project management resource assignment

Project Resource Management According to the PMBOK

August 30, 2018 by Bernie Roseke, P.Eng., PMP Leave a Comment

Managing the project resources is how the project manager spends most of their time.  From ordering supplies, to training team members, to paying bills, the project resources are a seemingly bottomless pit of active management.  Meanwhile, the project team is one of the most important components of project success – Having confidence that your team is going to get the job done right, on time, and under budget, is virtually priceless.  This is included in the Project Management Body of Knowledge ( PMBOK ) Project Resource Management knowledge area.

The 6 processes in this knowledge area are:

Plan Resource Management

Estimate activity resources.

Develop Team

Manage team, control resources.

Before any project can proceed, the project resource requirements need to be defined.  The main part of this initial planning step involves identifying the type and quantity of resources that are required, including people.  Some resources have a grade or skill level associated with them, such as experience level of people, or size of crane.  Job descriptions are created for the project team members. The Project Resource Management Plan, a component of the overall Project Management Plan , summarizes this resource planning step.

• Quality management plan
• Scope baseline
• Project schedule
• Requirements documentation
• Risk register
• Stakeholder register
• Enterprise environmental factors
• Organizational process assets

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• Hierarchical charts
• Responsibility assignment matrix
• Text-oriented formats
• Organizational theory
• Resource management plan
• Team charter
• Assumption log

The resources required to carry out the project must almost always be estimated during the planning stage.  Resources are classified into type and quantity, as well as other factors that might affect the cost or schedule, such as grade, quality, availability, and so on.  The three primary methods of estimating, Analogous, Parametric, and Three point, are used in conjunction with bottom up or top down estimating to determine the resource requirements.

• Activity attributes
• Activity list
• Cost estimates
• Resource calendars
• Bottom-up estimating
• Analogous estimating
• Parametric estimating
• Alternatives analysis
• Project management information system
• Resource requirements
• Basis of estimates
• Resource breakdown structure
• Lessons learned register

Acquire Resources

Once the project execution phase is underway, the resources identified in the Resource Management Plan must be acquired.  The project schedule is consulted to determine when the resources are needed.  The Procurement Management Plan, a separate component of the Project Management Plan, guides the purchasing process for tools and equipment that must be purchased.  Project team positions are advertised and the workers are hired.

• Procurement management plan
• Cost baseline
• Multi-criteria decision analysis
• Negotiation
• Pre-assignment
• Virtual teams
• Physical resource assignments
• Project team assignments
• Change requests
• Enterprise environmental factors updates
• Organizational process assets updates

Most projects require additional knowledge to complete their deliverables.  The project team must obtain this knowledge at the appropriate point in the project timeline.  Unlike tools and equipment, project team members require rewarding work, future opportunities, and career development, or they will leave.

• Communication technology
• Conflict management
• Influencing
• Team building
• Recognition and rewards
• Individual and team assessments
• Team performance assessments

The project team is one of the most important components of project success (actually, any organization’s success).  Project team assignments tend to change as team members learn different project tasks and project managers assess their strengths and weaknesses.  Project issues need to be dealt with by the appropriate project team members, and project work needs to be actively managed.

• Work performance reports
• Decision making
• Emotional intelligence
• Schedule baseline

The project resources require regular, ongoing control procedures to ensure they are being used most efficiently, that they are performing the required tasks, and so on.  The Resource Management Plan must be consulted regularly to ensure that project resource usage is according to plan.  Cost-benefit analysis and alternatives analysis are utilized to optimize the use of resources.

• Work performance information
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Performance reviews
• Trend analysis
• Problem solving

Related posts:

About Bernie Roseke, P.Eng., PMP

Bernie Roseke, P.Eng., PMP, is the president of Roseke Engineering . As a bridge engineer and project manager, he manages projects ranging from small, local bridges to multi-million dollar projects. He is also the technical brains behind ProjectEngineer , the online project management system for engineers. He is a licensed professional engineer, certified project manager, and six sigma black belt. He lives in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with his wife and two kids.

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Resource Allocation in Project Management: How to Organize Work Effectively [+ Example]

Audio version:

One of the essential components of an effective project management process is resource allocation. 

According to LTFE , a training company with educational offerings, it’s one of the top five project management challenges in 2023.

Assigning the right resources to proper activities isn’t as easy as you can think. The process requires preliminary preparation, specific knowledge, and experience. Anyway, professional resource allocation in project management affects successful work realization. 

In this article, you’ll learn what resource allocation in project management is, why it’s important, and how it helps improve your workflow. A detailed example implemented with professional PM software will be the icing on the cake.

Let’s dive in.

What is resource allocation in project management?

• Types of resources .

What is the purpose of resource allocation?

• Benefits of resource allocation in project management .

Why is resource allocation in project management important?

• Resource allocation methods .

What are the challenges of resource allocation?

• How to allocate resources with the help of professional software .
• Resource allocation in project management example .

Resource allocation in project management is the process of assigning and distributing resources to various tasks and activities within a project. The goal of this process is to ensure that the right resources are available at the right time to complete project tasks effectively and manage possible constraints.

It often happens that projects need more resources, but they are not infinite. Precisely that is why it is crucial to manage and delegate resources to avoid scarcity properly. 

In other words, the resource allocation definition is based on a simple thing: to ensure that projects operate smoothly and meet all the company’s business objectives on time .

By the way, a poll within a German-language TPG webinar (2023) asked where the participants would like to see AI support in project management. 61% said that it should be resource planning.

Now that you know what is meant by resource allocation, let’s talk about its types.

Types of resources

Globally, project management resources can be human and non-human. They are divided into 5 groups:

• Facilities.

Let’s have a closer look at each of them.

• Labor . These are various professionals, employees, and team members with different skills needed to complete a project successfully. These people make any plan’s backbone.
• Equipment . It includes necessary tools for project completion: from software or hardware to hammer or drill, depending on a company’s specifics.
• Facilities . It is all about an environment for work and project realization such as offices, open spaces, meeting rooms, etc.
• Materials . In other words, it is the stuff needed to produce outputs: from pens and paper to raw materials for house building.
• Budget . Probably, the most important type that allows buying all we listed above.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of resource allocation and leveling in project management. It affects all working processes and helps you avoid missed deadlines and meet business objectives.

Let us make it more clear. Every project consists of tasks. If one of them is completed with a delay, there is a high probability that the entire project will be completed with a delay . And one of the main reasons for missed deadlines is the lack of resources because of its inappropriate allocation.

So, what is the importance of resource allocation? Its main goal boils down to reaching the best results paying the lowest cost. So, constant optimization is the necessary thing while running these processes. 

When you know what it takes to make a project successful, you can effectively plan and manage the optimal amount of employees, materials, money, etc. 

Many large companies that value optimization hire a certain specialist for this purpose — a resource manager. What is his area of responsibility?

While a project manager creates and assigns tasks, a resource manager is accountable for creating a resource management plan and allocating assets to ensure the project’s success.

Resource management helps:

• Forecast and avoid possible difficulties and scarcity of people, money, materials, etc.  
• Prevent employees’ burnout.
• Inform others about your team’s plans and workload.
• Meet deadlines.
• Avoid extra spending.

Now let’s identify the strong sides of resource allocation in project management.

Benefits of resource allocation in project management

Effective resource allocation is crucial for completing projects on time and within budget. It makes it an essential aspect of project management to be mastered by professionals.

This process has several benefits, which are mentioned below.

• Optimized utilization of resources. Proper resource allocation ensures that your project resource calendar works effectively and your assets don’t experience idle time and overallocation. It leads to budget savings and higher productivity.
• Improved project planning . Allocating resources in advance provides better planning, even if you deal with resource planning for multiple projects . It means that you can identify resource constraints early and make adjustments to your project timeline and scope accordingly.
• Advanced communication . Clear project management resource allocation facilitates communication among managers, team members, and all stakeholders. Everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. It reduces possible confusion and misunderstandings.
• Risk mitigation . Right allocation and resource scheduling help teams identify potential resource constraints or conflicts. It allows project managers to proactively address these issues and reduce project risks.
• Competent financial control . Efficient project management resource allocation helps to control costs by avoiding unnecessary overtime or resource duplication.
• Improved decision-making . This benefit allows project managers to make informed decisions about resource allocation based on project priorities, critical paths , and available assets.
• Increased flexibility . The process of resource allocation can be adjusted as project requirements change, allowing for adaptability in response to unforeseen circumstances.

The importance of resource allocation in project management is not a topic for long discussions, since most often, managers and teams clearly understand the full significance of this process. No doubt that it directly impacts project success, efficiency, and cost control.

In addition to the above-mentioned benefits of the process, there are several other essential strengths and reasons why project management resource allocation is really important.

• Keeps resources under control. Proper allocation of all possible project resources ensures that they are used efficiently. This order and their complete control help in minimizing waste and optimizing the project’s cost-effectiveness.
• Helps to meet deadlines. Resource allocation helps in assigning tasks and responsibilities to team members based on their skills and availability. It ensures that project milestones and deadlines are met on time.
• Enhances team productivity . When resources are allocated properly, team members can focus on their tasks without interruptions. It logically leads to high-quality deliverables and enhanced productivity.
• Assists in identifying constraints. By allocating resources effectively, project managers can determine potential resource constraints or bottlenecks early.
• Allows for quality control. Allocating the right resources with the necessary expertise ensures that your project is executed with the required quality standards. It logically reduces the likelihood of errors and rework.
• Leads to stakeholder satisfaction. Meeting project goals and deadlines through effective resource allocation in project planning and scheduling accelerate stakeholder satisfaction. It can be important for maintaining client relationships and organizational reputation.

Resource allocation methods

There are powerful resource allocation methods that help business owners, managers, and teams distribute and assign required resources, such as personnel, equipment, materials, time, and budget in a systematic and effective manner.

