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What is the difference between assigning and allocating?

Explore our documentation to learn more or find answers to your questions

Resource management is only available with the RepliconPSM, RepliconPPM, Professional Services Automation, and Project Portfolio Management products .

When you add a resource to the project team , they are assigned to the project and therefore can enter time and expenses against it.

When you allocate a resource , you specify when the resource will work on the project and for how many hours. This scheduling allows you to ensure your projects have enough staff and resources are fully utilized.

A resource must be assigned to the project team before they can be allocated.

Related links

How allocation works Allocating a resource to a project Allocating a resource to a task Changing a resource's allocations Viewing allocations

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  • Project planning |
  • What is resource allocation? Learn how ...

What is resource allocation? Learn how to allocate resources

Julia Martins contributor headshot

Project managers and teams can struggle to make balanced resource allocation decisions, often opting for too much or too little. But the key to navigating this delicate balance is continuous adjustment and real-time responsiveness to project needs. This approach ensures that resources are optimally utilized, preventing both surplus and shortfall and steering towards project success with precision and efficiency.

When you think of the most important elements of project planning, what comes to mind? You probably think of the project’s main objectives, the timeline for achieving those objectives, and the scope of what you can accomplish within the project. 

But achieving any of these elements hinges on one thing: the resources available for your project. 

If you’ve never created a resource allocation plan before, this article is for you. We’ll walk you through five steps to allocate resources effectively. Then, get a preview of common resource allocation challenges and what you can do to get ahead of them.

What is resource allocation? 

Resource allocation is the process of identifying and assigning available resources to an initiative. Effective allocation of resources helps maximize the impact of project resources while still supporting your team’s goals. To create a resource allocation plan, identify the right resources—including team members, tools, budget, and more—you need to accomplish your project deliverables .

What is a resource? 

A resource is anything that helps you complete a project. This can include:

Team members

Project timelines

Ideas, intellectual property, or specific skill sets

Tools or software

Automated processes that reduce work about work

Who is responsible for allocating resources? 

The person responsible for resource allocation varies based on the size of your organization, but it’s usually the individual in charge of the project’s decision-making. For smaller companies, the project manager or team leader typically manages the budget, resource scheduling, and project work. 

Alternatively, at larger companies, the project manager and project budget owner are often different people. As a result, you may need approval from important project stakeholders or your project sponsor before allocating resources. 

If you aren’t sure who should be allocating resources, ask yourself these two questions and identify who is best equipped to answer them:

What is the budget, and who is approving it? You’ll need a budget for tools, technology, freelancers, and equipment. 

What are the team’s priorities, and who has time to work on this initiative? Before you allocate human resources, think through each team member’s capacity and priorities. How can you help team members do their best work and have the highest impact?

If you aren’t sure what’s on everyone’s plate, use a workload management tool to view team member capacity, get ahead of upcoming projects, and spot burnout before it happens. 

Benefits of resource allocation

Effective resource allocation is more than just a task; it's a strategic approach that can improve project management by ensuring resources are used efficiently and judiciously. This leads to better alignment of tasks with available resources, smoother workflows, and more effective handling of project constraints. 

As a result, projects are more likely to be completed on time, within budget, and to the desired quality standards, directly contributing to the overall success of the project.

Streamlined workflow: Proper allocation of resources leads to a more streamlined workflow . It ensures that each phase of the project aligns with the necessary project requirements, reducing delays and increasing efficiency.

Mitigation of bottlenecks: By anticipating and planning resource usage, bottlenecks can be identified and mitigated before they impact the project timeline. This proactive approach keeps projects on track, enhancing client satisfaction.

Simplified project management: Merging the use of dashboards with automation transcends traditional methods like spreadsheets. Dashboards provide a visual and intuitive overview of resource distribution and utilization, while automation streamlines the tracking and allocation process. This combination enhances overall project management efficiency, allowing for real-time adjustments and more informed decision-making.

Resource optimization: A well-crafted resource allocation strategy is key for project success. It ensures the best resources are utilized where they are most needed, aligning with the project's goals and timelines. By optimally using both physical and human resources, projects are more likely to meet their objectives and satisfy client expectations.

How to allocate resources effectively

An effective allocation strategy identifies the project’s goals and priorities and collects resources to fit your needs throughout the project's lifecycle. Resource allocation should be an early project consideration—ideally, aim to allocate resources during the project planning phase.  

1. Start with the end in mind

In order to understand your project’s priorities, how important it is, and how it should be resourced, you first need to outline the project’s objectives. This is the first step to any project. Project objectives are attainable, time-bound, specific goals you plan to achieve by the end of your project.

If you haven’t already, align on:

The project’s main goals and objectives

The project’s key deliverables

Relevant milestones

A high-level timeline or project roadmap

2. Identify available resources

In resource allocation, a resource is anything that helps you achieve your project objectives. Depending on your project’s needs, this includes the project team and any tools, budget, equipment, or skills you need to hit your project deliverables. 

Before you actually allocate resources, understand what’s available. There are a few dependencies to look out for, including:

What is the project’s priority level? This influences how it should be resourced. Is this an all-hands-on-deck project that’s contributing to a company OKR , or is it a lower priority initiative? Come up with an internal tier system for project priority to guide how you’ll staff each project. 

Who is available to work on this project? Take a look at your team’s capacity to understand what they’re working on. If this project is more important than their current work, try resource leveling . See if there’s anything you can deprioritize or reschedule to accommodate this new work. 

What budget or tools are available? Does this project have a budget? Are there additional tools you need to invest in or develop in order to complete this work? 

What additional resources do we need? Do you need any cross-functional team members to work on this project? Alternatively, are there unconventional resources—like very unique skill sets or new equipment—you need for this project to succeed?

Who needs to approve the resource allocation plan? If someone other than you is in charge of budget, tooling, or team workload, check in with them to make sure this resource allocation plan looks good. Are there any additional project stakeholders who need to be looped in during the resource allocation process? 

3. Align on project scope

To scope a new project, you first need to understand the project’s goals, deadlines, and project deliverables. This helps you get a sense of your project needs so you can hit your goals on time and on budget. 

A clear project scope also helps you avoid scope creep , which is what happens when the asks and deliverables exceed the pre-set project scope.

4. Create and share a project plan

Now that you have a sense of your available resources, surface that information to the larger team. Invite your project team to a project kickoff meeting , and share:

Your project plan

Relevant project milestones

The project schedule

Any task dependencies to keep an eye on

Track all of this work with work management software . It’s important for your project team to know which resources are available for this project—and also to have a central source of truth for this information in case it changes. With a centralized work management system, you can clarify project priorities so everyone understands the context of the work. That way, if something does change, you can reprioritize based on the highest-impact work. 

5. Monitor project progress

Once your project is underway, monitor project progress in case of any unexpected resource allocation developments. No matter how well planned your project is, things can change. Team members go on vacation, a client might be delayed in getting back to you, or your business goals might change. Track project progress in real time so you can adjust if necessary.

Common challenges of resource allocation

When done correctly, resource allocation can help you hit your goals, increase your impact, and maximize your resource utilization. You’ll get better at allocating resources as you go, but if you’re just getting started, here are some common challenges—and how to avoid them. 

Problem: Burnout and over-allocation

The biggest issue to avoid during resource allocation is overwork and burnout. Team members get overworked when they work too hard, too much, or too long. Prolonged overwork can lead to burnout, which the World Health Organization defines as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress.

Without visibility into what everyone is working on—especially if you’re managing work across multiple projects —it’s easy to assume team members have the time and bandwidth to work on your specific project. This lack of clarity can lead to accidental over-allocation and, eventually, burnout.

To prevent overwork and burnout, proactively evaluate team members workload. With capacity planning , you can get ahead of burnout and make sure team members aren’t overwhelmed or underworked. This is critical because, according to the Anatomy of Work , 71% of knowledge workers reported experiencing burnout at least once in 2020. With proactive resource management software , you can promote balance—instead of burnout.

Problem: Resource dependencies

Sometimes, things change after you identify and allocate available resources. You might be waiting on a team member to finish a project before getting started on your initiative—but what happens if that project gets extended? 

Even the most effective resource allocation can’t predict every business contingency . To avoid unpleasant surprises, use resource management tools, such as project management software , to automate resource tracking in real-time. That way, you can immediately see resource shortages and project delays and pivot your own work accordingly. 

Problem: Low resource utilization

The average knowledge worker spends 60% of their time on “work about work”—things like searching for documents, chasing approvals, switching between apps, and following up on the status of work. That leaves only 40% of each day for skilled work and strategic planning . More often than not, we take this time-consuming “stuff” for granted as part of work, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s where resource utilization comes in. Resource utilization describes the percentage of a team member’s time that is spent on billable work or tasks that contribute to overall profitability.

High resource utilization isn’t about squeezing out the maximum amount of productivity from any given team member. Rather, the key to maximizing utilization is impact. When team members understand the relative priority between different tasks, they can spend their time where it’s most effective —and have the highest impact as a result.

