Resource Management is all about people. If it’s done correctly, the right people are assigned to do the right work at the right time.
The problem is, without the right tool, the closest parallel to resource management is attempting to juggle five balls with one hand tied behind your back.
With Tempus Resources (the right tool) providing you all the information you need to make the right decision, what was once difficult becomes effortless.
To reach the goal of effortless resource management, there are five competencies that Tempus will help you develop.
Identifying roles and bottlenecks (i.e. indispensable people)
Most organizations have one or two bottleneck roles or indispensable people. Identifying them isn’t hard. There are generally weekly discussions about the fact that a certain project can’t start until “Jane is available” or that another project is delayed because “Bill is stretched too thin.”
Tempus resource has a skills feature that will allow you to identify additional people in your organization who have the right set of skills to be trained to supplement your indispensable people.
Balance the Supply of people who can do the work to the projects that require people.
Resource capacity planning is a process of increasing refinement.
At the beginning of the capacity planning process, you might choose to work with generic FTE headcount because the staffing of the proposed work is still a guestimate.
As the number of potential projects on the list gets reduced and value/business cases get firmed up, it’s possible to increase your specification of the type of individual you will require (A java programmer with supply chain knowledge).
Do a what-if analysis to ensure you have the best sequencing to maximize resources.
Once a tentative list of projects has been approved, it is possible to assign named resources to the projects. With named resources, you can do duration planning using utilization and proficiency rates to tailor your forecasts based on your existing resources.
You can also optimize your throughput and realize benefits sooner by running a what-if analysis to help you rearrange projects into the order that gets them done the fastest.
Using the What-if capability, you can also model different ways to approach your portfolio managment execution. What is the impact of starting the maximum number of projects possible at the beginning of the period? What is the effect of staffing projects to maximize benefits realization?
The What-if feature puts you in charge with the confidence that you understand the most likely outcome before you start.
Assign the right People to Project, Program, and Product TEAMS.
Always build a core team first across all projects. These people should stay with the project for the duration.
Know as much as possible about the people who are being assigned. Consider technical skills, soft skills, background (similar projects), and personality. It’s the combination of factors that makes a person excel in one situation and struggle in another.
Balance workload on an ongoing basis based on actual project data.
Resource/people management is a continuous process.
If someone is consistently reporting excessive hours, understand the cause. If a certain project is slipping, get the PMO to intervene.
Good resource management improves employee engagement and eliminates burnout.
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