Plan your project resources to avoid running out of manpower!
Every project requires resources to contribute to its implementation and ultimately its success. Successful project management means effectively managing the various project resources. These resources need to be identified as early as possible, ideally before the project is launched.
☝️ In the kitchen, it's hard to imagine preparing a recipe without knowing the utensils and ingredients available. In project management, it's a bit the same story: you need to make sure that you're using the resources that are essential to the smooth running of the project, and that you're managing them in the best possible way. Find out in this article how to determine your project resources, plan their use and monitor them.
The different types of project resource
A resource is a tangible or intangible entity used to carry out a task. What resources are involved in implementing a project? They can be divided into the following categories:
- human resources
- material resources
- financial resources
- time resources.
Human resources
Also known as " work resources", these are the most important resources, as they are the ones who carry out the work. Comprising individuals, groups of individuals and legal entities, they contribute to carrying out the tasks required to ensure the smooth running and successful completion of the project.
In addition, human resources are coupled with cognitive resources, because they are the ones who possess the knowledge and know-how (technical skills and knowledge, business expertise, etc.).
The project manager is responsible for putting together a competent, multidisciplinary team with the experience and qualifications needed to complete the project.
They can be recruited internally or externally, and can be involved for the duration of the project or on a one-off basis.
Material resources
Material resources include raw materials, machinery, tools, equipment, software, premises, etc. They include both resources that the company already owns and those that it buys or rents to carry out the project.
These may be assets made available temporarily for the project, which can be used again later, but also consumables of which a given quantity can be used and which have a unit cost.
💡 For example, goods consumed or raw materials processed will not be available for a new use. We need to determine what investment to make in these resources, in terms of budget, deadlines, as well as the desired quality.
Financial resources
The financial resources correspond to the project budget, which will be defined by the project sponsor before the project is launched.
Every project has a cost and therefore requires funding.
They are used to finance :
- the project's human and material resources, generally covering the remuneration of those involved in the project,
- the purchase or rental of material resources,
- and other costs, such as travel expenses.
Time resources
These correspond to the deadlines set for the completion of each task. The duration of a task will depend on the human resources planned and available.
☝ These resources are not inexhaustible: they have limits, hence the importance of knowing how to manage them to achieve your objectives.
Why is it essential to identify the resources needed for your project?
A project manager never proceeds blindly. Knowing from the outset what resources will be required lays the foundations for the project's success. Without this clear vision, your project team runs the risk of sailing... without oars. The result is delays, extra costs and a poorly distributed workload.
👉 Identifying your human, material, financial and time resources means you can anticipate the unexpected. You'll know who's doing what, with what, and by when. It's also a guarantee of peace of mind for every member of the team, and less stress means greater efficiency. In business, we talk about optimal use of available resources. And in real life? It's just a matter of avoiding running after a video projector five minutes before a key presentation.
In short, it's an important step in keeping control of your project management and turning your objectives into concrete results.
How do you identify the resources needed for your project?
Using the resource typology above as a guide, estimate your resource requirements as precisely as possible. To do this, you need to identify all the resources required for the project, whether internal or external, in terms of people, equipment and finance.
This stage is not self-evident, because it takes place before the project starts, at a time when there is still uncertainty about how it will proceed.
- It may be a good idea to draw on your own experience of project management, or to refer to your organisation's records of successful projects similar to your own, in order to learn from past experience.
- Don't neglect to consult with your project team. Each member can contribute a concrete vision of the needs and constraints within his or her scope. This collaborative approach reduces oversights and improves the accuracy of estimates.
- Remember also to analyse the dependencies between your tasks. Some require specific skills or equipment that are only available over a given period. This anticipation will prevent you from getting stuck in the middle of the project.
- Finally, assess the overall budget for these resources. Include direct costs (salaries, purchases, rentals) and indirect costs (training, maintenance, contingencies). A realistic estimate is a key lever for optimising planning and ensuring the success of the project.
🛠️ Teamleader is a complete CRM solution for agencies, SMEs and VSEs in the digital and media sectors, offering optimum monitoring of key project resources. The modern, user-friendly interface lets you add collaborators, track the progress of their tasks, provide all the information you need to develop the project and communicate effectively for greater efficiency.
