital available. Our objectives are to obtain the best overall result for which returns are maximized and costs are minimized. Such problem, considered as a multi-objective optimization, is too complex to be solved by exact methods. In the proposed MA, the population generated by the crossover or the mutation operator is further improved by a local search method. The approximated Pareto front is updated using all new solutions generated. The performance of MA is demonstrated via an instance, consisting of six projects, and 120 units of capitals, and compared with the reference Pareto front found by executing the exhaustive method . Based on both solution quality and CPU time, the results of such comparison have proved our MA to be an effective optimal method in the multi-objective resource allocation problems (MORAP) .

Resource classification and allocation in project-based production environments

The success of a project strongly depends on the quality of project planning, i.e., on project scheduling and resource allocation. Considering the planning effort for scheduling and resource allocation, an appropriate approach dedicated to the different type of resources according to the maxim 'as accurately as possible, but as loose as necessary' is presented. Following this maxim, resources are characterised and classified by various criteria and a differentiation between critical, non-critical and risk-prone resources is conducted. Planning strategies are derived for selected resource types. Additionally, suggestions are made for the organisation of project structures to achieve a low criticality of the resource pool. The proposed research classification enables practitioners to differentiate between different resource types and reduce project planning effort by maintaining schedule stability for projects. Thereby, the research is based on the experiences of the authors from the construction industry, the major representative of project-based industries, with highly complex projects and planning environments. Non-structured interviews among construction professionals from the industry and science were carried out to develop and proof the appropriateness of the proposed approach.

A theory of optimized resource allocation from systems perspectives

AbstractA construction project is an example of a complex systems engineering problem. In this paper, we have characterized a construction project in the context of the theory of six forces on the factors of production. This new approach was defined by giving consideration to the characteristics of the construction project's resource allocation. An economic efficiency index was also used to assess resource allocation of a construction project. Based on this approach, a theory of optimized resource allocation of the construction project is proposed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Project selection, scheduling and resource allocation with time dependent returns

In this paper we formulate and analyze the joint problem of project selection and task scheduling. We study the situation where a manager has many alternative projects to pursue such as developing new product platforms or technologies, incremental product upgrades, or continuing education of human resources. Project return is assumed to be a known function of project completion time. Resources are limited and renewable. The objective is to maximize present worth of profit. A general mathematical formulation that can address several versions of the problem is presented. An implicit enumeration procedure is then developed and tested to provide good solutions based on project ordering and a prioritization rule for resource allocation. The algorithm uses an imbedded module for solving the resource-constrained project scheduling problem at each stage. The importance of integrating the impact of resource constraints into the selection of projects is demonstrated.

A robust optimisation approach to project scheduling and resource allocation

In a rapidly changing and highly uncertain environment, Petri net-based project management systems can be used in the rescheduling (control reconfiguration) of projects, when unforeseen changes occur or new data estimates become available. However, having to reschedule the project after it has started can result in significant suboptimality due to increased cost. In this paper, we present a solution method which is, to a large extent, robust to data uncertainty and does not require rescheduling for a certain predefined level of uncertainty. We build the model using robust optimisation techniques which address data uncertainty in project parameters, by taking advantage of risk pooling and without knowledge of their probability distributions. We illustrate that the total cost when the robust solution is used is generally lower than the cost of reconfiguring the deterministic solution, or than a penalty cost due to overtime of the deterministic solution, for a high enough penalty cost per time unit. We find that the robust solution is better protected against constraint violations, including time and cost overruns.

Management based critical success factors in the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning systems

This study examines critical success factors for implementing Enterprise Resource Planning systems using the framework of classical management theory. The study is motivated by conflicting results in earlier studies examining critical success factors in Enterprise Resource Planning implementation, many of which are anecdotal in nature. Ten critical success factors in ERP systems implementation proposed in past literature are selected. The relationship between each of these factors and project success is examined. Project success is defined as organizational impact and on time and on/under budget project completion. Eight implementation projects were qualitatively analyzed using the case study method to examine the proposed relationships. The findings suggest that choosing the right full time project manager, training of personnel, and the presence of a champion relate to project success. The use of consultants, the role of management in reducing user resistance and the use of a steering committee to control the project do not appear to differentiate successful and unsuccessful projects. Integration of ERP planning with business planning, reporting level of the project manager, and active participation of the CEO beyond project approvals, resource allocation and occasional project review, are not found to be critical factors of success. Considering the financial cost and risk associated with these projects, a better understanding of critical success factors will enable practitioners and academics to improve the chance of success in the implementation projects. All organizations implementing ERP, especially small and mid-sized enterprises with limited resources, will benefit from this knowledge.

