A resource planning for better project management

To bring a project to fruition, step by step, it is necessary to anticipate all the required resources. And this is made possible thanks to resource planning . A voucher resource planning must be very detailed in its planning and must include everything necessary to complete the project: quantity of labor, equipment, and other materials. Quality planning is what gives stakeholders confidence to embark on a project.

Why make a resource planning when we are in charge of a project?

THE resource planning starts during the project planning phase. It is set up by the person in charge of project resource management who is responsible for identifying the resources requested for the project. A voucher resource planning will reduce the budget and help to understand the various expenses with better precision. If we can give you one recommendation, it would be to create a standard template for you. resource planning .

During the resource planning , try creating two types of plans:

• A hypothetical resource plan: without their constraints
• A real plan: based on their real availability

Prepare for different eventualities by creating hypothetical “what if” scenarios during your planning to better anticipate unforeseen events. Integrate them into the actual project planning afterwards. Doing this will allow you to see how these things may affect it and plan emergency resources to respond to the risks the project will face.

The importance of resource planning :

In the same way that human beings need food, water and a certain comfort to live, projects need resources to achieve their objectives. The main advantage of doing resource planning is to be able to monitor project deadlines and client deliverables in real time.

The advantages of resource planning :

Stakeholders have a limited budget for projects, and the operating costs of managing a project have increased. It is therefore imperative to ensure that project resources are not wasted.

It is obvious that carrying out a project with a huge budget is much simpler. But most of us have to carry them out on relatively tight budgets, which is a real challenge! This is the reason why the resource planning is crucial. The most complicated part of project management is resource allocation. Use a tool resource planning will allow you to do it more simply and half of your project will already be successful. First, create a list of necessary resources and allocate them to crucial tasks. This will then allow you to distribute the rest to other tasks efficiently and precisely.

How does the resource planning is it linked to project management?

PMI conducted a survey questioning 4,455 project managers who were having difficulty planning their projects. That is to say: carrying out tasks within a budget or meeting deadlines, etc. These problems surface when no resource planning solid is not in place.

What happens if there is no resource planning in a project?

• 48% of projects will not meet deadlines
• 43% of projects will go beyond the allocated budget
• 31% of projects will not achieve their objectives

Do you understand now? THE resource planning is an integral part of the project and cannot be avoided. In this case, you will not be able to track your budget and your resources working on the project. Skip box resource planning will doom the project to failure.

The benefits of a project are proportional to the resources needed to carry it out. It is not complicated to allocate hardware and infrastructure resources, what is more complicated is to plan and schedule the tasks and times of each team member.

The benefits of resource planning :

1. Understanding your resources and knowing how to use them will help you avoid obstacles before they arise.
2. Identify if there are no over-allocated resources on a task. Calculate resource dependency by knowing your team's workload. This will help you reduce resource depletion.
3. Create a limit of resources needed for each activity. Ensure that the limit is strictly respected.
4. After knowing what you need to complete the project, you must create the plan. resource planning and measure the ROI of the project.

How to start your resource planning ?

Here are 3 elements that your planning resource planning must have :

1. Scheduled dates for each task: This should include the duration requested by those working on the project, rental of equipment, and rental of the project site.
2. The number of resources required for each project task: Many of these are used daily, so be prepared to set up a detailed schedule to determine how they will be used.
3. Make a detailed resource schedule to track times, money spent, and add them to a calendar to track.

Step one: Make a list of resources

Lay out all the resources necessary for your project and structure them by tasks. Then decide which of them would be best suited to work on which task. Explain to them their role and decide what equipment you need for the project (computers, office equipment, machines etc.) Then, create a list of non-consumable resources you need. This may include: wood, steel, cement etc.

Searching for profiles in Stafiz

Step two: Estimate resource consumption

Determine the amount of resources that will be used from the resource list during the project life cycle. For example: how many hours per day should the workforce work? How many types of equipment do I need to rent for the project?

Do the same for the materials used in the project. For example: how much lumber and what size lumber is required? The same goes for planning hardware resources, such as software licensing for computers.

Be specific with your estimates and add the data into your project management software. Try to find out when resources are consumed and what the consumption rate was that day. Having the right data will help you allocate your resources more efficiently.

Third step: Create a resource schedule

Using the information gathered in the first two steps, create your resource plan. Specify resources, time frame and consumption throughout the project. Quantify resource consumption per day, week, or month. Then calculate the total resources (quantified) weekly or monthly. Set aside some resources to handle issues that will inevitably surface during the project lifecycle.

The techniques of resource planning :

1. Resource allocation:

Allocate your resources according to the skills and abilities of team members. In this way, your project will be carried out more qualitatively and more efficiently. In addition, it will be easier to manage if everyone carries out tasks that are familiar to them and for which they have the skills. For greater clarity in task assignment and more detailed resource analysis, use the Project Resource Allocation Reports. These reports help reduce schedule delays and avoid going over budget.

Assignment of employees in Stafiz

2. Leveling of resources:

This technique helps identify resources that are over- or underutilized in your projects. For example: An IT project manager with coding knowledge and skills can help a software team fix errors. This can help the project reduce the need to hire external staff for advice on coding errors if this is an issue.

3. Resource forecasting:

Resource forecasting allows you to predict the number of resources needed before the start of a project. When planning the project, this technique gives more visibility into constraints, unexpected costs and risks. The project manager must have in-depth knowledge of the project and its objectives to make his predictions. The project manager must obviously be aware of all the resources available in the organization to be able to properly carry out his forecasts.

Conclusion:

Having an accurate resource plan, with detailed information on the people and materials included in the project is key to successful resource planning successful. Don't assign more than three tasks to your resources to perform simultaneously if you don't want to hinder their efficiency. Knowing that every project is unique, schedule changes are inevitable and the work assignment structure will change as well. Still, try to minimize confusion in resource allocation to produce better results.

Create a prioritization of tasks to ensure that the most urgent ones will be completed on time, and not in order of preference. Have a realistic view of your work group regarding the time frame for completing a specific task. Also, understand what they need to do it, and how it fits with the goals of the organization and stakeholders.

THE resource planning has evolved a lot in recent years. You no longer need spreadsheets or whiteboards to get organized. A project management tool, or software resource planning tel Stafiz can help you maximize your time and that of your team, meet your budget and deadlines efficiently.

Also read: Better manage your teams with a management tool resource planning

What are the criteria to take into account when looking to acquire a tool? resource planning suitable for your business? Find out which tool is right for you according to your needs and your type of business.

Read the article