Tips for effective resource allocation

Many teams that are new to making resource allocation decisions often struggle to identify and deploy the best resources in a manner that streamlines operations and keeps the project on its critical path . This can lead to bottlenecks and setbacks, potentially jeopardizing the success of the project. 

The following tips offer strategies to transform these initial stumbling blocks into stepping stones for a successful project.

Align location decisions with availability of resources

Deciding where to locate your project requires careful consideration of both its geographic requirements and the availability of resources . 

Consider a construction project where materials are sourced from the closest suppliers to reduce transit time and costs. To optimize their resource allocation strategy, the team could continually assess supply chain dynamics and foster relationships with local suppliers that can lead to quicker turnaround times and better material quality.

Such strategic location decisions not only ensure that resources are used where they are most needed but also aid in developing a more efficient project structure.

Leverage automation and project management tools

Incorporating automation into your resource allocation strategy can improve the management of project tasks and ensure smoother project progression and timely completion. 

For example, a software development team might use a tool like Asana to automate task assignments based on team members' current workload and expertise. Automation tools can help with scheduling, resource leveling , and identifying potential issues before they become problematic. 

By automating routine tasks, project managers can focus more on critical aspects of project management, such as client satisfaction and ensuring project success.

Use real-time data in decision-making

The foundation of effective resource allocation lies in harnessing real-time data . For instance, a marketing agency might use dashboards to monitor ongoing campaigns, adjusting team assignments and resources based on real-time performance metrics. 

Employing tools that provide insights into the work breakdown structure and relevant metrics , project managers can make adjustments that keep their resource allocation strategies on track.

Effective resource allocation leads to better projects

Resource allocation can help you set your project up for success from day one. Manage resource availability early during the resource planning process to know exactly what you can support and how you’ll hit your project goals.  

Resource allocation is crucial to reducing miscommunications and getting more work done, faster—especially when you can automate it. In Asana, you can identify resources, track and update them, and assign related tasks—all from one central platform.

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assignment and allocation

Assignments and Allocations Overview

Getting started, resourcefirst overview, prerequisites for all users, resource planning and management, project planning and execution, pmo / portfolio management, business analytics reports, teams and agile planning, time tracking.

There are two primary types of assignments in ResourceFirst: Labor and Financial.

Labor Assignments specify forecasted demand by time period for a specific project. This demand can be for a specific person (resource) or for a skill needed from a specified organization in the OBS Node (Organizational Breakdown Structure).

Financial Assignments specify forecasted dollars by time period for a specific project at the financial item/category level.

Labor Assignments

There are two types of Labor assignments: Resource (a person by name) and Skill.

On Resource assignments, the OBS node is fixed since people are members of one and only one resource OBS node.

On Skill assignments the resource OBS node defines the range of resources from which a person with the Required skill is needed. A Skill assignment is defined by the absence of a resource name.

clipboard_ee1cf3145971177f7bd4d55497754c251.png

Labor assignments are viewed and managed on the following pages:

Projects > Assignments  (global assignments, within your current data load)

Resources > Assignments  (global assignments, within your current data load)

Individual Project Workspace > Assignments tab   (for assignments for a specific project)

Individual Resource Workspace > Assignments tab  (for assignments for a specific resource)

PMO > Assignment Rollup  (read only)

Note that a user with appropriate rights can add or delete assignments and can edit attributes (fields) including period demand values.

See the remaining articles in this series for details on the features available on the Labor Assignment pages.

Allocation Algorithm

The central drive train behind ResourceFirst is its unique and flexible Allocation Algorithm.

First, it is important to understand the concept of “allocation” in ResourceFirst.

When a resource is assigned to a project, the amount that the resource is actually available to fulfill is considered “Allocated” and the amount that cannot be worked on due to unavailability is considered “shortfall.” The level of shortfall is indicated by the colors in the cells (red indicates severe shortfall, orange is moderate shortfall, and yellow is mild shortfall).  Allocation and Shortfall are calculated analytics and are not part of the system data. The thresholds that define which shortfall levels warrant which colors is defined in  Administration > Server Settings .

When ResourceFirst calculates allocation for assignments, it allocates each assignment in sequence, according to how the Allocation Algorithm is set up in  Administration > Server Settings . Named Resource Assignments are processed before Skill Assignments. The default configuration is:

  • Effort State (only used if  Allocate Committed First  is checked on the Assignments page via the Optimization button)
  • Project ID (PID)

If the  Optimization > Allocate Committed First  checkbox is  unchecked  via the Optimization button on the Assignments page, then ResourceFirst by default allocates in order of the project’s Unit Priority and then the Project ID, referencing the above configuration (which can be tailored according to your needs).  This means that once a need on the highest priority project is filled by the resource’s availability, the system then allocates the resource’s remaining availability to the next highest priority, and so on until the resource’s availability is consumed, and then shortfall colors begin to appear for subsequent assignments for that resource.

If the  Optimization > Allocate Committed First  checkbox is  checked  via the Optimization button on the Assignments page, the system will first look at the Effort State of the assignments to see which items are flagged as “Allocate First” (in the Effort State list in  Administration > Lists > Effort State ) before looking at Unit Priority and Project Name. The Effort States are defined in the  Administration > Lists > Effort State  list. There, various states can be defined, such as:

  • Committed (or Hard-Booked)
  • Soft booked (and/or Proposed)

Each can be defined with a sequence to appear in any drop downs and flagged as to which to allocate first. See  Administering Lists  for more details, under  Effort State .

If using Effort States, each assignment  would then have an Effort State set for it in the Effort State column.

With such a setup, for example, assuming the default Effort State list is in place and the  Optimization > Allocate Committed First  checkbox is checked, all the assignments designated with “Allocate First” Effort States would be allocated first, and within each group, the allocations would occur in Unit Priority, then Project ID sequence.

Put another way:

1) “Allocate Committed First” on the Assignments page options button, if checked, looks at the Effort State prior to other items in the Allocation Algorithm (specified in Server Settings), to see which items are flagged to allocate first.

2) Within the Effort State List:  All items marked “Allocate First’ (in  Administration > Lists > Effort State ) are allocated first, in the sequence of the “Order” field. There can be multiple items flagged as “Allocate First.”

3) The Order field is also used to sequence the order in which Effort States appear in drop downs. For Effort States NOT checked as “Allocate First” this is the only use of the Order field. Effort States not marked as “Allocate First” have no impact on the allocation sequence.

4) Once all the “Allocate First” Effort State assignments are allocated, the allocation happens in sequence of the remaining Allocation Algorithm items (Unit Priority, etc.).

5) If multiple “Allocate First” assignments have the same Effort State (e.g., Committed), those items get allocated according to the remaining Allocation Algorithm items (Unit Priority, etc.)

For more details, see  Server Settings and General Defaults  (under Allocation Algorithm) and  Administering Lists (under Effort State).

The Allocation Algorithm by default applies to named resource assignments. Skill assignments only rely on these rules if  Use Availability for Skill Assignments  is checked via the Optimization button on the Assignments Page. In this case, the calculations are based on the rolled up resources that are available (or unavailable) to meet the skill need. Otherwise, allocation is not calculated for skill assignments and the color is always in red, since the skill need is unfilled.

Understanding the Analysis Indicators (color codes)

The colors on the period values are the result of the ResourceFirst prioritized resource availability analysis, and are as follows:

  • Yellow means a small amount of the assignment cannot be filled.
  • Orange means a moderate amount of the assignment can’t be filled.
  • Red means a large amount of the assignment can’t be filled.
  • Skill assignments also show in red until they are filled with a named resource.

The color thresholds are set by the administrator for all users. See  Server Settings and General Defaults  for how to change the thresholds.

Note that the colors do not necessarily indicate the degree of the resource’s over-utilization (for that, you need to go to the Utilization page). Rather, they indicate how much of an assignment cannot be filled by the resource, given their availability. So if you have an assignment for the resource for a given period that is for 1 FTE (full time), then all subsequent assignments for that resource in that period will be RED, because the resource is at capacity and cannot fill any part of other assignments.

In contrast, if you have an assignment for the resource for .50 (half) of an FTE, and then you assign them to another project in the same period for .60 of an FTE, then the second project will be YELLOW because they can only fill .50 of the required .60 FTEs for that second project. In other words, the colors indicate how much of an assignment can be filled by the resource, given their other assignments and their capacity.

NOTE: With Optimization turned off (Use Availability for Skill Assignments is unchecked), skill assignments always appear in RED because they need to be filled. However, if you have Optimization turned on (Use Availability for Skill Assignments is checked), you will see the Yellow/Orange/Red colors for skill assignments based on the degree to which unused capacity with that skill is able to satisfy the demand.

Labor Assignments Screen Tour

Below is the Labor Assignments screen, accessible from the Resources > Assignments option or Project > Assignments.

The assignment rows that appear are dependent upon the project and resource OBS nodes chosen in the global funnel filter (current data load), plus the proper authority (at least P0 project read rights and the appropriate resource rights). See  Administering Rights and Privileges  for more on rights.

