Underlining the differences between Resource Leveling and Resource Smoothing?

Under Project time management knowledge area there is a specific process called Develop Project schedule. Under this process, we have Resource Optimization Techniques. Today we are discussing two important resource optimization techniques – Resource Leveling and Resource

Smoothing (resource smoothing technique is a new entry in the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition ). Now, as both of these techniques are resource optimization techniques so their primary focus is to allocate resources in such a way to bring maximum output effectively. Due to this reason PMP® test takers generally gets confused between these two terms.

source Leveling and Resource Smoothing, let us begin with how PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition defines these two techniques:

Resource leveling

“A technique in which start and finish dates are adjusted based on resource constraints with the goal of balancing demand for resources with the available supply.” – PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition.

Resource Smoothing

“A technique that adjusts the activities of a schedule model such that the requirements for resources on the project do not exceed certain predefined resource limits.”– PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition.

When we are developing the schedule, we sequence the activities and then we assign resources and estimate duration. Now, while we are performing all these activities, our focus is generally to sequence activities based on their dependencies (mandatory or discretionary). After this, we may end up developing a schedule where some of the resources are over allocated. When we apply resource leveling, we apply resource constraints (like we do not have more than 45 hours in a week) to our schedule, applying this resource constraint may result in change of project schedule dependencies and it may result in change in project duration. In the image above when we applied 45 hours constraint to 7 week project, then it became 9 week project schedule.

After applying resource leveling you have a resource constrained schedule, but you may still have the desired level of allocation in your project plan to keep things well managed. Let’s say your desired level of allocation per week is 38 hours, now by doing Resource Smoothing you try to adjust activities in such a way that you achieve this desired level of resource allocation. You may not be able to do it for all the weeks since you do not think of changing the project duration while applying this smoothing, so you do it only wherever slack is available.

Differentiating Resource Leveling and Resource smoothing

Resource leveling	Resource Smoothing
It applies the resource constraints to the project and may result in change in project duration.	We apply resource smoothing after doing resource leveling and we make use of slack, and will not result in change of project duration.
Resource Leveling is primarily driven by resource constraints, like you do not have more than 45 hours of the given resource for a week.	Resource smoothing is more to do with desired limits, like we do have 45 hours available for given resource but we wish that we allocate 38 hours per week so we have some breathing space.
The allocation limits identified in resource leveling must be applied.	The desired limit identified in resource smoothing may not be applied in some cases, if we do not have slack.
The resource leveling is done first and then we do the resource smoothing. Since we need to first accommodate the resource constraints before we can optimize it.	We apply resource smoothing after applying resource leveling.

I’m sure I have answered all your questions on Resource Leveling and Resource smoothing. You can join the discussion on the same in our Forum. You may also want to check our other blogs PMP® Trainings.