Resource classification and allocation in project-based production environments

The success of a project strongly depends on the quality of project planning, i.e., on project scheduling and resource allocation. Considering the planning effort for scheduling and resource allocation, an appropriate approach dedicated to the different type of resources according to the maxim 'as accurately as possible, but as loose as necessary' is presented. Following this maxim, resources are characterised and classified by various criteria and a differentiation between critical, non-critical and risk-prone resources is conducted. Planning strategies are derived for selected resource types. Additionally, suggestions are made for the organisation of project structures to achieve a low criticality of the resource pool. The proposed research classification enables practitioners to differentiate between different resource types and reduce project planning effort by maintaining schedule stability for projects. Thereby, the research is based on the experiences of the authors from the construction industry, the major representative of project-based industries, with highly complex projects and planning environments. Non-structured interviews among construction professionals from the industry and science were carried out to develop and proof the appropriateness of the proposed approach.