From left to right across the top grey menu bar, functions are as follows:

clipboard_e025d5f31b87a5ad3d2f57b89ae7edc1f.png

  • Add to Scenario (to add assignments to a project scenario)

clipboard_efd2285c35fe6fc3288a771c736595218.png

  • This also includes a checkbox for “Filter Drop Downs by Availability.” This means that dropdown fields will only include list items contained by resources in the current data load. Otherwise, all list items defined in the system for that field will appear in dropdown selections. See  Editing Assignments  for more.

clipboard_ee7ca8ec9b1a2815a319165d8bd71e878.png

List of Labor Assignment Articles

For more on Labor Assignments, see the following articles:

Creating Labor Assignments

Editing Assignments

Copying Assignments

Forecast/Actuals/Cost Toggle

Managing View and Columns on the Assignments Page

Showing Header Rows

Using Picklists

Financial Assignments

Financial assignments are viewed and managed on the following pages:

Financials > Assignments

Individual Project Workspace > Financials tab

“Managed” means that a user with appropriate rights can add or delete assignments and can edit attributes (fields) including period financial values.

See the articles in the  Financials  section for details on the features available on the Financial Assignment pages.

assignment and allocation

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Assignment and allocation optimization of partially multiskilled workforce

  • Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences

Research output : Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Multiskilling is a workforce strategy that has been shown to reduce indirect labor costs, improve productivity, and reduce turnover. A multiskilled workforce is one in which the workers possess a range of skills that allow them to participate in more than one work process. In practice, they may work across craft boundaries. The success of multiskilling greatly relies on the foreman's ability to assign workers to appropriate tasks and to compose crews effectively. The foreman assigns tasks to workers according to their knowledge, capabilities, and experience on former projects. This research investigated the mechanics of allocating a multiskilled workforce and developed a linear programming model to help optimize the multiskilled workforce assignment and allocation process in a construction project, or between the projects of one company. It is concluded that the model will be most useful in conditions where full employment does not exist; however, it is also useful for short term allocation decisions. By running the model for various simulated scenarios, additional observations were made. For example, it is concluded that, for a capital project, the benefits of multiskilling are marginal beyond approximately a 20% concentration of multiskilled workers in a project workforce. Benefits to workers themselves become marginal after acquiring competency in two or three crafts. These observations have been confirmed by field experience. Extension of this model to allocation of multifunctional resources, such as construction equipment, should also be possible.

  • Construction industry
  • Optimization
  • Personnel management

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Building and Construction
  • Industrial relations
  • Strategy and Management

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

  • 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2002)128:2(103)

Other files and links

  • Link to publication in Scopus
  • Link to the citations in Scopus

Fingerprint

  • Optimization Social Sciences 100%
  • Project Social Sciences 100%
  • Workers Social Sciences 100%
  • allocations INIS 100%
  • optimization INIS 100%
  • workers INIS 100%
  • assignments INIS 100%
  • Models Computer Science 100%

T1 - Assignment and allocation optimization of partially multiskilled workforce

AU - Gomar, Jorge E.

AU - Haas, Carl T.

AU - Morton, David P.

PY - 2002/3

Y1 - 2002/3

N2 - Multiskilling is a workforce strategy that has been shown to reduce indirect labor costs, improve productivity, and reduce turnover. A multiskilled workforce is one in which the workers possess a range of skills that allow them to participate in more than one work process. In practice, they may work across craft boundaries. The success of multiskilling greatly relies on the foreman's ability to assign workers to appropriate tasks and to compose crews effectively. The foreman assigns tasks to workers according to their knowledge, capabilities, and experience on former projects. This research investigated the mechanics of allocating a multiskilled workforce and developed a linear programming model to help optimize the multiskilled workforce assignment and allocation process in a construction project, or between the projects of one company. It is concluded that the model will be most useful in conditions where full employment does not exist; however, it is also useful for short term allocation decisions. By running the model for various simulated scenarios, additional observations were made. For example, it is concluded that, for a capital project, the benefits of multiskilling are marginal beyond approximately a 20% concentration of multiskilled workers in a project workforce. Benefits to workers themselves become marginal after acquiring competency in two or three crafts. These observations have been confirmed by field experience. Extension of this model to allocation of multifunctional resources, such as construction equipment, should also be possible.

AB - Multiskilling is a workforce strategy that has been shown to reduce indirect labor costs, improve productivity, and reduce turnover. A multiskilled workforce is one in which the workers possess a range of skills that allow them to participate in more than one work process. In practice, they may work across craft boundaries. The success of multiskilling greatly relies on the foreman's ability to assign workers to appropriate tasks and to compose crews effectively. The foreman assigns tasks to workers according to their knowledge, capabilities, and experience on former projects. This research investigated the mechanics of allocating a multiskilled workforce and developed a linear programming model to help optimize the multiskilled workforce assignment and allocation process in a construction project, or between the projects of one company. It is concluded that the model will be most useful in conditions where full employment does not exist; however, it is also useful for short term allocation decisions. By running the model for various simulated scenarios, additional observations were made. For example, it is concluded that, for a capital project, the benefits of multiskilling are marginal beyond approximately a 20% concentration of multiskilled workers in a project workforce. Benefits to workers themselves become marginal after acquiring competency in two or three crafts. These observations have been confirmed by field experience. Extension of this model to allocation of multifunctional resources, such as construction equipment, should also be possible.

KW - Construction industry

KW - Optimization

KW - Personnel management

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=3242662050&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=3242662050&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2002)128:2(103)

DO - 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2002)128:2(103)

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:3242662050

SN - 0733-9364

JO - Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

JF - Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

What Is Resource Allocation In Project Management?

Jitesh Patil

Resource allocation in project management deals with finding and assigning the right resources to the right tasks at the right time. Allocating the right resources at the right time could be the difference between project success and failure.

No wonder, according to this Wellingtone report , resource management is the third biggest challenge for project managers.

Resource management is one of the top project management challenges.

In this article, you’ll learn:

  • What resource allocation in project management is
  • Who’s responsible for allocating resources
  • Why is it important
  • The resource allocation process
  • And common resource allocation challenges faced by project managers

Ready to dive in and deliver successful projects, stress-free?

Let’s get started.

What is resource allocation in project management?

Resource allocation is a process in project management that helps project managers identify the right resources, and assign them to project tasks in order to meet project objectives.

Project resources can be material, equipment, financial, or human resources.

Typically, resource allocation is done during the early stages of a project’s lifecycle. Specifically, it’s a step in resource planning , which, in turn, is a step in the project planning phase in project management.

A project manager needs to consider the following factors during resource allocation:

  • Skills: the skills that can help achieve the project objectives
  • Capacity: the number of theoretical hours a resource can work during the project schedule
  • Availability: the number of available resource hours, after excluding time off and culture hours from capacity
  • Utilization: the number of productive hours a resource can put in, typically 80% of available hours

Resource planning tools make it easy to identify available resources and allocate them to a project.

Who is responsible for allocating resources in project management?

A project manager is responsible for resource allocation in project management. In larger organizations, resource managers are responsible to allocate resources from the resource pool.

Before a project manager resource planning and allocation, they must:

  • Get a sign-off on the project scope.
  • Identify all critical project tasks using Work Breakdown Structure ( WBS ).
  • Create a project schedule and a project timeline .

During resource allocation, the project manager must work closely with:

  • project stakeholders, including the customers and the project team members
  • other project managers, in cases where multiple projects share the same resources
  • identified resources to determine if their capacity and availability are in line with project objectives

Large organizations often have dedicated resource management teams. In such cases, the project manager needs to work closely with resource managers to ensure that resource requirements are met.

Why is resource allocation important in project management?

The benefits of following the right resource allocation process in project management include:

Efficient resource utilization

Assigning resources the right way ensures that limited resources are used in the best possible way to achieve the project’s goals. It helps make the most effective use of the team’s capacity among different projects and tasks.

Mitigate resource risks

Proper allocation of resources helps identify resource constraints that can cause project delays. It enables managers to anticipate potential risks and take remedial measures. Thus improving the chances of project success.

Reduces scheduling conflicts

Time off and shared resources across multiple projects often result in scheduling conflicts. Planned resource scheduling ensures that the project timelines don’t conflict with resource availability. In addition, it takes care to minimize resource dependencies while ensuring that the project stays on track.

Improved cost management

Deliberate resource allocation helps project managers track progress, and manage resource costs, which leads to better cost management. As a result, it reduces the possibility of the project budget going overboard.

Better project outcomes

Effective resource management leads to fewer project failures. When the right resources are assigned to the right tasks, it results in better project outcomes. As a result, project goals are met within the timeline and budget.

Improved project team productivity

Done right, resource assignment ensures optimum resources are allocated and avoid overallocation. This, in turn, prevents overwork, stress, and burnout. As a result, team productivity improves.

3 resource allocation strategies in project management

A resource allocation strategy is a method by which a project manager ensures the right resources are assigned to a project and its tasks. Three popular resource allocation strategies include:

Critical Path Method (CPM)

Using this resource allocation strategy, a project manager identifies tasks that cannot be delayed without delaying the project schedule. Then the project manager prioritizes the best available resources for these critical tasks.

