Course Progress
Part of 5 Chapters
Resource and Budget: Fueling the Mission
Chapter 3. Resource and Budget: Fueling the Mission
A perfect schedule is useless without the money to pay for it and the people to execute it. ==Resource and Budget Management== is the process of identifying, acquiring, and managing the resources needed for successful project completion.
1. Estimating Costs: Art or Science?
How much will it cost? The accuracy of your answer depends on the technique you use.
Cost Estimation Techniques
| Technique | Description | Accuracy | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Analogous** | Based on similar past projects. | Low | Early initiation phase when little is known. |
| **Parametric** | Using statistical modeling (e.g., $ per square foot). | Medium | Standardized work (Construction, IT Setup). |
| **Bottom-up** | Estimating every single task and summing them up. | High | Detailed planning phase. |
| **Three-Point** | Average of best, worst, and likely case. | Medium | When there is significant uncertainty. |
2. The Budgeting Process: Building the Wall
Budgeting isn’t just one number; it is a wall of protection built from individual bricks of cost.
Calculating the raw cost of every task in the WBS
Adding a 'Contingency Reserve' for identified risks (Known-Unknowns)
Creating the 'Cost Baseline'—the approved budget for the work
Adding a 'Management Reserve' for unexpected surprises (Unknown-Unknowns)
The final figure approved by the sponsor
3. Resource Leveling: The Human Factor
People are not machines. You cannot assign 200% workload to an engineer for three weeks and expect quality. ==Resource Leveling== is the technique of adjusting the start and finish dates of tasks to address resource over-allocation.
- The Trade-off: Leveling often results in a longer project duration as you spread the work out to avoid burning out your team.
- Resource Smoothing: Adjusting tasks only within their free time (float) so the critical path doesn’t change.
The Two Reserves: Never confuse your reserves. Contingency is for things you know might happen (like a shipment delay). Management is for things you didn’t even imagine (like a global pandemic).
4. Conclusion: The Power to Execute
Budgeting is about ==“Control.”== By understanding where every dollar and every hour goes, you gain the authority to keep the project moving even when obstacles arrive. In the next chapter, we will learn how to protect this budget and schedule through formal Quality and Risk Management.
📚 Prof. Sean’s Selected Library
- [Project Management Cost and Schedule Control]: A deep dive into the math of EVM and cost baseline management.
- [Critical Chain] - Eliyahu Goldratt: Explains how to manage resource constraints across multiple projects.
- [HBR Guide to Project Management]: A high-level view on how to balance budget, team morale, and stakeholder expectations.
Next time, we will explore ‘Quality and Risk Management’—learning how to turn potential crises into managed opportunities.