*Photo: Prof Oyewale Ojo*
A Professor of Construction Project Management at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Oyewale Ojo has called for more effective management and allocation of project resources as a critical pathway to improving project delivery in Nigeria.
He made the call on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, while delivering the 204th inaugural lecture of the University at the Obafemi Awolowo auditorium of the institution. Ojo, titled his lecture, “Resource Leveling: An Elixir Guaranteed to Induce Effective Project Delivery,”
According to him, “When resource leveling is properly understood and applied, it is an elixir for project delivery, especially in environments marked by resource constraints, uncertainty and complexity.”
Professor Ojo defined resource leveling as, “The technique of adjusting the project schedule to resolve resource conflicts or over-allocation while maintaining efficient resource utilization. It answers the question of how to avoid overloading or under-utilizing resources and how to correct conflicts or imbalances.” He also defined resource allocation as “the process of assigning the right types and quantities of resources necessary to complete a project from the beginning to the end. Resource allocation determines who performs a particular task and what can be used to do the work effectively.”
Dwelling on the role of project managers he said “project managers use various tools and techniques for leveling the available resources during project execution. Those tools show at a glance how resources are allocated, who is overloaded, and who has time to work on other tasks.”
According to the lecturer ,“resource leveling is not merely a scheduling technique, but a strategic imperative for effective project delivery. Conceptualising resource levelling, especially in project management, Professor Ojo said “in project management, resource allocation, resource scheduling, resource leveling, and resource smoothing are closely interrelated concepts used to manage project resource effectively.” He added that they perform different functions in planning, executing and controlling project resources.
Speaking on construction and other projects, the don said “in construction, and other types of projects, fluctuating resource demands create conditions where workers experience periods of intense overload followed by idleness, thereby reducing overall productivity. Also, the fluctuating allocation of resources create challenges such as time overrun, leading to cost overrun and reduced workers’ morale, unpredictable project schedules, affecting stakeholder confidence.”
On the significance of project management to the education sector, the don said “the importance of project management in education has become increasingly evident in our evolving technology-ridden lives. Educators are required to manage complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, resources and deadlines. These requirements make project management methods of [particular interest to educators looking for practical tools. Therefore, using project management principles, educators can effectively teach and improve their students’ learning outcomes.”
Professor Ojo recommended that government, policy makers and regulatory bodies should enforce planning standards that require resource scheduling and levelling as part of project approval and monitoring in addition to requiring contractors to submit resource calendar and resource allocation plans before funding or contract approval. He also called for competency training and capacity building for project planning and scheduling professionals.
To practitioners and constructions firms, Professor Ojo said “modern project management softwares like DUCAP, MS Project, Primavera and so on or resource management tools to support resource leveling should be adopted.” Ojo also advised education, academia and professional bodies to integrate resource levelling, resource constrained scheduling and modern resource management techniques into project management curricula.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji who Chaired the event , described Professor Ojo as a great asset to FUTA. She said, “Professor Ojo is a great academic who has churned out a number of graduates who are doing well in the society, in addition to adding value to the university.”