The biggest advantage of CPM is that it ensures the project’s time constraints are met.

However, it does not allow multi-tasking. As a result, while time constraints are met, resources need to be allocated for a longer duration than necessary.

Critical Chain Method (CCM)

The Critical Chain Method is a newer resource allocation technique. Its focuses on resource constraints instead of time constraints like in CPM.

Considering resource availability and constraints, a buffer time is added to the initial project estimate . This allows project teams enough time to complete the project on time.

Some managers use CCM along with CPM.

Resource leveling and smoothing

Things don’t always go according to the resource allocation plan—An emergency means a team member is no longer available. A task takes much longer than estimated. Or something else happens that throws your project timeline off.

In such situations, a project manager can do little else but change the initial project plans.

In resource leveling, a project manager changes the project schedule, including the start and end dates, to account for resource availability.

However, that’s not possible with all projects. In such cases, the project manager uses resource smoothing—They change the resource schedule and allocation plan, or in extreme cases, bring in more resources.

How to allocate project resources effectively?

The project resource allocation process involves identifying and assigning the necessary resources to complete a project successfully. Here are the steps involved:

Step 1: Identify project requirements

Start by identifying the project requirements , including the scope, objectives, and deliverables. This is the first step to identifying resource requirements.

Step 2: Map out the project schedule on a timeline

Next, identify the major tasks needed to complete the project. The Work Breakdown Structure, or WBS in short, is a reliable framework for breaking down a project into deliverables and tasks.

Once you know all the tasks, identify dependencies and estimate how long each task will take.

Based on the estimates and the project requirements, make a project schedule and map it on a timeline.

This may seem like a lot of work. But, creating a project timeline with Toggl Plan is really easy. You can import all your tasks in a CSV file and then simply drag and drop the imported tasks to create a beautiful-looking timeline.

Toggl Plan's Project Timeline makes it easy quickly create a visual project schedule.

Step 3: Define resource requirements

Now that you know what tasks must be done to deliver the project, you’re ready to define the resource requirements.

You need to identify both, the quality and quantity of resources needed. The quality of human resources can be judged based on skills, experience, and certifications. While quantity simply means the number of people or other resources needed to deliver a task or a project.

Step 4: Allocate resources

Armed with the information in the first three steps, you’re now ready to dip into the resource pool. The resource pool is where you’ll find all the available resources within your company.

For effective resource allocation, look out for resources that:

  • Aren’t on other assignments,
  • Aren’t on an absence such as a holiday,
  • And meet any time zone restrictions the project may have.

Some team members (for example, designers in a web design agency) often work on multiple projects at the same time. In such cases, you want to reevaluate resource availability based on their allocation to other projects.

Just like the Project timeline, Toggl Plan also has a team timeline .

This makes it really easy to identify available resources. On the team timeline, you can see what each team member’s schedule looks like, across projects and their time off plans.

Get a quick overview of resource availability across projects using Toggl Plan's Team Timeline.

Step 5: Monitor resource utilization

In spite of all the planning, things could still go wrong. Project scope changes, emergency time off, or task delays can throw your best project resource plan off.

That’s why you must constantly monitor resource utilization to identify over or under-utilized resources. Monitoring helps you:

  • Release unused or under-allocated resources
  • Use resource leveling or smoothing to get over the resource crunch

It also helps to have a backup resource allocation plan when nothing else works. For example, you could hire freelancers or outsource work to partners.

Today, most project management software comes with features to track resource utilization. Alternatively, you can use a resource loading chart.

Common resource allocation challenges and solutions

We live in a world where change is constant. And, to deliver projects on time, you need to adapt your plan constantly. That’s what makes resource allocation so difficult.

Here are some common problems that can trip you.

Changes in project scope

Workloads can change at any moment. Scope changes will undoubtedly lead to your resource requirements changing, so you need a resource allocation plan that’s flexible.

Solution: Fully assess scope changes before they’re approved. Then identify if the current resource allocations remain sufficient or whether changes are required.

Changes in resource availability

Resource allocation is rarely static and there are many scenarios that bring changes. Whether that’s a team member off sick or a late supplier delivery, try to factor contingency into the resource allocation process.

Solution: When building your initial project plan, try to factor in some resource contingency. This will give you room to maneuver for minor changes. If the consequence is major, take immediate action to source replacements.

Task delays

No piece of work is without its dependencies. That’s why a delay in one task has a cascading effect on other tasks, sometimes across projects. Because of this, you lose your resource availability window.

Solution: When building your initial project plan, identify key dependencies and make contingency plans for those resources.

Level up your project management with efficient resource allocation

Every one in four projects fails, because of resource dependencies.

Understanding how to allocate resources and planning project resources can be the difference between a successful and a failed project. That’s why resource allocation becomes so critical.

Also, allocating resources is not a one-time planning phase activity. Situations change. And, that’s why the need to monitor your resource plans continuously.

Toggl Plan is a beautifully simple project planning tool that can help you manage your resources and deliver a project on time.

Sign up for a free 14-day trial account .

Jitesh Patil

Jitesh is an SEO and content specialist. He manages content projects at Toggl and loves sharing actionable tips to deliver projects profitably.

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What Is Resource Allocation? How to Allocate Resources for Projects

ProjectManager

Projects require many resources. Everything from the people you’re working with and the equipment they’re using, to the materials and other supplies you need to even the site where you’re working falls under the umbrella of project resource allocation. Let’s explore what resource allocation is, why it’s so important for project management and what tools you can use to better allocate your project resources.

What Is Resource Allocation In Project Management?

Resource allocation is the process of scheduling resources such as labor, materials or equipment for the completion of project tasks. Resource allocation is a step of project resource management that involves estimating resources, procuring resources, allocating resources and tracking resources until the project is completed.

Why Is Resource Allocation Important?

As difficult as it might be to allocate resources correctly over the life cycle of a project, it’s an essential part of any thorough project management plan and should be done in the planning stage of a project. This keeps costs down, maximizes productivity and helps with team morale. It also facilitates client satisfaction by achieving the best outcome and successfully delivering the project.

assignment and allocation

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Resource Plan Template

Use this free Resource Plan Template for Excel to manage your projects better.

Resource Allocation Process: How to Allocate Project Resources

Resource allocation is a plan that you develop with the aim of making the most of the available resources at your disposal in a project, which makes it a critical resource planning activity. This is mostly a short-term plan set in place to achieve goals in the future.

This sounds challenging, but don’t worry, we’re here to help. The following are some general tips to help you with your resource allocation when managing a project.

1. Define Your Project Scope

Before you can allocate your resources or manage them, you have to determine the scope of the project you’re working on. To do so, you need to break down the project into every individual task and deliverable that will be completed. Once you’ve done so, you can make the right decision on what resources you’ll need and how many of them are necessary to complete the project.

The clearer the project scope is, the better you’ll be able to figure out how to allocate your resources. Take the time to get the full picture of the project using a work breakdown structure or other project planning tools to visualize all your project tasks before estimating your resources.

2. Estimate What Project Resources Will Be Needed

Once you have defined your project scope, you can move to the resource planning phase which is when you’ll have to estimate what resources will be needed including people, equipment, materials and anything else you’re going to need to complete your project tasks. Your organization will have some of these resources already, while others will need to be purchased or rented.

Before you can allocate resources, you have to have them. So, make a list using the criteria above and then make sure it fits within the project budget .

Once you’ve acquired your project resources you should use project management software to plan how they’ll be allocated. That way you can coordinate them with your project schedule and distribute them across your team. In ProjectManager for instance, you can manage your project schedule, your team and your non-human resources in one place. Build your schedule on a Gantt and track your resource distribution, progress and labor costs in one software. Try it free today!

Allocate resources on the ProjectManager Gantt chart

3. Assess Your Current Resource Utilization & Resource Availability

Now that you’ve determined what resources are required for your project, you should also identify which of those resources are available within your organization. However, some existing resources might be being used for other projects, so it’s important that you not only identify which resources your organization has but also which of those are being utilized.

4. Create a Resource Allocation Plan

Take the information that you’ve gained from the above steps to put together a resource allocation plan. Outline the list of resources you’ll need for your project as well as the cost and quantity of each. When you’re finished, circle back to your project scope to make sure your plan aligns with it.

5. Keep Track of Your Project Resources

It’s a problem when you’re so focused on the process that you neglect to lift your head up from the resource allocation plan to note what’s actually happening. This isn’t merely tracking your estimates against actual progress in the project, though that’s important, too.

You should always be aware of the state of your resources. For example, what’s the schedule for your team, are any taking vacation time, are they sick, etc.? Also, what’s the duration of the lease for the site or equipment? These are important questions to ask when scheduling resources.

Don’t let any of these details get past you because of tunnel vision. Look at the whole project, not just the various pieces.

