Resource Leveling

Why Every Schedule Needs Resource Leveling

A freshly built CPM schedule assumes infinite resources. It says "Start slab work on Floor 7 and Floor 8 simultaneously" without checking whether two slab crews are available. It says "Pour concrete on Tower A and Tower B on the same day" without checking if the batching plant has that capacity.

Resource leveling applies real-world constraints to this idealised schedule. If only one slab crew is available, Floor 8 slab work starts after Floor 7 finishes. If the batching plant can handle only one tower's pour per day, Tower B's pour moves to the next day.

This process often extends the project duration beyond what the unconstrained CPM shows - and that's the point. The leveled schedule tells you the realistic timeline, not the theoretical one.

The Resource Leveling Challenge on Multi-Tower Projects

The complexity of resource leveling multiplies on multi-tower and township projects that are common with Tier 1 Indian developers.

Consider a project with 4 towers, each with 20 floors. The unconstrained schedule shows all 4 towers proceeding in parallel. But the project has: 2 tower cranes (serving 4 towers), 3 slab crews (needed across 4 towers), 1 RMC batching plant (with daily capacity for 2 pours), and a shared MEP subcontractor (who has 1 team for electrical and 1 for plumbing across the project).

Resource leveling this project means sequencing when each tower gets crane access, staggering slab pours to match batching capacity, and scheduling MEP work across towers in a sequence that doesn't leave the subcontractor double-booked.

In Primavera P6, resource leveling is a built-in function - but it requires accurate resource assignment data that must be manually maintained. When resource availability changes (a crew moves to another project, a crane breaks down), the leveling needs to be re-run. On fast-moving Indian construction sites, these changes happen weekly.

Resource Leveling vs. Resource Smoothing

Resource leveling and resource smoothing are related but different. Leveling resolves conflicts by delaying tasks - it may extend the project duration. Smoothing adjusts resource allocation within existing float without extending the project.

In practice, Indian construction teams need both. Leveling for critical resources (cranes, RMC, specialised crews) where conflicts would cause work stoppages. Smoothing for flexible resources (general labour, material deliveries) where workload can be redistributed without schedule impact.

Real-Time Resource Conflict Detection

The traditional approach - running a resource leveling algorithm once during planning and updating it monthly - doesn't match the pace of change on Indian construction sites. A subcontractor who was supposed to deploy 20 workers sends only 12. The crane scheduled for maintenance on Sunday is delayed until Tuesday. The RMC delivery for Tower B is pushed by a day because the plant prioritised another client.

Each of these changes creates resource conflicts that weren't in the original leveled schedule. Detecting these conflicts in real time - when a task update reveals that a shared resource is now double-booked - allows the project manager to re-sequence work before crews show up to find their resource unavailable.