Schedule Feasibility

Correct Answer: Perform resource leveling to balance the workload

The most appropriate action to take when discovering that a critical resource is overallocated across multiple tasks during a schedule feasibility assessment is to perform resource leveling to balance the workload.

Resource leveling is a technique used to adjust the project schedule to address resource constraints and overallocation. This approach helps to optimize resource utilization while minimizing the impact on the project timeline.

Here's why this is the best answer:

1. It directly addresses the issue of resource overallocation.
2. It maintains the project's overall schedule as much as possible.
3. It ensures efficient use of resources across tasks.
4. It helps identify and resolve resource conflicts early in the planning process.

The other options are less ideal:

Extending the project timeline should be considered only if resource leveling and other optimization techniques are insufficient. It may lead to unnecessary delays and increased costs.

Assigning additional resources to overallocated tasks may not always be feasible due to budget constraints or the availability of skilled resources. It also doesn't address the root cause of the overallocation.

Prioritizing tasks and delaying non-critical activities can be part of resource leveling, but it's not as comprehensive as the chosen answer. This approach alone may not fully resolve the overallocation issue and could potentially impact the project's critical path.

Resource leveling is the most proactive and efficient approach to addressing resource overallocation while maintaining project efficiency and timeline integrity.

Correct Answer: Discuss the conflict with the other project manager and try to resolve mutually

The correct answer is to 'Discuss the conflict with the other project manager and try to resolve mutually'. This is the best approach as it involves effective communication and cooperativity, which are both key to conflict resolution and successful project management. Answer 'Ignore the conflict hoping it will resolve itself' is not a proactive or effective approach to project management. Scheduling conflicts can lead to project delays, resource allocation issues and other significant problems if not resolved. The answer 'Insist on your project having priority' does not promote a team-based, cooperative approach to project management. It's important to remember that all projects are valuable and significant to an organization. Lastly, 'Rush your project to finish before the other one starts' does not consider the quality of work. Rushing a project can lead to errors, oversight of vital details, and ultimately an unsuccessful project output.

Correct Answer: Reassign resources from non-critical tasks to achieve the deadline

The best approach to tackle this situation would be to 'Reassign resources from non-critical tasks to achieve the deadline'. This is because, in a project with a limited budget and a strict deadline, there's hardly any room for resource expansion or deadline extension. Therefore, the most viable option is to optimize the use of existing resources. The other options, such as 'Request additional budget to expedite the process' isn't feasible due to the budget constraint. 'Neglect non-critical tasks completely' could compromise other aspects of the project, which isn't a good project management practice. And 'Delay the deadline by explaining issues to the stakeholder' isn't the best option as it does not guarantee that the stakeholder will approve the delay, and even if they do, it's not a proactive solution for the problem.