6. Use Resource Allocation Reports

You can reallocate if you don’t know where your resources are allocated. You might have planned them out well, but change happens in projects. How can you tell what’s happening on the ground compared to your plans? Project reports .

You can generate all sorts of reports to give you a full picture of the project and how it’s progressing, which helps you balance your resources. For example, resource reports give you an overview of your team’s workload and whether they’re over-tasked or idle.

ProjectManager's status report filter

Task reports keep you updated and variance reports help you determine whether the project is proceeding as planned. The latter gives you vital information, such as if you’re behind schedule and need to redistribute the work to get back on track.

Resource Planning Template

Now you’re ready to build a resource plan to help you manage your resource allocation. Our free resource planning template for Excel lists all the resources you’ll need for the project, how much each will cost and a monthly, weekly or daily chart of when you’ll need them.

resource planning template

Resource Allocation Methods

The specific resource allocation method that your organization implements depends on your industry and the nature of how resources are managed. For example, manufacturing companies might focus on raw materials and equipment while a professional services company might focus on team utilization and financial resources.

Regardless, it’s important to balance resource allocation with involved stakeholders . This could include teams, departments, customers, shareholders and other stakeholders. We’ve outlined some commonly utilized resource allocation methods for you to consider.

  • Critical Path Method: In project management, the longest chain of dependent tasks is referred to as the critical path . By outlining a straightforward priority for task completion before the project starts, the CPM helps use resources as efficiently as possible. However, one criticism is that this method doesn’t allow for multitasking.
  • Resource Leveling: To implement resource leveling , start by looking at the capacity of your team to determine how much work they can handle. Compare this with demand. If resources aren’t aligned with demand, reschedule tasks accordingly.
  • Resource Smoothing: Resource smoothing aims to reduce demand while executing the project within the ideal timeframe. During this method, the project manager makes adjustments to resource scheduling and allocation. For example, if you’re under a time crunch, you might bring on a more seasoned person who can complete the work faster.

Resource Allocation Tools

Now that we’ve explained some popular resource allocation methods, let’s examine some of the tools that project managers can use along the way.

  • Gantt Charts: Gantt charts provide an easy way to map the required project tasks and note dependencies. You’ll be able to see and allocate your resources across a project timeline, so you know exactly when you’ll need each resource. Once you’ve identified your tasks, you can assign them on the Gantt chart and see how long each team member has spent working on each task.
  • Resource Allocation Matrix: A resource allocation matrix is an overview of the needed project resources. It helps to identify any potential bottlenecks or imbalances ahead of time. Typically, the matrix includes the names and roles of each team member, their availability, and their skills and tasks on the project. It acts as a visual representation of your resources mapped against project tasks and activities.
  • Resource Breakdown Structure: This resource allocation tool is a hierarchical chart of the resources needed to execute your project and it includes everything from the people needed for the project to what you’ll be spending your money on. An RBS can include materials, equipment, people, project management tools and more.
  • Workload Charts: These charts visually represent your resource allocation for your project team, department or entire company. You can see how many hours each person has been assigned and make adjustments to ensure your team is working at capacity. Use it to quickly determine how your human resource management is aligning with your planned resource allocation.

Resource Allocation Example

Let’s say you’re a manager for an IT organization and you’re tasked with hiring an architect for an upcoming project. You know the importance of an architect position to the overall success of the project but you know that they’re usually an expensive hire.

You’ll need to consider if it makes more sense to hire an architect for a specific project or if you want to assign him or her to multiple projects . You can utilize resource allocation tools to determine what makes the most financial sense for your organization.

Resource Allocation Tips

Even though there may be blind spots when managing resources, there are some tips to keep in mind to help you allocate resources as effectively as possible.

1. Know Your Resource Dependencies

By planning beforehand, you can avoid bottlenecks that trap your resources when you need them most in the course of the project execution . Planning also helps you keep your resources from falling short. This doesn’t mean you won’t have a bottleneck or resource shortage, but it’s less likely if you know your resource dependencies.

Part of planning for dependencies is having a contingency plan in place in case team members are blocked or you run low on needed resources. Keep your plans from being over-dependent on one resource to avoid trouble down the line.

2. Track Time

You always want to keep a close eye on the time, how your team is working and if they’re being efficient. It’s your job to make sure that a task that can be completed in a day doesn’t take a week. There are ways to improve time tracking .

To do this, you must keep track of your team’s workload. That requires the right tools to give you real-time data collected on one page where you can both see and schedule ahead when needed.

3. Use Resource Allocation Tools

Project management software, like ProjectManager , is a great asset for managing your resources more productively. With an online tool, you get project data instantly updated.

You can see where your resources are allocated across a calendar that’s color-coded to note whether they’re on- or off-task, on vacation or sick. Rescheduling to help a team member who is overtasked is a simple click of the keyboard.

reallocate workload

Free Resource Allocation Templates

Resources allocation requires accurate and timely data to avoid bottlenecks that can slow down your project. Project management software is the most efficient way to manage your resources, but if you don’t have an online resource management tool there are templates that can help. ProjectManager has free project management templates for every phase of your project, including ones to help with resource allocation. Here are a few.

Requirement Gathering Template

Before you can allocate your resources, you need to understand what’s required. The free requirement gathering template for Word acts as a means of communication between the stakeholders and the project team. This ensures quality deliverables that meet specifications.

RACI Matrix Template

You’ll also need to organize your resources before you can properly allocate them. Our free RACI matrix template for Excel is a place where you can define the roles and responsibilities of the team members. RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted and informed, and the free template helps you place everyone involved in the project within one of those quadrants.

How to Allocate Resources With ProjectManager

ProjectManager is robust project management software with multiple tools that allow project managers to allocate project resources, track utilization and availability, control costs and deliver project success. Regardless of how you prefer to manage and schedule your resources, ProjectManager has the tools to help you every step of the way. Here are some of our most popular resource management features.

Schedule Resources With Multiple Planning Tools

Tools such as Gantt charts, kanban boards, task lists and project calendars allow you to allocate resources in multiple ways. Use online Gantt charts to create interactive project timelines that let you easily assign the needed resources for each project task or create task lists that make it easy to stay on track. In addition, ProjectManager’s workload charts help you plan and oversee each team member’s workload at a glance so you can keep your team working at capacity.

assignment and allocation

Track Costs With Project Dashboards & Timesheets

Once you’ve allocated your project resources, you’ll need to track their costs to ensure that you’re sticking to your budget. ProjectManager’s real-time dashboards make it easy to monitor costs, timelines and progress so nothing is overlooked. Use the dashboard to make timely updates and catch problems before they snowball. In addition, you can use our project timesheets to help you keep track of labor costs.

dashboard showing project metrics in real-time

Related Content

If you’re still interested in resource management, you’ve come to the right place. ProjectManager isn’t just superior software, it’s the online hub for all things project management. You not only get free templates but regular blog posts, thorough eBooks, whitepapers and more. Here’s a sample of that content as related to our topic.

  • Best Resource Management Software Rankings
  • Resource Management: Process, Tools & Techniques
  • Resource Planning: The Ultimate Guide
  • Resource Smoothing Steps, Templates and Tools
  • How to Track Resource Availability

If you’re looking for a project management tool that can help you implement those tips and manage your resources properly, then look no further. ProjectManager has all the features mentioned above to help you manage your resources, and it’s online software, which means the information you’re working with is in real time. See how it can help you by taking this free 30-day trial today!  

Click here to browse ProjectManager's free templates

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Resource Allocation: How To Do It Effectively (+ Templates)

assignment and allocation

Strategic resource allocation helps you to realize overall business profitability and revenue growth. But if you get it wrong, missteps can spiral into lost money, unsatisfactory deliverables, and paralyzing organizational bottlenecks. 

In this guide, you’ll learn how to nail your resource allocation process for improved operational efficiency and accelerated decision-making.

#1 Strategy Execution Platform Say goodbye to strategy spreadsheets. It’s time for Cascade. Get started, free  forever

But first, let’s make sure we’re on the same page…

What Is Resource Allocation?

Resource allocation is the identification of resources you can dedicate toward strategic initiatives , specific projects, or activities in your company. It means figuring out the optimal way to use available resources to get the job done. The whole process often involves one or all of the following:

  • Understanding business priorities and goals. 
  • Tracking progress and creating milestones to aim for. 
  • Finding team members with the best skills and assigning them the right initiatives.
  • Outlining how your resources can meet the project budget or project requirements. 
  • Creating a work breakdown structure to account for initiative, project, or task dependencies.

The Benefits Of Strategic Resource Allocation

There are significant benefits to implementing strategic resource allocation for both companies and their stakeholders:

Alignment with the corporate strategy

The goal of strategic alignment is simple: to ensure that resources are leveraged in the most optimal way to impact business results. By doing so, it reduces the likelihood of bottlenecks in the execution process. It also fosters better working relations between different departments and ensures that every member of your organization is moving towards the same business outcome. Everyone has a clear understanding of their priorities and the tools they need to achieve them.