Professional resource allocation in project management can be accomplished through the following methods:

• Critical path method (CPM) . This approach helps to identify and schedule the most critical tasks in a project to manage timelines efficiently.
• Critical chain method (CCM) . The method optimizes resource allocation while considering task dependencies to prevent project delays. It focuses on allocating resources based on the critical chain of a project, which is the longest chain of interdependent tasks.
• Resource leveling. This method aims at evenly distributing available resources over the project timeline. It ensures a more consistent utilization of resources and minimizes fluctuations in workload.
• Resource smoothing . This method, on the other hand, focuses on adjusting a project schedule to balance resource demand and supply while keeping the project duration constant. It aims at minimizing resource overallocations without extending the project’s overall timeline.
• Earned value management (EVM). This method helps to comprehensively monitor and evaluate project progress, encompassing schedule, scope, and resource measurements. EVM offers a precise overview of project performance by comparing the value of completed work to the planned budget.
• Expert judgment. This approach is about utilizing the expertise of industry specialists to determine project resource needs and allocation, especially in cases with limited data or unique projects.
• Historical data analysis. This approach means examining data from past projects to gauge necessary resources and allocation, suitable for projects with a history of similar endeavors.
• Prioritization matrix. The method is based on a special matrix that assesses and ranks various tasks or projects based on specific criteria. It helps organizations determine which activities should receive priority based on factors such as importance, urgency, and available resources .

A good manager should be able to adapt to market changes to achieve better results. Resource allocation is one of the essential parts of PM, and at the same time, it is the hardest thing to optimize and automate. 

Many professionals are engaged in several projects and sometimes play several roles in them. This fact makes management processes even more complex. 

Below we describe some common resource allocation challenges.

• Changes in a project. Every manager should keep in mind that changes can occur at every moment of project delivery. So, it is always better to have a flexible resource allocation plan.
• Lack of qualified resources. It is important to ensure your employees possess the required skills to work on the project and in a company in general. Otherwise, the allocation procedure will become just a waste of time. 
• Poor capacity planning and measuring. Before starting work, you should define the capacity of your resources. In other words, determine available resources (no matter human or not) to deliver your project within budget and on time.
• Changes in resource availability. Resource allocation is not a static process. It will be helpful if you don’t forget about sick days, delivery delays, etc., which can cause scenario changes.
• Not assessed risks. Here we are talking about not only human resources but about all types of them that were listed earlier. A manager should assess every possible risk: from extra costs and unforeseen events to equipment change and the learning process of new software.
• Task delays. Tasks can be connected with dependencies. So, if one step in the project is delayed, it can cause a domino effect and affect the timing of other tasks.
• Working with international teams/remotely. If you work in a remote or distributed team , you have probably faced difficulties in workflow because of colleagues’ different time zones and locations. A good manager should always predict such things to avoid miscommunications and delays.

Now is the time to consider specific steps necessary for the proper organization of resources within a project.

How to allocate resources with the help of professional software

After all that you have learned, the question arises: how to do resource allocation in project management properly? And how to make a workflow smoother and get more successful results?

Below, we describe the consistent steps that will help align your workload and improve your workflow. All of these steps can be available with the help of a robust online tool. It would be great if this resource management tool provided a Gantt chart view – a handy timeline that allows for overseeing the whole workflow picture.

One of the professional examples of such software is GanttPRO.

The Gantt chart maker comes with robust project management features, enabling teams to achieve successful outcomes. It is used across various industries, including software development, complex construction projects, events, marketing, and many other fields.

Professionals utilize GanttPRO for project management, task scheduling, event tracking, deadline management, collaboration, as well as advanced resource planning.

Here are the thoughts of George Rossle, a production manager at A+ Construction Pro:

Once you start working with GanttPRO, you will feel confident and professionally prepared, because the functionality of the tool is intuitive and convenient for most users.

In case you want to start working with GanttPRO as quickly as possible, there are pre-made Gantt chart templates for use in many industries and areas.

Project teams rely on GanttPRO to plan projects, manage tasks, and allocate resources effectively, recognizing it as reliable resource management software .

So, let’s explore how to allocate resources in project management step by step.

• Align on the scope of your project .
• Divide your project into tasks and subtasks .
• Invite project participants and create virtual resources .
• Assign tasks .
• Remember about deadlines .
• Manage workload .

1. Align on the scope of your project

Do you remember the quote “Well begun is half done” by Aristotle? This phrase actually stands true to different aspects of business, including project management resource allocation.

Thoroughly understanding the scope of your project will help you build a robust foundation for further resource allocation.

To scope a new project, you should clearly realize how complex your project will be and how many resources you will need to accomplish it with success. Understanding the project’s goals, deadlines, and deliverables is rather important. It will help your team get a sense of your project needs to hit all objectives on time and within budget. 

The proper definition of a project scope also helps avoid situations when deliverables exceed the pre-set project scope.

2. Divide your project into tasks and subtasks

The successful strategy of resource allocation in project management ensures that all your resources are managed and allocated on the task level. 

Hence, the next logical step is dividing your project into smaller manageable tasks. Each task should have a fixed start and end date, due date, and budget.

To systemize your tasks in GanttPRO, you can use a work breakdown structure (WBS). After that, you can easily determine task dependencies and mark project milestones within your timeline. It can be easily performed with the help of drag-and-drop.

3. Invite project participants and create virtual resources

Having everything and everyone in one place is an extremely convenient decision. With the robust PM software, you can easily collaborate with your teammates and organize both virtual and labor resources.

In GanttPRO, you can easily invite your team members and set roles, costs, and calendars for them. Creating virtual resources and managing them is just as easy as with people. You can define cost for all resources per hour, per item, or just cost.

4. Assign tasks

Once your tasks are placed on a timeline with all dependencies and milestones, you can distribute them among your team members.

Assigning tasks to responsible teammates in GanttPRO takes a matter of seconds. With a handy Gantt chart with resource allocation the picture of your project becomes clearer.

Assign one or more resources to every task to be sure everything is going to be completed.

Don’t also forget to identify the roles and responsibilities of all the people involved in your project.

If you want to provide your teammates with special rights to view data, you can easily do it in GanttPRO, as it allows for working with different account roles and project rights .  

5. Remember about deadlines

It is crucial to control the timing of each task to complete projects successfully. Even one missed deadline can negatively affect the work of colleagues and the final result.

With resource scheduling tools , you can easily:

• Control the timing of each task and the entire project.
• Meet deadlines promptly.
• Track how much time your employees spend on completing their tasks.

These features will help you efficiently distribute work among employees and stay within time frames.

6. Manage workload

Monitoring resource workloads and reallocating them are essential solutions to keep plans within the budget. 

Companies that regularly check and reevaluate their resource allocation have higher chances to create more value for their projects and, eventually, deliver higher returns. Their employees won’t experience burnout or boredom.

In GanttPRO, you can keep track of resource workloads in one place. 

This is highly appreciated by Allan Cid, an experienced project manager, who admits:

An online Gantt chart automatically calculates the workload of each employee and makes it possible to redistribute tasks between team members if needed.

With the drag-and-drop simplicity, it is a matter of seconds to reallocate any resource from your project. This helps when resources are overloaded or underutilized.

All of the steps listed are basic but they can be easily supplemented with additional ones.

Now it’s time to look at these processes using a practical example.

Resource allocation in project management example

Let’s say, our example of resource allocation in project management is related to creating a new game portal. The goal of this portal is to provide a centralized hub for accessing a variety of video games, allowing users to get a range of gaming-related services, such as game downloads, reviews, news, and community forums. 

In this project management resource allocation case, we’re tasked to develop a portal from scratch with a little assistance from a design agency.

Below are the specific steps and what our resource allocation plan in GanttPRO may look like.

1. Defining a project scope

The project scope is pretty clear here, and we have a detailed project plan with granularity to the tasks that need to be completed.

A new gaming portal will contain a hub for accessing 100+ video games and attract over 80K followers from the community in Q1-Q2. 

2. Creating tasks and subtasks

A game portal development project will include parental tasks and smaller subtasks. Here they are:

• Concept and planning (gaming communities research, popular games analysis, unique features).
• Design (interface, layout, UI elements, interactive blocks).
• Content creation (news articles, user reviews, community videos).
• Development (databases, server setup, integrations, authentication, user registration form).
• Testing (1st testing stage, bug fixes, 2nd testing stage).
• Launch (beta, portal deployment, announcement).
• Marketing and promotion (PR, news, social media, advertising, conference).
• Maintenance and updates (monitoring sessions, maintaining campaigns).

3. Understanding resources

The project budget is $18K. It involves the participation of the following managers and departments:

• Project manager (Sam).
• Product manager (Ashley).
• Community manager (Peter).
• Engineering, front-end and back-end (Ben, Tomas, Luck).
• Design (Clara, Paul, Vera, Anthony).
• QA (Alex, Debby).
• Marketing (Jim, Francheska, Billy).
• Agency assistance (Jeremy).

Our goal here is to define the most relevant experts and check whether they have enough capacity to join the initiative. 

It’s crucial to take some time to list the things that can go wrong with our allocated resources and see what steps we can take to address those issues and make the allocation process future-proof in advance.

4. Task assigning

The distribution of tasks in our project can occur as follows:

• The product manager in cooperation with the project manager will be responsible for the concept of the future portal and planning the key stages of its development.
• Designers and the agency staff will work on all the issues related to the portal design.
• Content marketing specialists will provide high-quality content for the portal.
• Developers will work on front-end and back-end tasks and prepare the portal for its successful launch.
• The QA team will do their best to test the platform and identify possible bugs.
• The community manager in cooperation with marketers will promote the portal and make it adorable for the community. 

We can set values and cost per hour for human resources and let GanttPRO calculate the cost of the entire project.

5. Deadlines

We should remember that we need to track how much time our team members spend on completing their tasks. Controlling the timing of each task and setting deadlines to complete the portal successfully is very important.

6. Workload management

Now it’s important to review and revise resource allocation to achieve better project value and prevent employee burnout.