How do you plan and manage project resources?
Resource planning is one of the keys to a successful project. It is an integral part of project management in the broadest sense, which includes :
- Planning the various tasks and their total duration,
- identifying the resources required
- assigning tasks to each resource (according to profiles and skills),
- drawing up the provisional budget, etc.
The whole process is orchestrated by the project manager, who must ensure that the project is profitable and that deadlines are met.
Creating a resource schedule
The schedule is a visual representation of the organisation and your resource requirements, whether human, material or financial, over a given period.
Creating a resource schedule means you know which resources to use and when.
For example, you can use the Gantt chart to plan your project: this shows you how resources are allocated according to tasks and time available, and any conflicts in resource allocation.
🔎 And that's exactly what monday.comoffers with its advanced project resource managementfeatures . Thanks to customisable table templates that are ready to use and updated in real time, you can easily visualise the assignment, workload and availability of each of your collaborators. Add columns according to your needs: equipment, assets, employees... and adapt your management accordingly!
Monitoring resources
To assess a situation and take the necessary decisions, it's a good idea to use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Using these indicators, compare the "forecast" with the "actual" in a number of areas:
- human resources: how productive are our resources?
Example of calculation : number of man-days allocated to a task multiplied by the percentage of completion of that task.
- Material resources: what is the availability or capacity of a given piece of equipment?
Example of calculation: number of hours of work planned on a piece of equipment compared with the number of hours available for it = equipment load.
- Financial resources: what is the current cost of my project? Is it within the allocated budget?
Sample calculation: add up all the expenditure devoted to the project up to point T.
Then compare the results obtained with what was initially planned and take the appropriate decisions depending on the situation, whether it's a question of meeting deadlines or using up the budget.
💡 The good news is that resource tracking is becoming an increasingly digital activity, thanks to the development of specific software. There are even solutions tailored to specific business sectors, such as the construction and public works industry, which has its own specific problems linked to the mobility of certain resources.
🛠️ Traxxeo, for example, provides intelligent monitoring of all site resources (people, vehicles, machines, tools, etc.). It makes it easier to share information between the various parties involved, and to improve productivity in the execution of operations (payroll management, for example).
Anticipating risks and managing the unexpected
All project management involves risks. Both constraints and risks can affect the smooth running of the project. It is therefore strongly recommended that you prepare for all eventualities:
- What should you do if a machine breaks down?
- What should you do if an employee leaves the project?
- What should you do if one of your suppliers goes bankrupt?
- How do you deal with a possible water leak in the premises being used?
If such situations arise, having solutions thought out in advance will limit the difficulties that can harm the project.
☝ For human resources in particular, try to anticipate potential turnover: for any departure, plan a handover with the replacement and thus make it easier to take over the position. Even better: keep a list of people who could replace an employee following an unplanned departure or extended sick leave, or come in to reinforce the team in the event of a work overload.
The importance of managing human resources
We are particularly interested here in the management of human resources, because these resources are central to the implementation and management of a project.
Setting up the project team
A project team is an essential resource for the progress of the project: it carries out the tasks required to complete the project on time and on budget.
Even before setting up the team, it is important to take the following steps:
- List the tasks required to complete the project in advance;
- draw up a list of all the skills and expertise needed to carry out the tasks, whether technical or managerial;
- Finally, recruit the members of the project team: you can turn to existing in-house resources (depending on their availability) or plan to recruit externally.
In all cases, it is vital that the project manager takes into account the skills of the future team members, as well as their motivation and willingness to get involved in the project.
Task allocation and workload management
To assign tasks, the availability of each of the resources within the team set up for this project must be confirmed, and roles and responsibilities allocated.
💡 To do this, you can go back to the document outlining the skills required and thus draw up your human resources management plan.
The aim is to allocate work by optimising the occupancy rate of resources. Anticipating workloads will help you avoid any bottlenecks later on. Project management software can automate this operation. Microsoft Project Online (MS Project) is a well-known project management solution, but there are equally effective alternatives that may be better suited to your needs:
- 🛠️ To optimise workloads, Planisware Orchestra software offers centralised monitoring of the availability of each individual and automatically maximises the resource workload plan.