📚 Recommended reading: How To Build Organizational Alignment 

Resource utilization and efficiency

With proper resource allocation, you not only optimize the use of funds but also prevent team burnout by ensuring no personnel are being overextended. This can bolster stakeholder confidence in your organization’s ability to manage finances and safeguard employee well-being.

Cascade Strategy Execution Platform improves operational efficiency by eliminating duplication and aligning teams toward a common goal. It helps reduce waste caused by misalignment, ensuring smoother operations and better performance overall.

Strategic oversight and flexibility

Strategic resource allocation gives you an easily-accessible reference as to all the moving parts across your organization, allowing you to identify teams, projects, and initiatives that are performing well—and increasing support as necessary. This can also allow you to quickly pivot resources to an area that is underperforming and execute strategy within the planned timelines. 

📚 Recommended reading: Centralized Business Observability To Boost Your Bottom Line

7 Steps To Strategically Manage Resources Across The Organization

1. identify strategic initiatives.

First, you’ll need to understand how exactly your organization is performing concerning its goals. What are your core business metrics and financial statements reflecting, and what strategic initiatives can your company pursue to improve its overall performance?

This will help you match your resources to strategic initiatives that will have the most impact to move the needle.  

Here are some examples of strategic initiatives : 

  • Product development to enter a new market
  • Cutting supply chain costs
  • Increasing customer satisfaction 

👉How Cascade can help : 

Cascade’s Metrics Library helps you unify all core business data in one place and pinpoint performance, giving you clear oversight into which strategic initiatives are worth pursuing. This will help you to root your decisions in data and move forward with confidence that you’re going in the right direction. 

🎥Watch this short video explaining how to use the Metrics Libray in Cascade. 

2. Assess resource needs and organizational constraints 

Once you have an idea of where your organization stands strategically, you can focus your attention on the resources that it needs to reach the goals that you’re working towards.

Some examples of resource needs include:

  • Tools, equipment, and facilities for different departments
  • Essential software or licenses for operations
  • Staffing and other personnel for specific jobs
  • Support personnel who may be from outside the organization
  • Projected financing for your initiatives and projects 

This step is about pinpointing what you need and checking its availability, not about allocating resources. That comes later in the process. 

3. Prioritize strategic initiatives

Organizations often have several strategic goals, but with limited resources, they can't tackle them all at once. This is where prioritization comes in, helping focus on key objectives. 

Here are some decision-making tools and frameworks on Cascade’s blog to help you: 

  • Decision matrix : This template will help you analyze and pick the most important option based on specific criteria. It allows you to make data-driven decisions toward high-ROI initiatives based on the most critical factors that meet your organization’s needs.
  • GE Matrix : A framework to help you manage portfolios and prioritize investment across different strategic business units. This allows you to allocate resources (usually capital) as needed and gives you a better idea of which initiatives need focus and which can be dropped.
  • Competitive analysis : This collection of competitive frameworks will help you analyze market dynamics and the competitive landscape. This will help you recognize marketing opportunities and threats to effectively assign resources. 
📚 Recommended read: 7 Decision-Making Tools For Business Leaders

4. Choose your resource allocation strategy 

Once you understand where your organization stands, where you want it to go, and what steps you need to take, it’s time to allocate resources. Use the insights from previous steps to develop your resource allocation strategies and decide which initiatives get what resources. 

Here are some examples: 

  • If your organizational priority is growth , allocate resources to R&D, marketing, and expansion. 
  • If your organizational priority is profit , dedicate resources to high-margin products or services. 
  • If your organizational priority is control , assign resources to compliance, security, and governance. 

Don’t forget to balance your strategic priorities with resource availability. Avoid projects with low returns just because resources are at hand. Proper identification, categorization, and assignment of your resources ensure that you allocate them optimally.

5. Communicate allocation of resources 

A key aspect of resource allocation is alignment: ensuring that every stakeholder understands how they can properly utilize their resources—whether that’s finances, manpower, or time.

For organization-wide initiatives, this can be as simple as having an overview of all ongoing initiatives or a detailed map outlining the connections between each department and how their activities overlap.

alignment map view in Cascade

This overview in a centralized place can also help with:

  • Giving a clear view of what KPIs are being reached.
  • Outlining the performance of assigned resources in real-time.
  • Helping the entire organization stay consistent in working toward a specific initiative.
  • Informing other resources outside the organization that contribute towards your goals.
  • Promoting clarity and conciseness of information sharing at each milestone or benchmark.

👉 How Cascade can help : 

You can easily assign priorities to each objective, allowing stakeholders to better understand what’s important and how to organize their work. You can also reorganize your strategic plan based on the priorities without having to risk miscommunication across different departments in your organization.

6. Implement and monitor

Continuous monitoring is crucial in ensuring your resource allocation is reaching its targets. It allows you to spot: 

  • Assets being underused or used incorrectly 
  • Overspend or overallocation of resources on a single project
  • Project scopes expanding unexpectedly ("scope creep")
  • Resources bottleneck or shortages 

This real-time data provides a solid foundation for iterative strategic planning and decision-making. It helps you make informed financial decisions and quick adjustments when needed. 

Cascade’s dashboards help you monitor and analyze your key business metrics and information. They are highly customizable, helping you use different visualization options and present insights that power decision-making. 

example of a dashboard in Cascade

7. Review and adjust

Resource allocation shouldn't be set in stone. Regularly review your resources and adjust as necessary. This could be in response to changes in the business environment, unexpected challenges during execution, or shifts in strategic objectives.

In Cascade, you can easily create, share, and collaborate on reports to ensure everyone understands the context, performance, and decisions for changes in resource allocation. Analyze performance across teams, departments, and projects with simple visualization and engaging reports.

4 Challenges That Prevent Effective Resource Allocation

Every organization, regardless of size, grapples with resource allocation challenges. Recognizing and addressing these is key to mitigating the negative consequences.

Overlooked resource dependency

This challenge refers to the lack of understanding of how different resources within an organization are interconnected. These can be people, equipment, time, or money, and they often depend on one another to deliver the expected results. 

Cascade's Alignment map and Relationships directly tackle this by enabling users to see the connections between objectives, metrics, projects, and actions. This ensures real-time status monitoring and swift removal of any bottlenecks. 

Use of outdated legacy tools

Many organizations still rely on legacy tools or systems, like spreadsheets or traditional project management software, to manage their resources and operations. While these tools have stood the test of time, they might not cater to the evolving demands of modern operations in terms of complexity, speed, or scale.

With Cascade, you get access to modern strategy execution software that scales your needs, with flexibility and collaboration built into the platform’s design. This supports your growth long-term, ensuring streamlined operations without organizational chaos and disruptions. 

Limited visibility within a complex organization

Larger or more complex organizations often struggle to see all their resources in a single view. This can result from geographical dispersion, departmental silos, or disconnected resource management software solutions. Poor visibility makes it hard to understand resource utilization, pinpoint shortages or duplication, and optimize resource allocation. 

Cascade addresses this by centralizing all the necessary information about strategic initiatives and projects in a single platform. This centralized observability gives leaders complete insight into their initiatives so that they can stop what’s not working and double down on what is.

Lack of flexibility

All the shortcomings above can ultimately cause organizations to be too rigid in their resource allocation. They can struggle to adapt to changes and seize new opportunities, and risk lowering the efficiency of their operations and decreasing customer satisfaction.

In Cascade, you can quickly identify risks and align everyone around critical initiatives before it’s too late. This promotes a dynamic approach that your organization can always rely on to solve potential critical challenges and gives you the data you need for confident decision-making. 

8 Templates To Help You With Effective Resource Management

The Cascade platform has 8 different templates that any organization can easily and quickly use to help kick-start their resource planning:

Project Plan Template

project plan template cascade

This template is tailored for project teams that want to monitor the project lifecycle and ensure successful project execution. It streamlines project tasks, provides clarity on roles and project timelines, and ensures efficient resource allocation, enabling organizations to stay on track and meet their strategic goals efficiently. 

👉 Click here to get your Project Plan Template.  

Strategic Budgeting Plan Template

Strategic Budgeting Plan Template

Prepare multiple budgets, create financial forecasts, and reduce spending. This works well for financial teams looking to reconcile how their short-term expenses work towards their long-term goals, helping them maximize financial resources and reduce spending on dead-end strategies. 

👉 Click here to get your Strategic Budgeting Plan Template.  

Resource Capacity Plan Template

Resource Capacity Plan Template

Assess the availability of your resources and allocate them to your new projects efficiently. This template is suitable for resource managers and project leads who want to optimize resource allocation and ensure project success. 

👉 Click here to get your Resource Capacity Plan Template.

Resource Allocation Plan Template

Resource Allocation Plan Template

Identify and define the right resources needed to reach your organization’s goals, accounting for anything from personnel, equipment, and finances. Useful for teams that need a resource allocation strategy to use their resources more effectively and align with strategic priorities. 

👉 Click here to get your Resource Allocation Plan Template.

Project Resource Plan Template

Project Resource Plan Template

Detail how resources should be distributed across your project. It’s best used by project managers who want to optimize and track the resources used in a specific project, giving them a bird’s-eye view of how their resources work. In doing so, they can ensure they stay aligned with the project schedule.