In GanttPRO, we can conveniently manage resource workload in a corresponding space. It automatically counts employee workloads and allows for quick task redistribution among team members using friendly drag & drop functionality.

Seems like it is all we wanted to tell you about such an important process as resource allocation in project management.

Make resource allocation in project management a strength for your team and the entire business

By following the steps outlined for effective resource allocation in project management and keeping our example in mind, you can prepare your team for optimal performance and instill confidence in achieving project goals.

While implementing these steps may appear daunting, the advantages of allocation are substantial, particularly when leveraging robust technologies.

To enhance your project management resource allocation expertise, explore professional tools like GanttPRO. It will identify resource overallocation and enable timely adjustments, ensuring your team remains on course and well-balanced.

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What Is Resource Allocation in Project Management?

• 1.  Project Management Basics
• 2.  Project Management Methodologies
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Resource allocation is the process of assigning and scheduling available resources in the most effective and economical way possible. Projects will always need resources but they can often be scarce. The task, therefore, lies with the project manager to determine the proper timing and allocation of those resources within the project schedule. 

In project management, resources are often in high demand but low in availability. This reality puts project managers in a position where they must strategize the best ways to use what they have. They need to determine who does what, when, and with what tools or support. It’s a balancing act that requires keen insight into the project's needs and the capabilities of the resources at hand.

This guide will discuss the positive impacts of good resource allocation, such as enhanced team performance and better project outcomes. We’ll address potential challenges, including resource scarcity and the complexities of people management. We’ll also cover the best practices for resource assignment and provide insights on how to effectively manage and deploy resources throughout a project’s life cycle. 

Finally, we’ll show you why Wrike is the best software to help with resource allocation, including the specific features that will make your life as a project manager easier.

Most common types of resources to allocate

Resource allocation is an integral part of project management and it often revolves around four primary types of resources. These resources are essential to consider, irrespective of the industry or project scope.

This includes the project’s budget and funding. Financial resources help acquire other resources and ensure sufficient funds to cover all project aspects, from initial planning to execution and completion.

This involves tangible assets used in the project, such as equipment, materials, and workspaces. Physical resources are necessary for the project’s actual construction or development phase.

This category includes the people involved in the project, such as team members, contractors, and consultants. Human resources carry out the tasks and responsibilities outlined in the project plan.

Technological

This includes software tools for planning and monitoring, communication systems, and other technological aids that make project processes run more smoothly.

What impacts resource allocation in project management?

Resource allocation in project management is an ongoing process, not just a one-off task at the outset. It involves strategically assigning and managing various resources throughout the entire project life cycle.

Proper resource allocation leads to numerous positive outcomes. It enhances efficiency, keeps the project within budget, and ensures that every team member has clarity about their roles and responsibilities. Effective resource allocation also means making the most of what you have and avoiding wasting time and resources.

However, resource allocation isn’t without its challenges. For one, it requires continuous monitoring and adjustment. The dynamic nature of projects means that resource needs can change, sometimes unpredictably. The responsibility of resource allocation typically falls on the project manager, who must keep a vigilant eye on the project’s resource needs, adjusting and reallocating as necessary to steer the project toward its goals.

Positive impacts of resource allocation

When done right, resource management can offer a variety of positive impacts:

Properly allocated resources lead to enhanced productivity, meaning goals and milestones are achieved on time.

When resources are managed well, team members feel adequately supported and valued as they have clear guidelines and sufficient tools to execute their tasks.

Strategic resource allocation helps avoid wastage and ensures that the project stays within budget, making it financially efficient.

With a clear overview of resource distribution, team members can make quicker and more informed decisions, leading to better project outcomes.

A well-structured resource plan reduces the likelihood of errors and lowers stress levels among team members.

Difficulties in project resource allocation

While resource allocation is important to the success of any project, it’s not without its challenges. Understanding these obstacles can help you brainstorm ways to overcome them. Here are some common difficulties encountered in resource allocation:

Projects often evolve, leading to changes in scope. This can affect the original resource plan, requiring adjustments and re-evaluations to align with the new direction.

Finding the right match between the project’s needs and the skills of team members can be challenging. Ensure that the right people are working on tasks that suit their expertise.

Miscommunication can lead to resource mismanagement, affecting the project’s progress. Wrike enhances communication with real-time updates and automated notifications, ensuring all team members are on the same page. 

Tracking multiple tasks and prioritizing them according to the project’s needs can be difficult. It requires a clear understanding of the project’s objectives and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. With Wrike’s intuitive dashboards , however, project managers can easily monitor tasks and prioritize them based on urgency and importance.

Assigning tasks based on cost, skills, and availability is complex. It involves balancing various factors to maximize resource use while managing team members. Wrike’s advanced analytics allow for a more informed task assignment process, considering cost, availability, and skill level.

Who is responsible for resource allocation during a project?

The responsibility of resource allocation typically falls on the shoulders of the project manager. They are the central figure who understands the intricacies of the project, making them best positioned to oversee the distribution and management of resources. From the initial planning stages to the final execution, the project manager must ensure that resources are utilized effectively and efficiently.

A project manager's responsibilities include identifying resource needs, aligning skills with project requirements, and adjusting resources in response to project dynamics. They are also tasked with maintaining communication with team members and stakeholders, ensuring everyone is informed about resource availability and project progress. 

5 steps to allocate resources for any project

Allocating resources effectively involves a careful balance of planning, analysis, and adaptation. Here’s a roadmap outlining five foundational steps that can guide you through the process of allocating resources for your project:

1. Assess resource needs

The first step in resource allocation is to understand the project’s objectives and needs. Ask yourself questions like: What are the main goals of the project? What tasks need to be done? Then, move on to identifying the types of resources your project requires. This varies depending on your industry and the project’s nature. Are we talking about the skills and expertise your people bring to the table? Or about the equipment or budget needed for different project aspects?

Determine the necessary resources for each task outlined in your project scope. Consider the number of team members needed, their specific skills, any special equipment required, and the budget for each task. By thoroughly assessing your resource needs, you’re setting your project up for success, avoiding last-minute chaos, and ensuring you have everything you need right from the start. 

2. Prioritize resource requirements 

With a clear picture of your project’s resource needs, the next step is prioritization . This is where you weigh the importance of each resource and determine which ones are non-negotiable and which ones you can be flexible with.

You can think of this as a hierarchy of needs for your project. At the top are the resources essential to the project’s success. These could be specialized team members whose skills are important for certain tasks or specific equipment without which the project can’t progress. These are your deal-breakers — the ones you can’t do without.

Then, consider the resources that, while important, offer some wiggle room. Maybe there’s software that would be nice to have but isn’t essential, or maybe you could manage with fewer people on specific tasks. These are your negotiable resources, where you can explore alternatives or adjustments without derailing your project. By prioritizing your resources, you create a roadmap for decision making throughout the project.  

3. Strategically allocate resources for the project

Good strategy means matching your resources smartly to your identified needs. This step requires careful consideration of availability, skills, and budget constraints to ensure a perfect fit for each aspect of your project. For instance, you should assign the most skilled team members to the most demanding tasks or ensure that essential equipment is available when needed.

It’s important to strike a balance here. Allocating too many resources to one area might cause bottlenecks elsewhere, while too few resources can lead to delays and quality issues. The goal here is to distribute your resources evenly and logically, ensuring each project phase has what it needs to succeed without overextending your available resources.

4. Monitor and adjust resources throughout the project

Allocating resources is just the beginning. The real challenge lies in continuously monitoring and adjusting these resources throughout the life of your project. Just as your project grows and changes, so too will its needs. What seemed like a perfect initial allocation might need tweaking as the project evolves. 

Regular monitoring ensures resources aren’t being overused or underused. You might find that some team members are swamped with tasks while others have plenty of capacity, or maybe certain equipment is lying idle. These imbalances can lead to budget overruns, delays, and even burnout among your team.

5. Evaluate and optimize your resource allocation process

After the curtain falls on your project, it’s time for introspection. Evaluating and optimizing your resource allocation process dissects what happened during the project, understanding what worked well and pinpointing areas for improvement.

Did you allocate too many resources to one area while neglecting another? Were there bottlenecks that could’ve been avoided with better planning? This reflective practice is not about finger-pointing or dwelling on mistakes. Instead, it’s an opportunity to learn and grow. 

At the same time, your team members may have excelled in instances where they nailed resource allocation. Recognizing these successes is just as important as identifying the missteps. Examining both the highs and lows of your project gives you invaluable insights to guide your approach in future ones.

Now, imagine having a platform like Wrike by your side throughout this process. Wrike makes the evaluation phase a breeze. With its comprehensive tracking and reporting features, Wrike can provide clear insights into how resources were used throughout your project. This data is gold when optimizing your approach for future projects.

Resource allocation examples

Whether you’re managing human resources, monitoring the budget, or ensuring the best use of technology, Wrike streamlines these processes into a cohesive, manageable workflow. For instance, you could leverage Wrike’s dashboards to track budget usage in real time or use our analytics features to forecast resource needs for upcoming phases of your project.

Let’s take a closer look with an example. Imagine you’re managing a marketing campaign . With Wrike, you can:

• Allocate human resources using a workload chart and assign tasks based on individual team members’ expertise, be that in design or copywriting.

• Monitor your campaign budget through Wrike’s advanced analytics . Adjust your spending as needed to ensure you make the most of your financial resources without going over budget

• Use time tracking features to monitor individual timesheets and track billable hours if using an external creative agency.

• View key milestones in your campaign, such as scheduled social posts and product launch dates, with Wrike’s shared calendars .

