The objective function is to be maximized.
Each constraint must be written with ≤ (excluding the non-negative constraints).
Constants in the constraints to the right of the ≤ are not negative.
Each variable is non-negative (i.e., x ≥ 0, y ≥ 0, etc.).
If we have an objective function like P = 3x + y, we write it in standard form by getting all of the variables on one side of the equation. We want to do this so that the "name" of the objective function stays positive. In this case, then, we'd want to subtract the 3x and the y over to the other side. This would give us: -3x - y + P = 0. That's the objective function in standard form.
It's important to write the objective function in standard form so that all of the coefficients are lined up properly for the variables before going into the initial tableau.
The simplex tableau is in final form when there are no negatives in the bottom row to the left of the vertical line.
To find leftover resources, look for slack variable columns that are unit columns after getting the tableau in its final form. Whenever a slack variable has a nonzero value, this means that there is an additional resource.