Project Resources
I’ve written about project resources before. However, it was in the context that there were Never Enough Resources! The video below recaps this issue. This blog will also look at the logical steps to resourcing a project plan.
Resources are often in short supply, and cause issues on projects. This short clip looks at:
- The definition and examples of Project Resources:
- Different Types of Resources
- And Resource Limitations
Resources need to be optimised on every project to solve strategic resource issues.
What are Project Resource Management Steps
The logical steps to Resource Management are simple in theory:
- Identify what Resources are Required
- Identify What Resources are Available
- Calculate the Difference
- Resolve Problems
Often people will jump straight to throwing extra resources at a problem without first examining the problem in detail.
Resource Requirements and Availability
The first steps are to establish what resources are required, and how many resources are available. Spreadsheets are good tools for looking at resources. Spreadsheets can help create resource profiles or resource histograms of project resources throughout a projects timeline.
Resource analysis can take place at two levels:
- Strategically – does the company have enough resources to deliver the planned projects and
- At a Project Level – does this project have the required resources.
This video covers these issues.
Resource Shortages and Dealing with Problems
Once resource requirements and availability are established, the differences need to be addressed. Often there will be a lack of resources. It is important not to stress existing resources by over-loading them with too much work. Examining the project plan is the best method to smooth out resource problems.
Project Resource Management Example
The following is an example of how to perform Project Resource management. It covers the resource allocation, resource profiling, and solving resource problems using the project plan.
Summary
There are never enough resources on projects. Using a clear process to calculate resource requirements and availability helps.
Using Project Plans to solve resource issues requires robust plans to exist in the first place.