The psychological factors involved in resource allocation planning

Here are the psychological factors at play when planning resource allocation in project management:  

• Cognitive bias: As project managers, we’re not immune to biases that can skew our perception. Confirmation bias, for instance, might lead us to favor resources that align with our preconceptions, potentially overlooking better alternatives. 
• Risk perception: Different stakeholders may perceive the risks associated with resource allocation differently. Some might be risk-averse, preferring a conservative approach, while others may be more risk-tolerant. 
• Motivation and incentives: Understanding what motivates your team is essential. Are they driven by deadlines, the promise of rewards, or the satisfaction of overcoming challenges? 
• Conflict resolution: Resource allocation often involves making tough choices that not everyone will agree with. Conflict is natural, but managing it can make or break a project. 
• Communication: Clear communication is the cornerstone of effective resource allocation. Misunderstandings can lead to misallocated resources, missed deadlines, and increased project costs. 

Let’s take a deeper dive into the team dynamics involved in project management.

Team dynamics and resource allocation

The driving forces behind each team member’s work ethic can significantly impact resource utilization. Recognizing and aligning resources with individual motivations and incentives ensures each team member has a personal stake in the project. Assigning tasks that match a team member’s interests or career goals can maximize their output and satisfaction.

Efficient resource allocation also hinges on the team’s ability to communicate effectively and resolve conflicts. Open lines of communication are essential to understanding resource needs, identifying potential bottlenecks, and addressing any issues promptly. When conflicts arise, resolving them quickly and constructively is key to maintaining project momentum.

Strategies for overcoming risks and biases

The first step in overcoming biases is to acknowledge their existence. Cognitive biases like favoritism, overconfidence, or resistance to change can lead to suboptimal resource allocation decisions. Creating an environment where team members can openly discuss and challenge these biases helps make more balanced and objective decisions.

Educating team members about common biases and risk management strategies can also be highly beneficial. This could involve workshops, training sessions, or even integrating learning modules into project management tools like Wrike. By raising awareness and equipping the team with the necessary knowledge, they become more adept at identifying and managing biases and risks.

Meanwhile, risks in resource allocation can stem from various sources, including technological changes, market fluctuations, or team dynamics. Implementing a systematic approach to risk assessment helps in identifying potential pitfalls early. This could include regular risk evaluation meetings or tools like SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis to evaluate different aspects of the project.

Wrike can play a pivotal role in minimizing project risks. Features like AI project risk prediction and workload charts can highlight issues such as cost overruns and burnout before they escalate.

Resource assignment best practices

Project management is a diverse field in which different projects demand unique strategies for resource allocation. As a versatile project management platform, Wrike can significantly enhance the effectiveness of the following methods:

Critical path method (CPM)

This method identifies the longest stretch of dependent activities and measures the time required to complete them. In Wrike, project managers can use the Gantt Chart view to map out these dependencies and determine the critical path visually. This helps in prioritizing tasks that directly impact the project timeline.

Earned value method (EVM)

EVM is an objective technique for assessing project performance and progress by comparing planned vs. actual earned value. Wrike’s analytics tools can be instrumental in tracking these metrics, providing real-time insights into the project’s health and progress.

Resource leveling 

This method is used to address resource overallocation. It often involves delaying tasks to balance resource demand with supply. Wrike’s workload charts enable project managers to visualize over-allocations and adjust task timelines accordingly.

Resource smoothing 

Similar to leveling, but with a focus on keeping resource usage below certain predefined limits. Wrike allows project managers to set up custom fields and reports to monitor resource utilization and ensure it stays within desired thresholds.

Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)

PERT is a statistical tool used to analyze and represent the tasks involved in completing a project. It helps in identifying the minimum time needed to complete a project. Wrike’s robust project planning and tracking functionalities offer a platform where PERT analysis can be integrated to estimate task durations more accurately.

Time purchased 

This method is pragmatic and particularly relevant when resources are outsourced or rented. Given that time-purchased resources often have direct cost implications, Wrike’s budget tracking features allow for close monitoring of expenses related to these resources. This level of financial oversight ensures that the project remains within budget.

More ways Wrike can help allocate resources in project management

As we’ve discussed, Wrike has a variety of work management features to boost resource allocation, from real-time communication to advanced analytics tools. Let’s take a look at two of the most relevant ones in closer detail.

Gantt charts

Gantt charts provide a visual timeline for the project, clearly displaying task durations, dependencies, and milestones. This visualization makes it easy to identify which resources are needed and when. Using Gantt charts, project managers can efficiently plan and allocate resources, ensuring tasks are appropriately staffed and timelines are met. This organized approach minimizes resource conflicts and optimizes the use of available assets throughout the project life cycle.

Workload charts

Workload charts in Wrike offer a powerful way to manage resource allocation in project management. Project managers can create specific views that track and display key information for each individual on their team, such as weekly hours and capacity percentage. That way, they can quickly spot potential signs of burnout and reallocate resources as needed.

To sum up, Wrike provides all the features you need to address the complexities of managing resources. Whether dealing with team dynamics, managing risks and biases, or applying best practices like critical path method or resource leveling, a robust project management platform can make a significant difference. 

Start a free trial of Wrike today to find out how it can help you transform your resource allocation.

Further reading:

• Smart Ways to Manage Your Team’s Resources with Wrike
• Introducing Workload Management in Wrike
• Managing Tasks, Projects, Issues, and Documents... How About Books?

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Advanced Project Management

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Project Resource Management Process: 5 Step Expert Guide

Sarah is a project manager and strategy consultant with 15 years of experience leading cross-functional teams to execute complex multi-million dollar projects. She excels at diagnosing, prioritizing, and solving organizational challenges and cultivating strong relationships to improve how teams do business. Sarah is passionate about productivity, leadership, building community, and her home state of New Jersey.

Project resource management can feel like herding cats. Here's how to become an expert cat wrangler without getting your eyes clawed out.

Picture this: you’re a project manager tasked with delivering training to government officials in the next six months, but you have limited insight into the project resource management process—that is, how the human resources and materials required to deliver the project are estimated, allocated, and managed. Where do you begin?

Well, for starters, you’ll need to estimate how many humans it takes to prepare and deliver training content. Also, not just any humans will do—you may need people with expertise in the subject matter and/or teaching experience. Once you find the right people, you are responsible for making sure they produce high-quality work, even though you may not be their boss. To efficiently manage all of this, resource management software will be essential. These tools can help you allocate the right people to the right tasks, monitor their workload, and ensure that high-quality work is delivered on time.

I worked in strategy consulting for 13 years. Not only was I required to record how I spent my time in 15-minute increments every day , I was also responsible for planning, estimating, developing, and managing other project resources. Let’s just say I had to get really good at forecasting the future while effectively acquiring, managing, and developing teams in the present.

This guide will help you navigate the project resource management process, including practical examples that you can apply to your own projects.

What Is Project Resource Management?

Project resource management is a fancy way of describing a key function of most project managers—gathering the team members, equipment, and other materials ( also known as resources )—that are required to get the job done. If this sounds like herding cats, that’s because it is.

But it’s more than that. It’s also forecasting how many cats you need in the first place, choosing which ones to adopt, preparing for their arrival, and then making sure you raise them right…OK, this metaphor is starting to get weird.

Let’s dive into the specifics of the project resource management process.

The Project Resource Management Process

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) , the OG project management reference manual, identifies six steps in the project resource management process. With no disrespect to PMI, I’ve tweaked PMBOK’s list based on my own experience. We’ll discuss each of the steps below.

• Resource Planning
• Estimate Resources / Resource Allocation
• Acquire Resources
• Develop and Manage The Team
• Continuously Evaluate Resources

Step 1: Resource Planning

To determine the resource requirements for completing a project, you first need to understand the work. What are the desired outputs for this project? What staff competencies are required? What is the project timeline? What are the milestones ? What are the dependencies? This requires listening to what your stakeholders say they want, but also what they aren’t saying.

Use your decision-making skills to read between the lines and ask intelligent questions. For example, if your stakeholders are insisting on a software engineer with 30+ years of experience to build a simple app, get curious about that. Would substituting a less seasoned developer with more in-depth knowledge of a newer programming language be a better fit? Why or why not?

Clearly defining project requirements will help you assess what skills are required to deliver the work beyond your project sponsor’s conjecture. Luckily, DPM has a complete guide to defining requirements that should help you figure out what the heck your stakeholders are asking for.

At the end of the planning step, you should be able to craft relevant job descriptions and purchase requisitions for any supplies you may need.

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Step 2: Estimate Resources / Resource Allocation

Once you’ve identified what types of resources you need, you’ll need to get more specific about resource scheduling . How much time will these people dedicate to project delivery? Resource management software can be invaluable at this stage, helping you estimate your needed resources effectively. You can estimate project resources in two main ways:

• Bottom-up: estimate the number of hours required to complete each requirement and how many hours each person will need to contribute to each deliverable
• Top-down: if you have a fixed budget to work with based on your project management plan, start with this constraint and then allocate human resources based on the most critical roles required for project success.

If you’re not sure what roles are critical, interview colleagues who’ve executed similar projects in the past. Also, don’t be afraid to tap into your subject matter experts for their wealth of knowledge. They can certainly educate you about how many hours they need to do their best work.

Finally, keep in mind that humans are notoriously bad at estimating . I like to give myself at least a 10% contingency buffer to account for unforeseen risks or delays. In case you need additional help, once again DPM has got the hook-up—check out the ultimate guide to project budgets for more information.

Related: Resource Allocation Spreadsheets: Free Template + Easy Example

Step 3: Acquire Resources

Once you’ve estimated and allocated project resources based on project tasks, you now need to get the right resources onboarded. There are two main ways to staff your projects:

• Hire internally. If you’ve been taking the time to cultivate strong relationships within your organization, you might be able to create an opportunity for someone who is looking for a new role. If you don’t know any available resources, your boss could also be a good person to help you put the word out.
• Hire externally. Partner with recruiting to advertise job descriptions for full-time positions. Employee referrals can be a great tool to attract new hires, as long as you structure your referral program to reduce bias . If you don’t need full-time staff, you could consider contract positions or work with a third-party agency to fill requisitions.

While it can be tempting to ignore red or yellow flags during the interview stage in the interest of getting ramped up quickly, be as deliberate as the project schedule permits to ensure you find the right person. It will save you hours of time later on.

