Resourcing is fundamental to all project work. For projects to succeed, the people with the required expertise must be available at the right time, and they need to know what is expected of them and when it is expected. In the best cases, effective, up-to-date resourcing improves each individual’s workload balance, thereby contributing to employee wellbeing. At the same time, the company ensures that the right people are working on its projects, boosting the likelihood of success. The aim of resourcing is to create high-quality projects while ensuring personnel wellbeing.
The allocation of work duties –resourcing – is a two-way message within the organisation. It communicates each employee’s workload and the distribution of work. However, resourcing does not seek to schedule the working time of individual employees; rather, it indicates in broader terms what they need to do within a certain time period. At the same time, it is possible to communicate to the organisation’s management whether our resources are adequate to handle the necessary tasks. Naturally, the goal is to maximise the utilisation rate, and up-to-date resourcing helps to forecast potential conflicts and plan for the future. Does the company need to recruit new experts in order to get everything done? Or is it time to acquire new projects so there is enough work for all the employees in the company?
How to get started with effective resourcing
Resourcing should begin with a definition of the resourcing process, as everyone has clear roles and responsibilities in a successful process. It is a good idea to use a tool to support the resourcing process so the information is easy to update and keep current. As resourcing aims to yield profitable projects, it is essential that the tool is capable of comparing plans with realised outcomes. This enables you to improve your project business and carry out even more productive projects. An effective tool and a clear resourcing process lower the bar for planning resourcing and maintain the commitment of the person responsible for resourcing. Resourcing can only be effective if the information is up to date.
Resource planning begins during the sales phase, when resourcing can be carried out based on roles or directly for specific personnel, depending on the organisation’s policy. This makes it possible to prepare for the future workload if the projects in the sales pipeline go into production. When a project is ordered, the project manager is tasked with ensuring that the best team has been reserved for the necessary workloads. As the project progresses, the project manager should make sure that the project’s resources are up to date in the event of changes.
Resourcing encompasses all of the following:
- Resourcing is fundamental to all project work.
- Up-to-date resourcing ensures you have the right people in the right place at the right time.
- Up-to-date resourcing improves employee wellbeing.
- Effective resourcing boosts project profitability.
- Resourcing is a two-way message between the organisation and its personnel.
- Resourcing seeks to maximise the utilisation rate.
- Resourcing begins with a process definition so that everybody knows what to do.
- Project resourcing should begin during the sales phase.
- It is vital to update the resourcing as the project progresses.
- Resourcing can only be effective if it is kept up to date.
We have created a guide about effective resourcing. If you want to know more on how to get started with effective resource management, download the guide.
