When it comes to optimizing workflow for companies that utilize a shared pool of more than 50 resources, a powerful and intuitive resource management platform is a must. Is your organization looking for actionable strategies to achieve an elevated state of resource management? Here are the five stages of resource planning with insight into how you can implement each one into your current process.
Stage 1: Strategizing
Long before you consider your resources or where each one can add the most value, you must take the time to evaluate the project portfolio. What does the work look like? Which projects are the highest priority from leadership?
As a resource manager, you want to make sure you’re building relationships with your portfolio team so you can be in the know of upcoming work. These relationships will serve you across all resource planning stages.
Stage 2: Planning
Now that you have an understanding of the portfolio, it’s time to identify resource needs. Regardless of timing or when a project is set to begin, you can still work with the portfolio project team to identify the roles and skills that will be needed for the project.
One major advantage of planning early on is that you can encourage the team to be thoughtful about their needs. Figure out exactly which roles and skills are required, then strategically match resources to work based on the unique value each one can bring to the project.
On the other hand, if this is a last minute plan, you should work as quickly and as accurately as possible to identify the roles needed so you can realistically assess the availability of those roles and make alternate plans whenever necessary. The more time you have, the more options will be available to you!
Stage 3: Getting ready for execution
Once the portfolio is defined and approved, the real fun begins! It’s time to allocate resources and assign team members to project work. As a resource manager, this is your time to shine. Putting together the puzzle pieces of capacity versus priority and assigning real people to the work that best suits their unique skills and experience is the heart of resource management.
Stage 4: Strategic portfolio execution
With resources allocated to the best of your ability and the project portfolio underway, the focus shifts from planning hypotheticals to managing actuals. Is the time spent on a project going beyond the forecast? Are higher priority or last minute projects popping up that are necessitating a shift in resources?
Even as we anticipate that change is inevitable, it’s nearly impossible to plan for said changes until they happen. Managing the portfolio execution means level setting your resource plan in real time and exploring alternate scenarios whenever necessary.
Stage 5: Review
Treat your data like a gold mine! Once work is completed, comparing the forecast to actuals is one of the most important ways to prepare for the future. Analyze the accuracy of the forecast, identify what factors were beyond your control, and use this information to create an even stronger strategy moving forward.
This is why having a resource management platform with powerful reporting capabilities is an absolute must. You need to be able to drive decisions from past data. For example, Tempus Insight+ allows you to leverage predictive analytical capabilities so you never miss out on any information hiding in your data. And with over 100 visualization controls, you can make sure your actuals are telling the right story in a clear, compelling way.
With these five stages, any organization can make enormous strides in the journey to resource management maturity, no matter where they’re starting out. The deeper understanding a resource manager can have of their resource pool, the better he or she can match resources to projects for maximum productivity and the highest value outcomes.
Want to learn more about how Tempus Resource can support your resource planning process? Contact us today or schedule a demo!