In this step, you’ll also want to source the supplies you need for the project. Request quotes from multiple vendors and negotiate to find the best price.

Step 4: Develop and Manage Team

If you thought project planning , estimating, and acquiring resources was challenging, that’s nothing compared to how hard it is to develop and manage a team . You could dedicate an entire article to managing people , so here’s the TLDR; version: cultivate conditions that let people do their best work. This includes:

• Creating an environment of psychological safety to promote trust
• Finding out what makes people tick so you can help them stay motivated and avoid burnout
• Fostering a culture of feedback.

You will need to set clear expectations for people’s job duties, provide opportunities for on-the-job training or coaching, and find ways to collect information on project progress without being overly burdensome. Celebrate the wins and be transparent about the misses so your team members can continuously learn and improve from their mistakes.

Step 5: Continuously Evaluate Resources

Every new project starts with positive intention, but it can be difficult to think about lessons learned and metrics once you’re in the thick of it and getting barraged with stakeholder requests from every angle.

PMI calls this step “control resources.” I get the sentiment but don’t love the connotation. 

To make sure you don’t lose sight of performance, schedule periodic project health checks before your effort gets underway. As part of your health check, you’ll:

• If you’re noticing staff overallocation and don’t see a way to course correct, inform your clients of resource utilization status so this doesn’t come as a surprise later on. Also, share your ideas about how to reduce spend to get back on track.
• Be on the lookout for work that has shifted from plan. Identify opportunities to make more cost-effective substitutions that increase staff motivation while reducing project costs.
• Conduct periodic agile retrospectives to revise and update project processes based on learnings.

Project Resource Management Process Example

Now that we’ve got the steps down, let’s apply this methodology to the example from the beginning of the article—delivering training to government officials. To keep it simple, I used spreadsheets for this exercise, but any resource management tool will do.

• Document your understanding of the project scope based on available documentation, interviews, etc. and validate with your stakeholders
• Based on the project scope, identify the types of people that you’ll need to execute the project work, along with their proposed responsibilities by role
• List the supplies you’ll need to execute the training
• If you're planning resources for multiple projects at once, organize them by priority

• Let’s imagine your client is giving you a $100,000 budget for this training, the project duration is six months, and the client wants the project manager to allocate 50% of their time to this engagement. Assume ballpark hourly rates for each position, document your assumptions, and run the numbers.
• When you do the math, you can see that, based on your client’s request, roughly half your budget is going to your PM. Reflect on whether that makes sense based on your prior experience. I decide that it is—given this training is for high-profile individuals and requires technical content development, I’m guessing I’ll be pretty hands-on.

• Then, estimate activity resources for the remaining roles and document your assumptions. Don’t forget to reserve 10% for contingency.

• I adjust the remaining hours based on what I think I can live with. I have to cut PM hours to 35% and reduce the contingency from 10% to 5% to balance the budget. That only leaves $300 for supplies. It’s going to be tight.

• At this point, I’ll typically go back and have a conversation with the client about ways to reduce project scope. This might mean shortening the training to 3 days instead of 5 to save on instructor and analyst time, reducing the number of participants to cut supply costs, or altering course content so that a senior engineer is no longer required.

Step 3: Acquire Team

I’ll use a combination of techniques to staff this engagement based on resource availability :

• Internal Hire: The junior engineer and junior business analyst are easy. I have two rock stars on my team that work well with me and are looking for a challenge. I can even train the analyst to pick up some of my project management duties over time to realize cost savings. After a quick conversation to confirm their interest and availability, they’re in.
• External Hire: The senior engineer is tricky to fill. Internal candidates are scarce, and it’s hard to hire someone externally with such a niche skill set. Luckily, someone in my network knows a former employee who would be willing to pitch in on an hourly basis. After filling out some paperwork, we’re in business.
• Contract Position: The client already has a course instructor in mind. I engage with my recruiting team and senior engineer to interview this candidate and then work with procurement to engage them on a part-time basis. I won’t need to do this type of training again in the future, so it doesn’t make sense to pursue a full-time hire.

Outside of recurring team meetings, I set up weekly 1:1s with the people on the project that I am managing. We discuss their challenges, aspirations, and how I can help them stay motivated and best recognize them for their contributions. 

For those that I don’t manage directly, I set up a monthly conversation to make sure they are satisfied with the project and to surface any feedback they may have for me about how to improve. 

Because I take the time to get to know their career objectives and because I am transparent with them about their performance and how they can improve, they trust me enough not only to do their best work but also to give me the feedback I need to become a better manager.

Even though the project is burning hot to start, as I reconcile my monthly budget, I’m gradually finding that my coaching is paying off, and I’m having to spend less time on project delivery. As the analyst assumes more project management duties, it becomes easier for us to meet our initially tight budget.

We also establish monthly agile retrospectives where we discuss and document lessons learned , which we review before beginning each new deliverable. Doing so helps us reduce the number of hours we spend on each training module. 

We’re able to include an extra module without incurring additional costs, a gesture of goodwill that motivates our clients to engage us for an even bigger project next year.

Why Is Project Resource Management Important?

Effective resource management can transform your project from an unholy mess to a walk in the park. While it’s possible to deliver a project without a plan and staffed by people ill-suited to or unmotivated by the work, I wouldn’t recommend it. The project is needlessly challenging, and the environment is downright unpleasant.

If done correctly, developing an effective resource management plan benefits the project manager, the team members, the stakeholders, and the business.

• The project manager has an easier job managing the project if the work, level of effort, and skill sets required are scoped appropriately at project initiation
• Team members are motivated by and engaged in their work, improving productivity and reducing turnover
• Meeting, or even exceeding, stakeholder expectations becomes easier if the project is scoped and staffed with the right resources
• Successful project delivery promotes continued growth via requests for new or repeat business.

Read more about why resource management is important here .

How Can Resource Management Software Help?

While it's possible to conduct resource planning using Excel, doing so requires manual data entry and constant updating. By investing in resource management software , you unlock a whole host of automated features that can save you time and reduce the risk of errors.

So, what should you look for in a resource management tool? Helpful features include real-time resource tracking, skill matching, workload balancing, and capacity planning. With the software automatically monitoring workloads, you can help balance tasks to prevent overworking your team and gather feedback to ensure continuous improvement.

Many tools also integrate seamlessly with other project management software you may already be using, allowing you to get a holistic view of project progress and resource utilization.

What’s Next?

Want to master the finer points of resource management? Check out expert-created training from DPM School .

How To Plan Resources For Multiple Projects: 6 Expert Tips

What is resource scheduling & how to do it in 5 key steps, resource forecasting: best practices, steps & examples.

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Types of Project Resources

Human resources, material resources, financial resources, top 10 resource management best practices, identify needs as early as possible, underpromise and overdeliver, identify risks and prepare contingencies, vet external suppliers thoroughly, use reliable project accounting software, know your team’s strengths, check in constantly.

• Check in on your people: Are they feeling under the weather? Are there personal issues they’re struggling with? Are there threats to their safety? Do they feel genuinely proud of the work they’re doing?
• Check in on your management: Are there sudden conflicts with your office administration? Are there anticipated expenses that might block your project’s funds? Are there resignations of key stakeholders that might impact your KPIs?

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What is resource management? A guide to getting started

Resource management is the process of planning and scheduling your team’s resources and activities—essentially anything that helps you complete a project. Developing a resource management plan can give you visibility into team member workloads. Learn how to manage resources and improve team performance.

Making sure your team doesn’t feel overworked or underutilized is a challenge you’ll often face as a leader. It's easy to lose sight of your team's workload and bandwidth. That’s where resource management comes in. 

Developing a resource management plan can give you consistent visibility into your team’s workload. It allows you to balance all your resources effectively and to see the full picture of how your team will achieve its goals.

What is resource management?

Resource management is the process of planning out and scheduling your team’s resources to optimize utilization and ensure project success. A resource can include everything from equipment and financial funds to tech tools and employee bandwidth—basically, anything that helps you complete a project.

When you’re deciding how to manage or assign your team’s resources, consider a few questions:

What is the availability of each resource?

What are the timelines for each activity?

How many resources will be required to accomplish each activity?

Who is the best person to accomplish the activity effectively?

Effectively managing your resources ensures every project is well-equipped and every team member is appropriately allocated, paving the way for successful project completion.

How to effectively manage your team’s workload

Learn how to leverage work management to distribute work more effectively.

Why is resource management important?

Resource management allows you to make sure your team members are confident with the amount of work on their plate and equipped with the tools they need to accomplish each task. When resource management is done right, you’re empowering your team to produce high-quality work at a sustainable rate. 

Benefits of resource management

Let’s dig a little deeper into why resource management is critical to your team’s success. With effective resource management, you can:

Distribute work appropriately , ensuring all your team members are appropriately staffed—not overworked or underutilized.  

Spot potential resourcing problems in real-time and adjust accordingly, preventing staffing issues from impacting progress on projects.

Give your team clarity around their responsibilities and the responsibilities of their team members, limiting misunderstandings and promoting accountability. 

Set realistic project goals , reducing the likelihood of missing important milestones and increasing the chances of on-time project completion.

Enhance your team's profitability by optimizing resource utilization and ensuring projects are completed efficiently and within budget.

Improve future resource planning by drawing on the knowledge gained to better estimate and forecast bandwidth for upcoming projects.

Resource management techniques

Leveraging resource management techniques is all about finding the smartest ways to use your team's skills and resources. Let’s explore a few common types of resource management methods.

Resource allocation

Resource allocation is more than just allocating resources to tasks and projects; it's the process of choosing the best resource based on the project team’s skills and capacity. After all, good resource management isn’t just about making sure you have enough resources; it’s about making sure you have the right resources for the right projects. Resource allocation can help you achieve this by strategically matching your team's strengths, capabilities, and resource capacity to the specific demands of each project.

Resource utilization

Resource utilization involves using tools like utilization reports and time tracking software to identify your team’s capacity over a specific period of time. It’s a capacity planning technique that allows you to identify whether project resources are being underutilized or overallocated, so you can better manage workloads.

