An important aspect of any project scheduling management is efficient handling of resources to complete the tasks on schedule and within the allocated budget. Scheduling resources is a complex task as it involves allocating people, equipment and facilities.
Scheduling resources involves allocating resources based on the resource availability, capability, effort required and the scope of project. Construction scheduling companies can help organizations by solving the problems associated with resources scheduling. Companies might face problems and construction delays when they over-allocate resources or under-allocate them as these might impact the transactions with third party vendors, the profitability, employee trust and also client satisfaction.
Construction scheduling companies like ICM contractors can help in preventing and solving the problems associated with the work capacity and resource availability through thorough and concise construction planning. Below are the major benefits of resource scheduling.
Better Structure
Most of the construction projects involve various departments, teams, resources, vendors and locations. Having resource scheduling would help in organizing all aspects and give structure to plan effectively and finish the project in the given time without construction delays.
Scope of Project
The first step is defining the scope of the project. The team should list all the tasks that need to be performed to complete all the jobs inlaid by completing all tasks and thus, the project.
Have Deadlines
Once the scope of the project is defined the next step is to estimate the effort required, along with the time needed to finish the project. This estimation might include breaking down how many days or hours each task would take and keeping deadlines to finish the tasks. It might also include the numbers of days it will take for a task to be completed or the amount of manpower required.
Check Constraints
It is important to identify the constraints that each task may have and try to work around them. These restrictions can be skills required by the manpower, a deadline or time required for the work to be completed. It is better to address them and plan for unforeseen problems.
Effective Task Distribution
Once the space of the project is established and the timelines to be followed are specified, you need to distribute the tasks among the resources available to you. One should always distribute the tasks in an effective manner and the resource scheduling tools would help in distributing the tasks.
Distribution of Resources
You need to identify the resources required for completing the tasks of the construction project. You should have a clear idea of which are reusable resources, and which cannot be reused and plan accordingly. You should also determine the amount of effort required to execute the tasks and the quantity required to complete the tasks.
Check Availability
Once you determine how many resources are necessary, you need to check for the availability of these resources. You need to track the availability of the people required to perform the tasks. Also, the accessibility of equipment needed for performing the tasks and whether the equipment is used for a different project; if this is the case, then other options need to be explored.
Matching Tasks with Capability
You should also consider matching the capability to perform the tasks along with the availability of the resources. See what the resources can do and cannot do and plan accordingly. For example, an individual could have the necessary skills to finish the task efficiently but might not be available at the right time; or alternatively, there could be an individual available at the right time but doesn’t have the necessary skills. Therefore, you need to schedule accordingly around the availability of the skilled person. A better way to manage the resources is to have resource schedule database of workers availability and skillset match with tasks to be performed.
Tracking Projects
Keeping an eye on the amount of resources consumed is an important part of construction project completion for cost efficiency and timely delivery of the project. As the resources assigned to a particular project might be in different locations it is important to have a centralized system to know how the resources are being used.
Even if you have not planned your resources earlier, with proper analysis you can manage the resources efficiently. There might be several unforeseen construction delays in the project and if you have the systems in place, you’ll be able to handle these with proper resource allocation.
Resource scheduling and construction planning is a crucial part for project management. Without this scheduling you wouldn’t be able to meet deadlines and would go over budget.
The process can be complex but using resource scheduling would be helpful in identifying the resource availability, make better estimates, analyze the information and make better decisions.
If you are looking for resource scheduling solutions, ICM Contractors can help you in allocating and tracking your resources.