- 🛠️ For example, Sciforma is a highly comprehensive and flexible tool for managing resources. It allows you to adjust the allocation of resources to balance and better distribute the workload.
Monitoring the use of human resources
It is essential to take regular stock of the use of resources as part of a monitoring meeting, by tracking KPIs, or more simply, using the human resources calendar. This document can reveal certain problems of over-allocation of resources, such as the simultaneous management of too many tasks.
A software solution makes resource allocations visible and allows you to monitor the use and capacity of team members.
🛠️ Project Monitor, for example, avoids resource use conflicts by displaying resource availability and allocation forecasts in real time.
Creating a good team atmosphere
Managing the project team is undoubtedly the project manager's most delicate task. Their role is not only to direct everyone involved in the project, but also to ensure that a good team atmosphere is established. They must create a climate of trust and encourage support among their colleagues.
The aim of good resource management is to keep the team motivated while encouraging everyone to be as productive as possible. This means managing the workload and unforeseen events in the best possible way, while listening to everyone's demands.
A fictitious case study in identifying project resources
Let's imagine that a project manager needs to organise a trade show to promote a new product range. 🎯 The objective: to attract 500 visitors and generate 200 qualified leads. A real challenge... but one that can be met with the right resource management.
- Human resources: the project manager is putting together a 6-member project team. Two are dedicated to communications and marketing, two to logistics, one to monitoring registrations, and one to reporting.
- Material resources: hire of a 50 m² stand, furniture, audiovisual equipment, printed and digital communication media, plus a stock of product samples. Each item is listed with its availability and supplier.
- Financial resources: a budget of €25,000 has been allocated. This covers hire, communications, team travel and a contingency fund (10% of the total budget). This margin means that any emergencies can be dealt with without jeopardising the success of the project.
- Time resources: the project is spread over 4 months. A precise schedule is drawn up with key milestones: validation of the concept, stand reservation, launch of the communication campaign, installation, then running of the event.
👉 By carefully identifying the resources required from the outset, the project team avoids major unforeseen events, meets deadlines and keeps costs under control. On the big day, everything went according to plan and https://www.appvizer.fr/operations/gestion-ressources/floatles visitors left with a smile and a bag full of samples.
Tools to help you manage your project resources
Float
Float is a tool for planning human and material resources that is much appreciated by project managers.
Its visual interface lets you quickly assign tasks to each team member and view the workload in real time.
You can filter by project, by member of staff or by skill, making it easier to make the best use of your resources.
As an added bonus, absence management is integrated to avoid duplication or bottlenecks.
Float
Scoro
Scoro is an all-in-one platform for project and resource management. It centralises key information :
- budget
- tasks
- deadlines
- resource utilisation
- tracking the cost of each activity.
Thanks to its customisable dashboards, a project manager can monitor progress at a glance, identify bottlenecks and adjust planning. It's the ideal tool for teams juggling several projects and needing to keep a clear overview.
Scoro
Adobe Workfront
Adobe Workfront is a comprehensive management tool, ideal for large project teams. It enables you to manage :
- resource allocation
- track tasks in detail
- collaborate effectively thanks to integrated communication flows.
Automated reports provide a precise overview of the use of human, material and financial resources. It's a strategic choice for companies looking for a robust solution that can be integrated with other tools such as the Adobe suite or CRM.
Adobe Workfront
Controlling your project resources: the key to achieving your objectives without stress
Resource management is essential to any project, and must be taken into account even before it starts. Planning, managing availability and allocation, and optimising resources are among the key factors in a project's success.
Specialised software solutions make it possible to solve certain equations in a fluid and automated way. Their functionalities, designed for project managers, also help to increase the productivity of your teams by distributing the workload fairly and simplifying certain tasks.
You're now ready to anticipate any problems that may arise and act more quickly and effectively to resolve them.
How do you manage your project resources? Don't hesitate to share your tips and advice, for ever-improved management!