Resource forecasting

Resource forecasting is a resource management process that involves proactively predicting the resource requirements for future projects and initiatives. You can identify these needs by relying on past trends and project metrics, as well as your team’s current capacity and the needs of upcoming projects. Resource forecasting is typically done during the project planning stage and can help with risk management by identifying potential resource bottlenecks or gaps in your team's availability in advance.

Resource leveling

Resource leveling is a resource management solution designed to combat shortages or overallocation by leveraging underutilized resources. For example, this might mean shifting work from one team member’s plate to another who has similar skills and additional capacity. Or, it could mean taking advantage of skill sets that typically aren’t utilized, like having a website content writer create social copy.

Types of resource management

Effective resource management is pivotal in steering any organization toward its goals. This process involves a strategic approach to managing various essential resources. 

Here, we focus on three fundamental types: human, financial, and material resources. Each category plays a unique role in the broader spectrum of resource planning and is a crucial component of any resource management plan.

Human resource management (work resources)

Human resource management is the strategic approach to managing a company's most valuable assets—its employees. This involves not just recruiting and hiring but also integrating workflow and automation tools to streamline training, performance assessments, and career development planning.

Example: A software company might enhance its human resource management by using workflow automation to efficiently align its workforce with emerging technology trends. This ensures that developers are systematically trained in the latest programming languages and Agile methodologies. By automating parts of the training and development process, the company can quickly adapt to changes in the fast-paced tech industry.

Financial resource management (cost resources)

Financial resource management is the process of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling financial activities such as procurement and utilization of funds. It involves making smart decisions about allocating financial resources to various projects or departments. 

Example: Consider a multinational corporation that allocates budgets across different regions, taking into account local market conditions, operational costs, pricing strategies, and revenue projections. This strategic financial management helps to ensure high-priority initiatives receive the necessary funding and resources to thrive. These resources, such as consulting or other professional services, are instances of tactical spending that are helpful but not the main purpose of budgetary allocation.

Material resource management (material assets) 

Material resource management involves the efficient planning, sourcing, and utilization of physical resources required for business operations. It encompasses inventory management, purchasing, and supply chain optimization to support the entire project lifecycle, from initial planning to final delivery. 

The implementation of inventory management software is key in this process, as it provides real-time visibility and control over material resources.

Example: A manufacturing firm may use material resource management to ensure a steady supply of raw materials like metals and plastics. By doing so, the firm can avoid production delays and cost overruns, thereby maintaining product quality and meeting customer delivery timelines.

5 step resource management plan

A comprehensive resource management plan is essential for any organization looking to optimize its resources effectively. This plan involves a series of steps that ensure resources are deployed efficiently and comply with both the project lifecycle and overarching business goals. 

Below are the five key steps in developing a solid resource management plan.

Step 1: Resource planning and budgeting

The first step in effective resource management involves detailed resource planning and budgeting. This process includes forecasting resource requirements and matching them to the available budget. 

Example: A tech startup, XYZ Software, begins its journey by planning resources for its innovative project management software. They forecast the demand for qualified software engineers and marketers, set aside money for cloud infrastructure, and make sure their financial resources are distributed effectively between development and marketing.

Step 2: Identify resources (capacity planning)

Identifying the right resources is make-or-break for any project's success. This step, often referred to as capacity planning , involves understanding the availability and skills of your workforce, as well as the physical and financial resources at your disposal. It’s about decision-makers being able to match the right resources with the right tasks, ensuring that your human, financial, and material resources are aligned with your project's needs.

Example: XYZ Software conducts a thorough analysis of its team's skills and identifies the need for additional software engineers with expertise in cloud computing. The company also assesses its current financial resources to ensure sufficient funding is available for these new hires.

Step 3: Allocate resources

Once resources are identified, the next step is their effective allocation. This involves assigning resources to various tasks and projects based on their availability and suitability. Resource allocation ensures that every project gets the necessary resources without overburdening any single aspect of the business.

Example: XYZ Software allocates its existing team to initial development phases, while the newly hired cloud experts are tasked with building the cloud infrastructure. Financial resources are allocated to ensure both teams have the necessary tools and software licenses.

Step 4: Resource tracking

Tracking resources throughout the project lifecycle is essential for ensuring that everything is proceeding as planned. This involves monitoring the usage of resources, assessing if they are meeting the project's requirements, and making adjustments as needed. Effective resource tracking helps in identifying potential shortages or surpluses early, allowing for timely corrective actions.

Example: As XYZ Software's project progresses, they use project management software to track the time and resources spent on each aspect of the project. By doing so, they are able to make adjustments in real time by identifying areas where resources might be overutilized or underutilized.

Step 5: Resource optimization

The final step in the resource management plan is optimization. This involves analyzing the performance and usage of resources and making necessary adjustments to improve efficiency. 

Resource optimization might include implementing automation tools to streamline processes or revising strategies based on performance data. Using resources as efficiently as possible is the aim, which will help the organization succeed as a whole.

Example: After launching the first version of their software, XYZ Software reviews their resource usage data. They realize that automating certain testing processes can free up developer time. This enables the team to focus more on critical tasks, thereby optimizing their use of human resources for future updates.

10 resource management best practices

Follow these ten best practices to boost your team’s productivity, hit project goals, and achieve a balanced team workload. 

Use a work management platform to streamline the planning process and ensure consistent, efficient allocation of resources across projects. While traditional resource management tools, like Gantt charts or spreadsheets, are useful ways to track capacity, their limited scope can’t match the extensive capabilities offered by a comprehensive work management platform. 

Measure available resources by gauging team capacity and necessary tools. This will help you ensure realistic resource allocation and avoid rescheduling issues.

Set start and end dates so you get a realistic timeframe for how long each task will take and set realistic expectations for your team. 

Know your employees’ skill sets so you can determine the best resourcing for each task. 

Set clear, accessible project goals to help you prioritize your team's work and drive high-impact work forward.

Help your team increase their utilization rate by automating routine, low-impact tasks so your team can focus on actionable, strategic, and billable work. 

Adjust resources as necessary because tasks, project timelines, and priorities change.

Keep some team bandwidth open for new work or priorities that might come up. 

Check in on your team to ensure each team member feels their work volume is fair and achievable. 

Connect your resource management plan to your operational plan in order to effectively manage your team's time and align daily tasks with strategic objectives. 

Manage your resources more effectively with a work management platform

To ensure you’re allocating resources effectively and aligning them to your wider organizational goals, use a work management platform. By centralizing project details and team capabilities in one platform, you can ensure efficiency, clarity, and alignment at every project stage.

Resource management FAQs

Have more resource management questions? We’ve got answers.

What is a resource management plan?

A resource management plan can help you manage and assign every type of resource you need for your project. An effective plan outlines the specific resources (including human resources, financial resources, technical resources, and physical resources) and activities necessary during the course of a project or initiative. 

Why is creating and implementing a resource management plan important? 

A resource management plan will guide you by giving a holistic view of all of a project’s moving pieces: budget, staffing and workload requirements, and tech stack limitations—allowing you to easily manage, schedule, and assign every resource while maximizing resource availability. Learning how to manage resources will empower you (and your team) to run projects effectively.

Should I create a resource management plan for my project?

The short answer is yes. Resource management in project management isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have to support your team and prevent burnout. The benefits of resource scheduling far outweigh the time it takes. 

The number of projects your team can handle, along with the quality of each, depends on it. As a project leader, resource management is your opportunity to optimize efficiency, prevent overwork, and effectively manage your team’s workload.

What is a resource management plan template?

A resource management template is a reusable guide that helps you manage team bandwidth over the course of a project. It shows you everything your team is working on—so you can see how full everyone’s plate is, if they can take on additional work, or if they need help to get project tasks done by the deadline. Thanks to your template, you don’t have to waste time setting up a resource management plan for every new project. Instead, you can just copy the template, fill it in, and start working.

What are the steps to creating a resource management plan? 

To create an effective resource management plan, leverage a tool like a work management platform, which will give you easy insight into what everyone on your team is working on, what resources are available, and how to prevent team burnout. Then, follow these steps:

Define the project’s goals to gain clarity on what each project entails and make it easier to know what resources you need and how to assign them. 

Align on the project scope by meeting with project stakeholders to define how much time and resources you should dedicate to the initiative. That will give you the best sense of the project plan and help you decide what resources are best suited for the job.

Identify the types of resources you’ll need —such as bandwidth, equipment, software, and project budget—so you can then identify what resources you have available.

Identify available resources by checking each resource you previously needed against what you have already available. Depending on the project scope, you might have to adjust your resource level and deprioritize other work to avoid putting too much on your team’s plate.

Kick off your project by clearly communicating the resource plan to your team, ensuring everyone understands their roles and the resources at their disposal.

Periodically check in on project progress to see how the project is progressing and whether you need to make adjustments to your resourcing strategy.

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Project Management Plan: Samples, Examples & Free Template

Learn how to create a project management plan that actually works and ensures you get your project over the line on time and on budget, with samples and examples

Table of Contents

What is a project management plan, what is a project management plan used for, what are the main elements of a project plan, how to write a project management plan, sample project management plan outline, using our project management plan template to build your project plan, project management plan: faq's.

A project management plan is a comprehensive document that outlines how a project will be executed, monitored, controlled and closed. For project managers and their teams, it's the ultimate toolkit for achieving their objectives while managing day-to-day pressures such as time, cost, scope, resourcing and risk. This guide outlines what a project management plan is used for, why it's important , and offers a step-by-step guide on how to make one that actually works.

Your project plan document is where you go deep on the ins, outs, overs, and unders of your project. It's where you break this vision down into the day-to-day execution of your project, covering everything you need to do to reach your project goals.

A detailed project plan will plot out everything from timelines to budget, resourcing to deliverables, and more, giving you a blueprint of what needs to be done (and when) that you can use to guide — and assess — your project.

