Resources

The DCMA guideline recommends that all programme activities should have a Resource assigned to them.

This is quite a sweeping statement which needs further exploration, as in practice there are many exceptions to this rule.  For example, activities such as lead times for procurement, or client review of shop drawings, will have a time duration on the programme, but no work or cost value.

Also, many organisations use a programme for overview planning, and as such would not necessarily resource load the schedule. For this reason, this is the most flexible DCMA metric.

However, having noted this, it’s important to understand that for comprehensive construction programming, lack of Labour Resourcing is the No. 1 risk to the programme.  When you have no labour-resource assigned to the programme, you are making a very dangerous assumption. 

To produce a robust and accurate construction programme you must include Labour Resourcing or face the highly likely consequences of a Late Finish and the possibility of penalties.

By failing to assign labour resources, you are assuming that you have unlimited manpower available and that whoever you need, whenever you need them, will be available, and in whatever numbers you require.  You need 30 Electricians tomorrow?  No problem!  This is not reality.