Resource consumption shows the ratio of the calculated effort (target value) of a project phase to the allocation of personnel from the deployment plan (actual value). It shows to what extent the planned effort aligns with the actual resource usage.
Resource consumption
Resource consumption in construction projects
Resource utilisation is a crucial aspect of project management that determines the allocation of resources during different phases of a construction project. Accurate tracking of resource consumption allows project managers to recognise discrepancies between planned and actual resource usage and make timely adjustments to improve efficiency.
What is resource consumption?
Resource consumption shows how many productive hours have already been used and how many are still available for each order and each project phase. This key figure is based on the scope of the allocated personnel resources in the deployment plans and is compared with the calculated expenditure. Essentially, resource consumption reflects the ratio of estimated expenditure (target value) to the actual allocation of personnel from the deployment plan (actual value).
What does resource consumption indicate?
Resource consumption provides insight into how well the planned effort aligns with the actual resource allocation.
Planned efforts lower than resource usage
If the planned effort is less than the actual resource usage, the project goes off track as more employees are allocated than initially estimated. This can lead to financial losses and may have various causes: the construction program or effort might have been miscalculated, or too many personnel resources were mistakenly allocated. If this is still in the future, the number of people can be corrected. Additionally, a client's addendum might not have been recorded yet. This additional requirement must be entered, and the previous effort corrected.
Planned efforts higher than resource usage
Conversely, if the planned productive hours requirement is higher than the actual usage, the project gains since the effort was overestimated. Here too, the surplus of unneeded hours must be corrected so that free capacities for additional projects are displayed in capacity planning.
Why is resource consumption important?
Constant project shifts or employee absences (e.g., due to bad weather, part-time work, or training) make it increasingly difficult to keep track. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important for project managers to know the current status of the productive hours requirement for each task and project phase – ultimately keeping the project progress in view. Forward planning over the entire project phase ensures higher security, as personnel resource deployment can be continuously adjusted to meet the productive hours requirement if necessary.
Resource consumption in Vanillaplan
Since resource consumption is one of the most important functions of resource planning, we have naturally integrated it into Vanillaplan. Displayed as red-green bars, each project shows whether the planned effort compared to the actual resource usage from the deployment plans is exceeded or undercut. This way, the project progress is always under control, and the need for action is immediately apparent.
FAQ
Why is resource consumption important in construction projects?
Tracking resource consumption is crucial for keeping an eye on project progress. It enables project managers to identify deviations between planned and actual resource usage and make timely adjustments to avoid financial losses and increase efficiency.
What does resource consumption indicate?
Resource consumption indicates how much of the productive hours requirement has been used and how much is still available. It shows whether the actual resource allocation exceeds or falls short of the calculated effort.
What does it mean if the planned effort is lower than the actual resource usage?
If the planned effort is lower than the actual resource usage, the project goes off track as more employees are allocated than initially estimated. This can lead to financial losses and requires an adjustment of personnel resources.
What happens if the planned effort is higher than the actual resource usage?
If the planned productive hours requirement is higher than the actual usage, the project gains since the effort was overestimated. The surplus of unneeded hours must be corrected to display free capacities for additional projects.
How does Vanillaplan help track resource consumption?
In Vanillaplan, resource consumption is integrated as red-green bars. These indicate whether the planned effort is exceeded or undercut, so the project progress is always under control and the need for action is immediately apparent.