The key components of a project management plan are:

Project Objectives

Scope Statement

Schedule Management

Cost Management

Resource Management

Communication Plan

Stakeholder Management

Procurement Management

Closure Criteria

Project Organization

Ready to get down to business? Here are 5 key things you need to do when writing a project plan.

1. Identify the baselines for your project

Before you begin writing a project plan, you need to make sure you have the basics down. Start by identifying the baselines for the project’s scope, schedule and cost, as the rest of your project planning will need to fit in around those constraints.

As mentioned above, these baselines should already be roughly outlined in your project charter — but here’s where you really start to map them out and create accurate estimates. And the more detailed, the better, because these are what you’ll be using for comparison to measure how your project performs.

2. Identify your project dependencies

Or in other words, ask yourself: what needs to happen before this other thing can happen? Identifying your project dependencies at the outset of your project means you can plan your timelines more efficiently, spot potential blockers, and ensure that you avoid unnecessary delays.

3. Identify project stakeholders

You’ll already have done the groundwork for this in your stakeholder analysis, but as you flesh out your project management plan and think through the phases of your project in more detail, you’ll likely start to find more project stakeholders at each phase.

Now is also a good time to go deeper on which stakeholders need to be informed and involved at which stages, for a more comprehensive stakeholder management plan you can use at each phase of your project.

4. Identify project milestones

What are the key markers of your project’s progress? It can be a concrete deliverable, the end of a phase in a stage-gate process — whatever milestones make sense to you, breaking your project down into manageable chunks, each with a defined goal, helps to keep the team motivated, allows you to celebrate each achievement, and signposts how the overall progress is coming along.  Learn more about using Milestones here .

5. Identify who’s responsible for what

Once you start to get a big-picture understanding of the work that’s needed and the resources you have to complete it, you can start deciding who should do what. Giving each item an owner is essential to getting things done. No more “oh, was I supposed to do that?” — once you identify who’s responsible for what, you can ensure accountability and transparency.

The 5 Stages of Team Development

All teams develop according to some natural patterns and using that knowledge, you can offer some guidance to build the kind of team that communicates well and finds better ways to collaborate and achieve the goals you’ve established. Here’s what you need to know.

Now let's go through a sample project plan. In the below example, we highlight the main sections of the plan and what needs to be included in each one to set your project up for success.

Section 1: Executive summary

The executive summary offers a concise overview of the entire project. It includes key highlights such as the project's purpose, objectives, scope, timeline, budget, and major stakeholders. It's often the first section stakeholders read to get a high-level understanding of the project.

Section 2: Project introduction

This section sets the stage by providing context and background information about the project. It explains why the project is being undertaken and introduces the main objectives and scope of the project.

Section 3: Project objectives

Here, the project's specific goals and objectives are outlined in detail. Objectives should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to provide clarity and guidance.

Section 4: Project scope

The scope section defines what is included and excluded from the project. It helps prevent scope creep by establishing clear boundaries and also mentions any assumptions and constraints that may affect the project.

Section 5: Schedule management

This section details the project's timeline, including milestones and deadlines. It breaks down the project into tasks and identifies task dependencies. Often, visual representations like Gantt charts are used for clarity.

Section 6: Cost management

Here, the project budget is presented, including cost estimates for various project components. It may also outline cost control measures to ensure the project stays within budget.

Section 7: Quality management

This section focuses on the quality standards and objectives for the project. It describes quality control and assurance processes, as well as any inspection and testing procedures that will be implemented.

Project management template

Save time on setup without sacrificing attention to detail. With our project management template, you can quickly create project management plans that help you complete your project on time and on budget.

Section 8: Resource management

In this section, the project team is introduced, and roles and responsibilities are defined. It addresses resource allocation, scheduling, and, if applicable, procurement needs.

Section 9: Risk management

The risk management section identifies potential risks and uncertainties that could impact the project. It discusses risk assessment, prioritization, and mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of these risks.

Section 10: Communication plan

The communication plan outlines how project information will be shared with stakeholders and team members. It specifies communication methods, frequency, and reporting channels to ensure effective communication throughout the project.

Section 11: Stakeholder management

This section lists project stakeholders and analyzes their interests, influence, and expectations. It also outlines strategies for engaging and managing these stakeholders to ensure their needs are addressed.

Section 12: Procurement management

If procurement of goods or services is involved, this section explains the procurement strategy, vendor selection criteria, and how contracts will be managed.

Section 13: Change management

Change management procedures are detailed here, including how changes to the project scope, schedule, or other aspects will be requested, evaluated, approved, and communicated.

Section 14: Closure criteria

Criteria for determining when the project is complete and ready for closure are specified in this section. It may also include plans for project handover and post-project evaluation.

Section 15: Project organization

This section describes the project team's structure, roles, and responsibilities, ensuring everyone understands their positions and reporting lines. It may also mention external stakeholders and their roles if applicable.

Once you’ve documented your project management plan, bring it to life with a project management tool that will help you to stay on track, keep your team accountable, and promote transparency.

Here are 3 ways you can use Teamwork.com to supercharge your project management plan.

Add your supporting documentation to Teamwork Spaces

Use the Teamwork.com and Teamwork Spaces integration to link a project in Teamwork.com with a space in Teamwork Spaces, so your important project documents are only ever a click away.

Some documents you might want to add in addition to your project charter and project management plan include:

Scoping documents

Risk assessments

Change management plans

SOPs for important project processes

List of stakeholders and their roles

Outline of approval processes

Communications management plan

Any other best practices documentation or supporting info as necessary

You can even embed task lists into your pages and mark tasks as complete right from Teamwork Spaces, so you can keep work flowing without even needing to switch tabs.

Start adding your Milestones

Break down your work into Milestones and task lists that are going to help you reach them. With Teamwork.com, you can assign an owner to each Milestone, map out your Milestone due dates and see them represented in the project calendar, and even get a full change history for milestones so you can track any edits.

Visualize your task dependencies with a Gantt chart

Gantt chart-style views are a useful way to get a visual representation of your tasks and their dependencies, allowing for better scheduling and resourcing. In Teamwork.com, you can drag and drop to quickly rearrange your project schedule , without throwing everything out of order or straying off-plan.

Remember: software should support the way you work, not dictate it. So regardless of methodology or team type, create a project plan that works for you and your team — and find a tool that helps you put it into action.

Use our project plan template

Now that you know how to create a project management plan that actually works, you’re ready to implement using our team management software . To help you get up and running quickly, we’ve created a ready to use project plan template . Our project template will help you quickly create project plans that ensure all of your projects are completed on time and on budget

What is a project management plan template?

A project management plan template is a pre-designed framework that provides a structured format for creating a project management plan. It serves as a starting point for project managers and teams to develop their specific project plans, saving time and ensuring that key project management components are properly addressed.

How can a template help you build a great project management plan?

A template can help you build a great project management plan by saving time, ensuring comprehensive coverage of project management aspects, and incorporating industry best practices and visual aids for clarity. They also support collaboration, version control, and customization to fit the unique needs of each project, making them a valuable tool for project managers in achieving successful project outcomes.

What is the main purpose of a project management plan?

The main purpose of a project management plan is to provide a comprehensive and structured roadmap for successfully executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing a project. It serves as a central document that outlines project objectives, scope, schedule, budget, quality standards, resource allocation, risk management strategies, and communication approaches.

What tools do I need to help manage a project plan?

To effectively manage a project plan, you'll need a set of tools and software that cover various aspects of project management. These include project management software, communication and collaboration platforms, file and document management solutions, time and task tracking apps, and budgeting and financial management tools.

What steps are involved in the project planning process?

The steps involved in the project planning process include defining specific project objectives and scope, identifying deliverables and key milestones, budgets, risk assessment and quality control measures. It should also include a communication plan and stakeholder engagement strategies.

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7 Free Resource Planning Templates For Project Teams

Are you looking for free resource planning templates? Get access to the below templates the Google Sheets/Excel templates that make resource planning and management relatively easy.

• Team Availability Tracker
• Resource Allocation Template
• Project Resource Planning Template
• Resource Capacity Planning Template
• Timesheet Template
• Staff Resource Planning Template
• Human Resource Capacity Planning Template

If like most small teams, you use spreadsheets to manage project resources, these ready-made templates are a huge time-saver. Instead of starting from scratch, you can get quickly off the blocks using templates.

Let’s dive in.

What is resource planning?

Resource planning is the process that ensures that the right resources are available to the project when needed. Within resource planning, project managers:

• Track resource availability.
• Plan and track project resource allocation.
• Assign resources to project tasks.
• Manage resource capacity and workloads.
• Track time spent by resources on tasks.

Without a resource plan in place, projects get delayed, or worse, fail. Besides, upfront resource planning also helps avoid conflicts with other teams .

However, resource planning is not a one-time activity. Project managers need to adjust resource plans to account for:

• Changes in project scope
• Changes in resource availability or capacity
• Delays in tasks and milestones

Resource planning templates help you record, update and visualize resource availability, allocation, and capacity data. 

Resource planning and management templates

So far, you’ve learned about resource planning templates and how they can help. You also know about the disadvantages of using these templates.

Next, let’s take a look at the templates you’ll need to manage your project team.

How to download and use these templates?

All the templates below are view-only templates.

Make a copy of a template by clicking File → Make a copy… from the Google Sheets menu.

To download the template for Excel, click File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) .

Each template comes with three sheets (Instructions, Example, and Template) to help you get started.

1. Team Availability Tracker

Team members are unavailable because of public holidays or planned vacations. Finding available team members to work on a project is a critical step in resource allocation. 

The Team Availability Tracker Template helps you track your team’s off time and visualize your team’s availability to work on a project. That way, you can schedule work when they are available.

How to use the Team Availability Tracker template?

• Click here to make to copy or download the template as an Excel file.
• Enter the month (MONTH) for which you want to track your team’s availability. This automatically populates the calendar for the month below.
• Add your team members to the EMPLOYEE column.
• Enter text or emojis to mark a team member’s off time on a specific date.