A systematic approach for resource allocation in software projects

The completion of reliable software products within their expected time frame represents a major problem for companies that develop software applications. Today, the software industry continues to struggle with delivering products in a timely manner. A major cause for delays is the training time required for engineers and other personnel to acquire the necessary skills to complete software tasks. Therefore, it is important to develop systematic personnel assignment processes that consider complete skill sets of candidates to provide solutions that reduce training time. This paper presents a novel methodology to assign resources to tasks when optimum skill sets are not available. The methodology takes into account existing capabilities of candidates, required levels of expertise, and priorities of required skills for the task. A sample case is used to show the model capabilities, and the results are compared with the current resource assignment approach.

Managing product quality, risk, and resources through resource quality function deployment

Decisions made in the early stages of product development projects are vital to their success. Such decisions include setting target product quality, allocating resources, as well as deciding whether to terminate or continue the project. In this study, we propose a new method that, based on a mathematical programming extension of quality function deployment, uses detailed information about the product and the organizational marketing and engineering competencies. The method outputs detailed information regarding project resource allocation, planned product quality, target market share, and resulting project risk that support the aforementioned decisions. The method is exemplified on the development of a recently patented product concept. While the product has never been developed, it is used to illustrate the proposed approach. The benefits and limitations of the method are discussed.

Modelling resource allocation of R&D project portfolios using a multi‐criteria decision‐making methodology

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to outline a structured Multi‐Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methodology to help organisations efficiently allocate limited resources (investments in this case) to different R&D projects within attainable project portfolio strategy packages and select the efficient portfolios that align R&D investments to the corporate long‐term objectives.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper a case study is used to present a proposed multi‐criteria methodology approach for project resource allocation. The method provides the decision maker with an ability to easily assess the impact of trading off R&D project portfolios tangible benefits (short‐term profits) and intangible benefits (reliability and risk) against constrained budget resources (investment costs), without the requirement for sophisticated and time‐consuming mathematical formulations.FindingsSuperior findings are achieved when decisions are assisted by computer‐based MCDM methodology.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that the concept embodied in this multi‐criteria approach is applied in a case study to identify and select the efficient R&D project portfolios of a multi‐national manufacturing company.Originality/valueThe novelty of this paper lies in applying a multi‐criteria methodology that offers an integrated framework that allows efficient modelling of resource allocation of project portfolios. The ultimate benefit of this work can be seen in its dual effect of specifying efficient R&D projects within different attainable portfolio packages and in defining appropriate R&D investment strategies based on trading off benefits against organisationally constrained budget resources.

Decision-making support system for human resource allocation in product development projects

Recent dismal economic conditions and a ruthlessly competitive environment have forced many companies to restructure, or reorganize their priorities. For such companies, the concentration of various resources upon their particular corporate strong points has become a central strategy. Consequently, there has been a rapid increase in the importance of (1) selecting profitable projects from a wealth of possible alternatives and (2) optimizing the allocation of current resources among the selected projects. This paper proposes an optimization system for project selection that not only yields the most beneficial project set, but also the optimum allocation of human resources for the selected projects. The optimization system consists of two algorithms, namely (1) a project selection algorithm for choosing the set of projects that maximizes the total estimated profit, and (2) a human resource allocation algorithm for optimally placing human resources among the selected projects, having considered the satisfaction level provided by each employee's skills, personal motivation and career goals.

Using resource and portfolio management solution to align IT investment with business

The typical project-oriented IT organisation conducts dozens of projects every year. A common occurrence in these organisations is that many requests come from business units with no apparent link to strategy goals. So they often face project prioritisation and resource allocation issues with a constrained budget and limited resources. This paper reviews actions that the IT organisation can take to manage shared IT services, which needs to meet resource-competing requests from business units. Specifically, the authors discuss some key advanced technologies such as a complete model for selecting projects and resource allocation, together with experiences gained from a bank in Asia Pacific.

Education project management in the information age: the case of the Kimberley Thusanang Project

This article reports on the experiences of the Kimberley Thusanang Project (KTP). It proposes that the project’s use of a database system as a management tool represents a significant development in the design of effective education projects in South Africa. The article describes how this system assists project management in overcoming two key challenges: (1) blending accountability pressure with support and (2) optimizing the allocation of project resources.

Discounting models for long‐term decision making

AbstractThis paper investigates alternative approaches to constant rate discounting for calculation of Net Present Value (NPV) in life cycle cost models that are used for engineering trade studies. Alternative approaches are necessary to meet the challenge of equitable intergenerational resource allocation for projects like radioactive waste disposal that have a life cycle that impacts future generations well beyond the 30‐year maximum time horizon limit that results from using market‐determined interest rates on bonds. This paper reviews the literature on long‐term discount models, provides a consistent nomenclature for describing the models, summarizes the theoretical and empirical basis for hyperbolic discounting models, evaluates the research results to date, and provides a recommendation for applying hyperbolic discounting. It also identifies issues with the current U.S. government policy on discounting and the future research necessary to establish an improved foundation for discounting models for long‐term projects. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 7: 13–24, 2004