TOPIC: Activity resource requirements/ Resource Calendars

I am somewhat confused on this one sequence of processes as described below, can someone please clarify.

In HR management, activity resource requirements are an input to the Plan HR process, resource calendars are an output to the following process of Acquire project team. However resource calendars are an input to the Time management process, Estimate activity resources and activity resource requirements are an output of that activity.

The point is that you have an input to Plan HR that is not created until the output to the following process Acquire project team creates resource calendars which is the input to Estimate activity resources which in turn creates the output of activity resource requirements.

The cart seems to be before the horse somewhere. Can anyone shed some clarification to this oddity.

You can apply two types of resource calendar: one based on people and one based on equipment. For example, during planning for HR, you will want to develop an output, which in one sense is really a schedule. This resource calendar projects your team's availability. Maybe someone is getting married or going on vacation or is unavailable due to other reasons. The other set of resources called equipment include materials that you need but are in demand throughout the organization such as conference rooms, special equipment, tools, or vehicles. The list is endless. You'll want to have a schedule of that equipment's availability so it is not overbooked.

Thanks Michael, this response actually pointed me to the remaining answer to this. I revisited the PMBOK after reading your response and found that the Resource Calendars that are inputs in Time management come from the Output Resource calendar from Conduct Procurements not from HR.

Thanks for the input and clarification,

Dean

There are a few things to consider. Activity Resource Requirements would have to come before Acquirer Project Team because Acquirer Project Team is during execution and Estimate Activity Resource is part of the schedule plan during planning. Now to answer why then is Resource Calendars an input to Estimate Activity Resource. Also remember Conduct Procurements also has Resource Calendars to add to Estimate Activity Resource and that also take place during execution. This is because it’s iterative. Once you Acquirer the Project Team or Contract out some Project Team you have to update the Activity resource requirements based on who, what, where and when these people were Acquired. These factors will then in turn adjust the activity durations and schedule. For example, let’s say I ended up Acquiring a programming with one year experience or a backhoe operate instead of a excavator operator. Real life factors need to be put back in the plan so the plan or schedule it up to date.

Now as Cornelius says “Let me turn the tables on you”. When you get to Risk Management look at the Risk Register and follow its data flow. It only makes sense once you see the iterative nature of the process. Now can you get why the Risk Register is an to Estimate Costs but activity cost estimates are an input to Identify Risk?

If you look at Fig. 6-15 Data flow. You'll see they come from both