Step-4] Estimate Activity Resource Requirement

Context Setting:
Pre-requisite for this Step: Work Packages to be identified - Activity list that describe the work packages to be available, Activity Sequencing that describes how activities are related to each other are available.
Objective: Identify the type, quantity and category of the resources needed to complete the listed activities. This allows us estimate accurate Schedule and cost estimates.

     Resource Category – Labor, Material, Equipment and Supplies like Location, Printer, ACs etc.
     Resource Types – skill level, grade level  etc.
     Resource Quantity

In this step we take 360 degree view and decide on Suggested location(s), When and what to rent, buy or make  scenarios by thoroughly examining Published Estimating Data, Alternative Analysis and Expert Judgement

I. Output of this step:

Activity Resource Requirements: Identify Types and Quantities of resources required for each activity in work package . These are further rolled up to aggrate the estimated resources/costs for each work package.

Resource Breakdown Structure: Herirchial representation of Resources by category and type - Resource category include labor, material, equipment and suppliers. Resource Type include the skill level, grade level etc. This is useful to report Resource Utlization information along with Project schdule progress.

Project Document Updates: Updates to Activity List, Activity Attributes and Resource Calendars.

II. Tools and Techniques used:

Expert Judgement: To assess the resource-related inputs to this process. Person with specialized knowledge in resource planning and estimating can provide such expertize.

Alternative Analysis: Assess Alternate methods of accomplishments- Make- Rent- Buy decissions regarding the resources- What are the skill levels available with us and on what activities we need to invest the resoruce capabilities/skills

Bottom-up Estimating: Aggregating the estimates of the lower-level components of WBS: When an activity cannot be estimated with reasonable degree of confidence, the work within it are further decomposed into more detail- The resource needs are estimated- These estimates are then aggregated into a total quantity for each of the activity resources-

Project Management Software: Like Microsoft Project Plan to help plan, organize and manage resource pools and develop resource estimates- Resource Break down structures, Resource availability-Resource Rates and various resource calendars to assist in optimizing resource utilization.

III. Inputs:

Schedule Management Plan - Describes level of detail necessary to carry out schedule management plan

Activity List: Coming from earlier steps
Activity Attributes: Coming from earlier steps.
Resource Calendars - Available working days or shifts on which each specific resource is available - Specify how long identified project resources will be available during the project.
Risk Register –
Enterprise Environmental Factors –  Org's Estimation Data base - Published  Commerical Info - Productivty Metrics -Location of team Members.
Org Process Assets - Policies and procedures regarding staffing, relating to rental and purchase of suppliers and equipment. Historical information regarding types of resources used for similar work on previous projects - Lessons Learned