👉 Click here to get your Project Resource Plan Template.

Cost Management Plan Template

Cost Management Plan Template

Track expenses and manage funding effectively, especially concerning project costs in the long term. Useful for project managers and team leads who want to ensure accurate financial projects and data-driven decisions. 

👉 Click here to get your Cost Management Plan Template.

Portfolio Strategy Template

Portfolio Strategy Template

Evaluate and manage the risks and returns of a portfolio, helping you plan your asset allocation more efficiently. It’s best suited to businesses that want to optimize their specific portfolio and increase potential returns.

👉 Click here to get your Portfolio Strategy Template.

Staffing Plan Template

Staffing Plan Template

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assignment and allocation

Allocations and Assignments

Allocations, Assignments and Valuation work together to move money between funds associated with a policy and track the value of the funds. Assignment allows money to be deposited, withdrawn or transferred from the funds. Allocation provides a request as to how to affect each fund, such as a deposit, withdrawal or transfer. Valuation is the result after money movements are completed.

Allocations

Allocations support the movement of money into or out of funds. When payments or withdrawals are made, the configuration of allocations allows for the introduction of logic to move the money into or out of a fund.

Plan-level Allocations are allocations made at the plan level. For example, during the Freelook period all deposits are invested in Fund A until the end of the Freelook period is reached where it will be distributed to the funds specified by the client. The allocation to Fund A during the Freelook period is an example of a plan allocation. The plan-level allocations are specific to a plan, not a client or policy. Plan-level allocations can be established using the AllocationScreen business rule.

If Allocation data needs to be displayed, the AllocationScreen business rule must be configured.

Allocation data is stored in the AsAllocation database table. The AsAllocations table is linked to the AsPolicy, AsPlan and AsActivity tables through the RelatedGUID column.

Allocation Tables

Allocation Table and Related Tables

Assignments

Assignments are used in conjunction with allocations when the allocated values are to be applied, transferred, or removed from a policy's value. Assignment values can be in the form of a monetary amount, percentages, number of units or pro-rata distribution of the allocation. There are several types of assignments that can be used, namely:

APPLYBYFUNDTO: used to apply money/units to a fund for a specific policy.

GROSSWITHDRAW: used to remove money/units from a fund for a specific policy.

TRANSFER: used to move money/units from one a fund to another fund for a specific policy.

  • SWITCH: used specifically for unit linked products. This is similiar to the TRANSFER assignment, in that it moves money/units from one fund to another on a policy.
  • WITHDRAWAL: supports the removal of amounts or percents from unit linked funds.

Additional assignment types can be found in the XML Configuration Guide.

Completion of Assignment processing always adds new records to AsValuation; the record of the money movement. The Assignment process will update existing allocation records on AsAllocation when it is executing a pro-rata distribution of the money movement. In all situations, if the business rule ReassignAllocations is attached to the activity, Assignment processing will add new records to AsAllocation based on the allocation results from ReassignAllocations.

Assignment Processing for Child and Lateral Funds

When Assignment looks up the necessary sub-funds (child and lateral) for valuation purposes, the criteria under the Child funds will only apply the funds with an AsFundRelation type of 01 and the criteria under the Lateral funds will only apply the funds with an AsFundRelation type of 03. The Assignment will further filter the lateral funds by the activity effective date relative to the lateral fund relationship effective and expiration dates. Both fund relation dates are inclusive so that the relation is effective through the expiration date, not to it.

Assignments for child funds will use the fund that matches the fund relation criteria specified in the child fund level.

Deposit Assignments for lateral funds will use the fund that matches the fund relation criteria specified in the lateral fund level and whose effective date is less than or equal to the activity effective date and whose expiration date is null or greater than or equal to the activity effective date. If the EffectiveDateNUVMustExist element is set to Yes then all lateral funds for the parent matching the criteria (regardless of effective and expiration dates) must have prices for the activity effective date.

If NUVs are not found, then a business error is displayed saying, “NUVs for Effective Date Missing.”

The SystemDateNUVMustExist element will be ignored regardless if set to Yes , as no gain or loss will be calculated.

Removal Assignments will remove amounts allocated to type 04 parent funds from the individual lateral fund deposit amounts based on the parent fund’s removal method (LIFO or FIFO) and removal precedence. The larger the removal precedence value, the later the fund will be used in money removal. Deposits of funds with a removal precedence of 1 will be exhausted before deposits on the same date for funds with a higher removal precedence value. This feature will work for all fund types.

Activity Valuation for Child and Lateral Funds

Activity valuation will calculate individual lateral fund deposit values and write the records using the parent fund GUID. The FundGUID of the lateral fund will be captured on the valuation tables in order for the system to map back to the correct fund prices during subsequent valuations. (AsValuation, AsDepositValue). The EffectiveDate of the valuation record will be stored on the valuation table in order for the system to map back to the correct fund prices during subsequent valuations. (AsDepositValue). Only the parent fund name will display in the UI with an aggregated sum of all the lateral fund deposit valuations. Unit values will not display for the funds.

Memory assignment and allocation

In some cases, the amount of memory you assign to a partition is not the same as the amount of memory that is actually allocated by the system.

At boot time, some system processes, such as kdump and the Run-Time Abstraction Service (RTAS), require memory to run. That memory is drawn from the same memory pool as the resources you assigned to your partitions. As a result, the real memory allocated by your system is less than what you assigned.

You can release the memory used by kdump if your memory needs are higher than your problem determination needs, but in most cases, the difference between assigned memory and allocated memory is not enough for users to notice.

  • Comparing assigned memory to actual memory You can compare the amount of memory you have designated for a partition with the amount of memory that is actually allocated by your system.
  • Disabling kdump to free memory Because kdump requires memory to run, the amount of memory you have assigned to the logical partition might not be the actual amount of memory that the partition is able to use.
  • Checking memory used by the RTAS In addition to kdump, the Run-Time Abstraction Service (RTAS) uses memory resources during boot and can affect the amount of real memory available to your logical partition.
  • PDF file for Memory assignment and allocation Use this to view and print a PDF of this information.

Book cover

International Conference on Business Process Management

BPM 2023: Business Process Management pp 377–394 Cite as

Not Here, But There: Human Resource Allocation Patterns

  • Kanika Goel   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6250-2589 11 ,
  • Tobias Fehrer   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8798-5724 12 , 13 ,
  • Maximilian Röglinger   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4743-4511 12 , 13 &
  • Moe T. Wynn   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7205-8821 11  
  • Conference paper
  • First Online: 01 September 2023

872 Accesses

Part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science book series (LNCS,volume 14159)

The digital age entails challenges that pressure organisations to redesign their business processes for improved performance. A significant aspect of this effort is the appropriate assignment of human resources – or people – to tasks. Despite the importance, there is a lack of structured guidance on allocating people to tasks considering various performance considerations such as time, cost, quality and flexibility. This paper presents 15 human resource allocation patterns organised into five categories: resource capability, utilisation, reorganisation, productivity and collaboration. The pattern collection is designed to offer guidance on diverse strategies for human resource allocation, focusing on process redesign for performance improvement from a resource perspective. The research was conducted in a two-phase approach. In the first phase, a literature review was conducted to identify existing resource patterns and practices, synthesised into an initial catalogue of human resource allocation patterns. In the second phase, this catalogue was evaluated through expert interviews with ten practitioners. The patterns provide a repository of knowledge guiding academics and practitioners on different ways a person can be assigned to a task for improved process efficiency. These patterns form a strong foundation for future research in the area of human-centred business process redesign.

  • Process improvement
  • Allocation patterns
  • Human resource

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Four category names have been adapted from Pika et al. [ 24 ], while the reorganisation category has been introduced based on the literature synthesis. [ 24 ] did not propose any patterns; we have only adapted the category names (e.g., capability).

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Goel, K., Fehrer, T., Röglinger, M., Wynn, M.T. (2023). Not Here, But There: Human Resource Allocation Patterns. In: Di Francescomarino, C., Burattin, A., Janiesch, C., Sadiq, S. (eds) Business Process Management. BPM 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14159. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41620-0_22

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SC denies Now Telecom’s appeal on frequency assignment

Supreme Court

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has denied NOW Telecom Company Inc.’s petition to reverse a previous Court of Appeals (CA) decision regarding the automatic allocation of mobile telephone service frequencies from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

In a 15-page decision released on March 7, Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda upheld the CA’s Sept. 28 ruling, stating that the telecom company failed to demonstrate a “clear legal right” to the frequencies it sought, and there was no evidence of the NTC neglecting its ministerial duty.

READ: CA dismisses telco’s appeal vs. NTC over frequency allocation 

After the CA’s decision, the company filed a petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court challenging the decision.

However, the High Tribunal also denied Now Telecom’s plea, saying that the CA did not err in dismissing the company’s claims to the frequencies, specifically the 1970 megahertz (MHz) to 1980 MHz, paired with 2160 MHz to 2170 MHz, and 3.6 gigahertz (GHz) to 3.8 GHz ranges.

