Glossary

  • fixed resource – A resource that "remains unchanged as output increases".
  • over-allocation – A resource allocation error that occurs when more work is assigned to a resource than can be completed within a particular time period, given that resource's availability.
  • over-commitment – A resource allocation error that occurs when a task takes longer than expected, tying up the resource longer than originally scheduled.
  • proactive resilience – Taking timely action to prevent a crisis, often by introducing a change that upends the usual way of doing things at an organization.
  • resource allocation – The "process of assigning and managing assets in a manner that supports an organization's strategic goals". On the project level, resource allocation still involves making choices that support the organization's strategic goals, but you also have to factor in your project's more specific goals.
  • resource capacity management – The practice of "planning your workforce and building a skill inventory in exact proportion to the demand you foresee. It lets you optimize productivity and as a concept perfectly complements the Agile methodology".
  • resource leveling – An approach to project scheduling that aims to avoid over-allocation of resources by setting start and end dates according to the "availability of internal and external resources".
  • resource management – See resource allocation.
  • resource parsimony – "Deploying the fewest resources necessary to achieve the desired results".
  • resource smoothing – "A scheduling calculation that involves utilizing float or increasing or decreasing the resources required for specific activities, such that any peaks and troughs of resource usage are smoothed out. This does not affect the overall duration".
  • triple bottom line (TBL) – Term introduced by John Elkington as a way to broaden corporate thinking about the cost of doing business to include social and environmental responsibilities. He argued that rather than focusing solely on profit and loss, organizations should pay attention to three separate bottom lines: profit, people, and the planet. "It aims to measure the financial, social and environmental performance of the corporation over a period of time. Only a company that produces a TBL is taking account of the full cost involved in doing business".
  • variable resource – A resource that changes "in tandem with output".