Availability

Term Definition
Availability means capable of being used or the extent to which resources are available to meet the project's needs. As it relates to project management, it typically refers to resources or funding. The level of availability of a resource may vary over time.

Resources cannot be allocated if they are not available. Resource calendars aid in workforce planning and project management. For example, if Joe works Monday through Thursday for 10 hours each day, on a resource calendar he would be unavailable to work on Friday. Knowing when your resources are available is critical for organizations to run effectively. The availability of resources will determine project timelines. You must have the resources needed in order to successfully complete projects. Resources cannot be over or under allocated. If Joe works Monday through Thursday and he is scheduled for project tasks Monday through Wednesday, he would have availability to be assigned to a task. If Joe were not assigned to a task then this would result in bench time. The company would not be making use of Joe as a resource.

Resource calendars can be used for human resources, as well as equipment. Resource calendars help organizations in their resource planning by indicating availability. It would be impossible to run an organization if you did not know when employees would be on vacation, leave, or what shifts they were working. For example, if John is a security analyst who works the 2nd shift and you have a project that requires a security analyst for the 1st shift, a resource calendar would provide you with the data required so that you did not allocate the resource inappropriately. In another example, if the organization has three technicians, and two will be on vacation the same week, then you would not schedule the two absent technicians for projects the weeks that they are on vacation.

Area of Application
Enterprise Resource Planning
Resource Planning

Related Terms
Resource Calendar

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