“As correctly held by the CA, the grant of a legislative franchise to operate telecommunications services in Now Telecom’s favor does not necessarily carry with it a right over particular radio frequencies. Neither does Now Telecom’s franchise state that it is entitled to specific radio frequencies,” the SC decision read.

READ: Now Telecom to appeal court ruling on frequency assignment 

“Now Telecom’s use of radio frequencies is only a privilege, not a right, and is subject to compliance with the relevant laws, rules, and regulations,” it added.

The company needed the frequencies to operate a mobile telephone service and compete with major telecommunications companies in the country.

The SC’s decision marks the third time a court has dismissed Now Telecom’s claims to the frequencies, with the first being a dismissal from a Regional Trial Court, followed by the CA.

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IMAGES

  1. What is the difference between task allocation, task assignment and

    assignment and allocation

  2. Top 15 Resource Allocation Templates for Efficient Project Management

    assignment and allocation

  3. Resource Management Showing Resource Allocation Assignment Matrix

    assignment and allocation

  4. Top 15 Resource Allocation Templates for Efficient Project Management

    assignment and allocation

  5. Approaches to Allocation and Assignment

    assignment and allocation

  6. How to Allocate Resources: Methods of Aligning Workload

    assignment and allocation

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  1. 12th Commerce

  2. DAY -1

  3. Lecture 1

  4. Material allocation

  5. PRODUCT COSTING: COST ASSIGNMENT

  6. Process Costing || Module 3 || Cost Accounting || Bcom 3rd year

COMMENTS

  1. Allocation vs Assignment

    Noun. ( en noun ) The act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks. This flow chart represents the assignment of tasks in our committee. The categorization of something as belonging to a specific category. We should not condone the assignment of asylum seekers to that of people smugglers. An assigned task.

  2. Allocation vs Allotment: Meaning And Differences

    Allocation can also refer to the assignment of tasks or responsibilities to individuals within an organization. This involves dividing the workload among team members in a way that maximizes productivity and ensures that each person's strengths are utilized. Define Allotment.

  3. PDF Figure. Unified Combatant Command Areas of Responsibility Advantages of

    GFM addresses allocation, apportionment, and assignment. It is also important to understand how ADCON relates to GFM, especially to assignment. Allocation: distributing forces and resourc-es for specified missions. Allocation is a familiar construct to many service members who have sup-ported Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

  4. WPS Audit

    This video discusses the topics of cost finding, including grouping, assignment, and allocation. It discusses the requirements for requests to add new unique...

  5. What is the difference between assigning and allocating?

    When you allocate a resource, you specify when the resource will work on the project and for how many hours. This scheduling allows you to ensure your projects have enough staff and resources are fully utilized. A resource must be assigned to the project team before they can be allocated. How allocation works. Allocating a resource to a project.

  6. What is resource allocation? Learn how to allocate resources

    Resource allocation is the process of identifying and assigning available resources to an initiative. Effective allocation of resources helps maximize the impact of project resources while still supporting your team's goals. To create a resource allocation plan, identify the right resources—including team members, tools, budget, and more ...

  7. What is the difference between assignment and allocation?

    Project Assignments allows faster data entry by reducing the number of items in the drop-downs and also help prevent your from selecting incorrect activity or expense items. Check CORE Help Center for details. On the other hand, the Allocation feature allows you to assign tasks (activities) and expenses to your employees for various projects ...

  8. What is Resource Allocation? Importance & Challenges

    Resource allocation is all about identifying and scheduling resources on various activities across your project (s) to achieve your project goals. Resources in project management refer to anything you require to complete the project, including tools, equipment, facilities, or funding. On most digital projects, however, the key resources are ...

  9. Assignments and Allocations Overview

    This article serves as an introduction to labor and financial assignments in ResourceFirst, including the Allocation Algorithm that is used for allocating resources to work. Overview There are two primary types of assignments in ResourceFirst: Labor and Financial. Labor Assignments specify forecasted demand by time period for a specific project. This demand can be for […]

  10. Assignment and allocation optimization of partially multiskilled

    T1 - Assignment and allocation optimization of partially multiskilled workforce. AU - Gomar, Jorge E. AU - Haas, Carl T. AU - Morton, David P. PY - 2002/3. Y1 - 2002/3. N2 - Multiskilling is a workforce strategy that has been shown to reduce indirect labor costs, improve productivity, and reduce turnover. A multiskilled workforce is one in ...

  11. What Is Resource Allocation In Project Management?

    Resource allocation is a process in project management that helps project managers identify the right resources, and assign them to project tasks in order to meet project objectives. Project resources can be material, equipment, financial, or human resources. Typically, resource allocation is done during the early stages of a project's ...

  12. Cost Allocation

    Cost allocation is the process of identifying, accumulating, and assigning costs to costs objects such as departments, products, programs, or a branch of a company. It involves identifying the cost objects in a company, identifying the costs incurred by the cost objects, and then assigning the costs to the cost objects based on specific criteria.

  13. What Is Resource Allocation? How to Allocate Resources for Projects

    Resource Allocation Process: How to Allocate Project Resources. Resource allocation is a plan that you develop with the aim of making the most of the available resources at your disposal in a project, which makes it a critical resource planning activity. This is mostly a short-term plan set in place to achieve goals in the future.

  14. Resource Allocation: How To Do It Effectively (+ Templates)

    Resource allocation is the identification of resources you can dedicate toward strategic initiatives, specific projects, or activities in your company. It means figuring out the optimal way to use available resources to get the job done. ... Proper identification, categorization, and assignment of your resources ensure that you allocate them ...

  15. Allocations and Assignments

    Allocations, Assignments and Valuation work together to move money between funds associated with a policy and track the value of the funds. Assignment allows money to be deposited, withdrawn or transferred from the funds. Allocation provides a request as to how to affect each fund, such as a deposit, withdrawal or transfer.

  16. Assignment and Allocation Optimization of Partially Multiskilled

    This research investigated the mechanics of allocating a multiskilled workforce and developed a linear programming model to help optimize the multiskilled workforce assignment and allocation process in a construction project, or between the projects of one company.

  17. Memory assignment and allocation

    Memory assignment and allocation. Memory assignment and allocation. In some cases, the amount of memory you assign to a partition is not the same as the amount of memory that is actually allocated by the system. At boot time, some system processes, such as kdump and the Run-Time Abstraction Service (RTAS), require memory to run.

  18. Not Here, But There: Human Resource Allocation Patterns

    At the time of allocation, people with the best quality feedback will be chosen for the task. Cost-Based Task Assignment. Assign tasks based on the cost of a resource, defined as the person's per-hour cost when executing a task. Example: An organisation assigns a data entry task to persons that charge a lower hourly rate for the same quality ...

  19. The berth assignment and allocation problem considering cooperative

    Similar to the long-term berth allocation plan studied in the TBAP, our BAAP addresses the long-term berth assignment and allocation (BAA) plan. The BAAP is an extended TBAP. Following the previous studies (Zhen, 2015, Zheng et al., 2021), we consider the following assumptions, shown as follows: (1)

  20. Joint Target Assignment and Power Allocation in Multiple Distributed

    A joint target assignment and power allocation (TAPA) strategy is developed for multiple distributed MIMO radar networks in cluttered environment using the DTFR mode. Our aim is to achieve the better system tracking accuracy under the constraints of receive beam direction capability and power budget. We derive the posterior Cramer-Rao lower ...

  21. The berth assignment and allocation problem considering cooperative

    Similar to the long-term berth allocation plan studied in the TBAP, our BAAP addresses the long-term berth assignment and allocation (BAA) plan. The BAAP is an extended TBAP. Following the previous studies (Zhen, 2015, Zheng et al., 2021), we consider the following assumptions, shown as follows: (1)

  22. The berth assignment and allocation problem considering cooperative

    DOI: 10.1016/j.tre.2022.102793 Corpus ID: 249806270; The berth assignment and allocation problem considering cooperative liner carriers @article{Guo2022TheBA, title={The berth assignment and allocation problem considering cooperative liner carriers}, author={Liming Guo and Jianfeng Zheng and Haoming Du and Jianan Du and Zhihong Zhu}, journal={Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and ...

  23. (PDF) Optimizing Healthcare Delivery: A Model for ...

    Therefore, efficient staff scheduling, resource allocation, and patient assignments are required to address these challenges. To address these challenges, in this paper, we developed a mixed ...

  24. In Re: Allocation of Charlotte Division Cases and Assignment of

    In Re: Allocation of Charlotte Division Cases and Assignment of Following Preliminary Matters. In Re: Allocation of Charlotte Division Cases and Assignment of Following Preliminary Matters Case Number: 3:2024mc00019: Filed: February 29, 2024: Court: US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina ...

  25. SC denies Now Telecom's appeal on frequency assignment

    MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has denied NOW Telecom Company Inc.'s petition to reverse a previous Court of Appeals (CA) decision regarding the automatic allocation