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Last updated on Nov 24, 2024
  1. All
  2. Engineering
  3. Engineering Management

Two projects need the same critical resource. How will you prioritize and allocate it effectively?

When two projects vie for the same essential resource, strategic prioritization is key. Here's how to tackle the allocation puzzle:

- Assess the impact: Evaluate which project delivers greater value or is time-sensitive.

- Communicate transparently: Keep all stakeholders informed about decisions and rationales.

- Explore alternatives: Seek other resources or adjust timelines to mitigate constraints.

How do you handle resource allocation in your projects? Share your strategies.

Engineering Management Engineering Management

Engineering Management

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Last updated on Nov 24, 2024
  1. All
  2. Engineering
  3. Engineering Management

Two projects need the same critical resource. How will you prioritize and allocate it effectively?

When two projects vie for the same essential resource, strategic prioritization is key. Here's how to tackle the allocation puzzle:

- Assess the impact: Evaluate which project delivers greater value or is time-sensitive.

- Communicate transparently: Keep all stakeholders informed about decisions and rationales.

- Explore alternatives: Seek other resources or adjust timelines to mitigate constraints.

How do you handle resource allocation in your projects? Share your strategies.

Add your perspective
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
11 answers
  • Contributor profile photo
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    Tejas Borse PSP

    Project Controls | Scheduler | Associate DBIA

    (edited)
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    When a critical resource is over allocated to 2 projects following guidelines can be used to determine the best outcomes - 1. Assess the Risk associated with delay in each project. Factors such as liquidated damages, Lost incentive payments, Increased overhead due to delay etc should be considered. Preference should be given to project with most financial impact. 2. For the other project which has less impact - compare the cost of acquiring the critical resource (can be a subcontractor or consultant) with the impact. If cost of acquiring the resource is less than impact go ahead with acquiring additional resource. 3. If not possible to acquire resource then assess if the critical resource is needed for whole duration or can be shared.

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    Peter J. Williams

    Maintenance and Engineering Management | Asset Management | Reliability Engineering | Project Management | Continuous Improvement

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    • Report contribution

    1. Assess the project priorities and deadlines Analyze business impact: Determine which project is more critical to the company's strategic goals or has a greater financial impact. Evaluate deadlines: Identify which project has more time-sensitive milestones that must be met. 2. Evaluate Resource Requirements Understand the resource's role: Clarify the specific tasks the resource will perform for each project and the time required. Identify flexibility: Assess if one project's tasks can be delayed, split, or reassigned without compromising its success. 3. Engage Stakeholders Facilitate collaboration: Bring together the project leaders or key stakeholders to discuss priorities and constraints to try and form some consensus.

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    Asaf Neeman 🎗

    VP R&D and Engineering manager | Medical Device - ISO 13485 expertise | Senior mechanical Engineer | Project manager | Product Development | MBA | 15Y Exp

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    briefly, I will priorities project first based on the following: * Most important / impact * Most time critical * Resource execution duration In addition, I will try to outsource the resource if possible. If not possible, a mutual decision meeting to set how is first and how will be late.

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    Abdallah Shehata

    Senior Procurement &Sales Engineer&Civil Engineer Specializing in Building Materials |Expertise in Project Management, Vendor Relations Cost Optimization Increased Revenue by 20%& Reduced Costs by 15%Holder PMP,RMP,SIGMA

    • Report contribution

    1. Assess Project Needs and Importance Identify the Critical Resource: Clearly define the specific resource in demand (e.g., a specialized team member, a piece of equipment, budget). Project Goals and Deadlines: Understand the objectives and timelines of each project. Strategic Alignment: Determine how each project contributes to overall organizational goals. Risk Assessment: Evaluate the potential impact of delaying or compromising each project. 2. Prioritization Methods Value-Based Prioritization: Allocate the resource to the project that delivers the highest value or return on investment. Urgency-Based Prioritization: If one project has a pressing deadline or critical milestone, it may take precedence.

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    Ricardo Chang

    Strategic Business Manager│Business Development │Sales & Commercial │ B2B & B2C │ Disruptive Innovator

    • Report contribution

    ✅ Evaluación del impacto → Analizar cuál de los proyectos genera mayor valor estratégico y retorno de inversión. ✅ Uso de matrices de priorización → Aplicar herramientas como MoSCoW o Eisenhower para clasificar tareas según urgencia e importancia. ✅ Optimización de recursos → Buscar alternativas como compartir el recurso, automatizar procesos o reasignar tareas. ✅ Negociación con stakeholders → Alinear expectativas y definir criterios de asignación basados en objetivos comunes. ✅ Monitoreo y ajustes → Evaluar el desempeño y realizar cambios estratégicos para maximizar eficiencia.

    Translated
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    Ashley Sole

    VP of Engineering @ Bitso

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    If the "resource" is a person, then start prioritising a knowledge share and up skill other people ASAP. Poor knowledge sharing has created a bottleneck and it's a serious business risk. Pairing people together, doing lunch and learns, scheduling deep dives... These things are critical.

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    1
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    Syed Fadzil Syed Mohamed

    Fellow of The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (FIEM)

    • Report contribution

    Resource allocation necessitates smart thinking. When two crucial initiatives compete for the same vital resource, I prioritise them based on strategic importance, organisational goals, and long-term value creation. Transparent communication becomes our compass, guiding stakeholders through complex decisions with clarity and mutual understanding, ensuring collaborative momentum towards project achievement.

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    Rogerio Baldoino, DSc, MBA

    Coordenador de Engenharia / Engenheiro de Processos e Projetos Minerais / Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento / Avaliação de Maturidade

    • Report contribution

    To prioritize and allocate a critical resource effectively between two projects, conduct a risk assessment of the resource's absence in each project and evaluate the respective impacts considering economic, strategic, reputational, and ESG aspects with internal stakeholders and sponsors. After this alignment, decide together whether the resource will be used in Project A, Project B, or both.

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    Laertes L.
    • Report contribution

    De certa forma para priorizar e alocar de maneira eficaz um recurso crítico entre dois projetos, é importante avaliamos o impacto e considerar o valor de cada projeto, analisar os benefícios que cada projeto trará, considerar a estratégia do portfólio. Temos que maximizar o desempenho dos recursos, reduzindo o desperdícios, e dobrar o ROI do portfólio.

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    Subarsha J. Majee

    Senior Mechanical Engineer | Experienced Project Manager in Manufacturing | Expert in Brownfield & Greenfield Projects | Driven by Safety, Efficiency & Strategic Maintenance | Lean Six Sigma - Green Belt & Black Belt

    • Report contribution

    In mechanical engineering, when two projects demand the same skilled resource I don’t rely on gut feel—I rely on data-backed priority logic. 1.Failure Cost Simulation: Estimate the cost of delay/error for each project using a basic FMEA + risk multiplier. 2.Resource Utilization Heatmap: Track hourly loading and downtime to identify micro-windows of availability. Sometimes both projects get 80% done in parallel with smart slicing. 3.Process Bottleneck Decomposition: Break the activity into sub-tasks—can prep, inspection, or post-processing be parallelized while the bottleneck resource is busy? 4.Dummy Run Alignment: Run a short pilot batch for both—whichever hits spec in fewer iterations often deserves priority (less rework = higher ROI).

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