It
is important to balance the load among staff members. Team members will
need to be able to take vacations, attend training, and perhaps lend
support to other ongoing projects within the organization. A Staff
Allocatoin Versus Time diagram is one way of displaying the workload
for each staff member in the context of the project's schedule.
If a staff member is allocated
to two different tasks simultaneously that will each demand 75% of that
staff member's allotted time, then that staff member is overloaded
(150%). If the schedule can be corrected to remove some of the
work for that staff member, then that is a good option. There may be a
situation arise; however, where due to unavoidable circumstances (such
as a team member who has a very unique and necessary skill set) a team
member's time must be allocated at more than 100%. In such cases, the
project management team should consider compensating that team member
for his or her overtime (extra pay, compensatory time off, etc.).
The following staff allocation
versus time diagram models the staff allocation for all project
activities preceding the testing phase for the microwave oven example.
Staff allocation
versus time diagram
The
following staff allocation versus time diagram models the staff
allocation for all project activities performed during the testing phase for
the microwave oven example.
Staff allocation
versus time diagram
No part of this work should be produced or used without the permission of the authors: Michael Turner and Dr. Sharon A White.