2. Resource Allocation Template

Once you know the available resources, the next step is to allocate them to a project . Or simply assigning a team member to a project for a specific period. 

The Resource Allocation template helps you track these assignments.

It helps track when a specific resource is available to work on a project . Use this template along with the resource availability tracker to avoid scheduling on dates when the resource is AWOL.

Tracking work assignments is critical, especially with shared team members. For example, multiple project teams could share a designer in a small web design company. It becomes important to know when this designer is available to take on more work.

How to use the resource allocation template?

• Enter your team member names in the RESOURCE column.
• This resource allocation template shows you weekly assignments for your team members.
• Once a team member is allocated to a project, mark the corresponding week with an ‘ X ‘.
• Optionally, insert a note from the File → Insert menu to add the name of the project they’re allocated to.

3. Project Resource Planning Template

Once people are assigned to a project, the next step is to track their workload within a project. 

The Project Resource Planning Template helps you assign tasks within a project without creating scheduling conflicts or workload imbalances. It also gives you a clear overview of who within your project is doing what and when.

In addition, it also shows you the number of days available for a resource during a month.

You’ll need to account for task dependencies, delays, as well as people’s availability and skills when assigning tasks. 

How to use the project resource planning template?

• Enter the month ( MONTH) and the project name ( PROJECT NAME) . The calendar below automatically updates for the month.
• Enter an ‘ X ‘ for a day when a resource is not available.
• Enter the task name when you want to book a resource for a task.

4. Resource Capacity Planning Template

After you’ve assigned people to tasks, the next step is to track each team member’s workloads.

Whether a client comes with additional work or a new client comes onboard, you want to know who’s available to take on new work. At the same time, you don’t want to overwork your team members.

The Resource Capacity Planning Template helps you track the estimated working hours for all team members .

Also, you can visualize if any team member has some extra capacity. Or rebalance workloads if any team member is overwhelmed.

How to use the resource capacity planning template?

• Enter the MONTH for which you want to track your team’s capacity.
• Add all your team members under the RESOURCE column.
• The sheet automatically creates the calendar for the month and calculates the available working hours ( AVL. HRS. )
• Now add the estimated workloads on each day of the month corresponding to a team members.
• The sheet calculates the booked hours ( BKD. HRS. ) and utilization ( UTIL. ) for each member.

5. Timesheet Template

The timesheet template helps you track and measure the billable hours put in by your team in a project.

Whether you’re charging based on time and materials or a fixed price, staying in control of your project’s budget is essential. Without this, your agency cannot deliver profitable projects and grow.

How to use the Timesheet Template?

• Enter the month ( MONTH ) for which you want to track billable amounts.
• Enter the names of your team members ( RESOURCE ) and their hourly rates ( HRLY. RATE ) in the corresponding columns.
• Finally, enter the billable hours put in by each team member on a day of the month.
• The sheet automatically calculates the

6. Staff Resource Planning Template

At times you may want to look at the resource requirements over the next year.

A Staff Resource Planning Template helps you understand if you need to hire any resources based on project commitments for the year.

In addition, it can also help you plan your recruitment based on when you need a specific type of resource.

How to use the Staff Resource Planning Template?

• Enter all the roles that your agency needs in the RESOURCE TYPE column.
• Enter the number of days you expect to utilize a resource type during each month.
• The sheet automatically calculates the TOTAL days you’ll require a resource during the year.

7. Human Resource Capacity Planning Template

The Human Resource Capacity Planning Template helps you see average workload and utilization by employee, department, and job title.

Like the Staff Resource Planning Template, this template helps you manage your employee/freelancer recruitment and onboarding. As a result, you can match your agency’s capacity with the demand and the workload.

How to use the Human Resource Capacity Planning Template?

• Enter your agency’s EMPLOYEE s along with their DEPARTMENT , JOB TITLE , and monthly CAPACITY .
• Enter their workload in actual (or estimated) hours for each month.
• The sheet automatically calculates the average workload ( AVG. WRKLD ) and UTILIZATION for each employee.
• In addition, the spreadsheet also has two pivot tables that shows you average workload and utilization for each department and job title.

Pros and cons of using resource planning templates

Ready-to-use templates come with the following advantages:

• Instead of starting from scratch, you can get started quickly
• Low cost, as you probably already have access to Excel/Google Sheets
• Little onboarding, as almost everyone knows how to use spreadsheets

Templates also have their fair share of disadvantages which make them unusable in most real-world situations.

• Spreadsheets generally lack communication and collaboration features essential for team scheduling
• It’s hard to keep track of who’s made what changes to a spreadsheet’s data
• Not everyone needs to see everything in the spreadsheet, but you cannot prevent them from seeing it
• Keeping track of different versions and keeping different spreadsheets in sync is quite a task

Updating templates needs discipline & effort

If you haven’t realized it yet, updating all these templates is a lot of work . 

These templates work together. And, if you miss updating any of these, your resource planning will be error-prone.

Some of these templates may look similar. And it’s tempting to combine these templates into one. 

But, there’s a reason why these templates are separate. Each template serves a different audience and purpose. Combining templates will cause information overload, and inconsistencies and lead to chaos.

So, what are your options?

• Either, you can choose to keep all the templates up to date with the necessary discipline.
• Or, you can choose to follow only the relevant steps in the resource planning workflow. That way, you’ll have fewer templates to update.
• Or, you can use a project and resource planning tool like Toggl Plan.

Toggl Plan: A Better Alternative To Resource Planning Templates

Toggl Plan is a beautifully simple work timeline planning tool. It makes project and resource planning a breeze.

Let’s understand how:

Track Team Member Availability

With Toggl Plan, you can create unlimited, color-coded plans. You can create a plan specifically to track your team’s leave plans. 

Besides, Toggl Plan also adds country-specific public holidays to the timeline. 

With these two features, you can easily visualize and find the available team members to take up a project.

Some more notable features include:

Track time off

Knowing when your team is available is crucial for scheduling and delivering projects on time.

The Time off feature is a convenient way to communicate the team’s time away from work. It provides a clear overview of who’s available and who’s not — be they annual leave, public holidays, sick leave or something else. You can also see a conflict warning when work is scheduled for someone who is unavailable.

Allocate Team Members To Projects & Tasks

With Toggl Plan, you can easily add team members to a project plan or a team plan. 

You can assign one or more team members to a task. And, these team members can collaborate on a task using comments and file attachments.

As a result, all the project-related information is available in one place. And, your team doesn’t have to use multiple channels to communicate about the project.

Managing Team Capacity & Workloads

For each task in Toggl Plan, you can include the estimated effort. 

On the team timeline, you can visualize your team workloads. Visualizing workloads helps you understand if team members are overworked or have any capacity to take up more tasks.

Time Tracking & Timesheet Management

Toggl Plan integrates with Toggl Track for time tracking and timesheet management . 

With this integration, you can easily track the actual time on each task. Plus, you can generate timesheets and billing reports. 

In Conclusion

Resource planning templates help you organize, capture, and track resource allocation and usage. 

Spreadsheet templates are easily accessible to everyone. Plus, such templates are readily available for free on the internet.

However, spreadsheets don’t come with communication and collaboration features. Also, you’ll constantly struggle to maintain data integrity and prevent information overload.

Consider using a project and resource planning tool like Toggl Plan to avoid these drawbacks. Try out the team plan with a 14-day free trial. 

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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Create resource assignments

• 8 contributors

Applies To: Project Operations for resource/non-stocked based scenarios, Lite deployment - deal to proforma invoicing.

A resource assignment is the direct association of a project team member to a leaf node task. This article provides information about the different ways to assign resources.

Create a generic team member through task assignment

When you create a generic team member through task assignment, you create a placeholder or generic resource. This generic resource describes the characteristics of the named resource that you ultimately want to work on the tasks. You then generate a requirement, or you submit a request by using the requirement that is used to search for and book the named resource.

• On the Schedule grid for a task, select the Resource icon in the Resource cell.
• Type a name to serve as the placeholder resource's name. For example, Program Manager.
• Select Create , and in the Quick Create Project Team Member field, set the role for the generic resource.
• Assign tasks as needed to this placeholder resource by selecting the resource on the Resource Selector for the task. The resources listed under Team Members .
• When you're finished assigning the generic resource, on the Team tab, select the generic resource, and then select Generate Requirement to create a resource requirement for the generic resource.
• Select Book for the generic resource and then use the Schedule board to find and book a real resource. You can also submit the requirement for fulfillment by a Resource Manager.
• When the generic resource is fully fulfilled with a named resource, the generic resource is removed from the team. (Partial resource requirement fulfillment doesn't result in a resource assignment.) The task assignments for the generic resource are assigned to the named resource that fulfilled the generic resource's resource requirement.

Assign a named resource from the list of all bookable resources

You can use the search box in the Resource Picker to search all active bookable resources and assign them to any leaf node task. Resources assigned this way are added to the team without any bookings. This is similar to adding a team member and selecting None as the allocation method. The resource is displayed on the Team , Resource Assignment , and Reconciliation tabs as resources with only assignments and a booking deficit. Book them if you want to use their availability.

• From the task grid, board, or timeline, navigate to the Assigned To cell.
• In the search box, start typing a name. The search results for the name are displayed in the Resource Selector under Other Resources .
• Select the resource that you want to assign to the task or select the name of the resource under Other Team Resources .

Editing resource assignment contours

By default, when resources are assigned to a task in the schedule, their effort is linearly distributed to each resource, based upon that resource's working hours and the project's schedule mode. A project manager can use the resource assignment grid to refine the effort estimates of each resource assigned to one or many tasks across the different time scales. This feature helps project managers produce more accurate cost and sales estimates driven by the resource assignment contours that are generated when a resource is assigned to a task. Additionally, project managers can more easily reflect the resource demand required to build the demand in a resource requirement.

To access the contour editing grid, the project manager first selects the Tasks tab on the project main page and then selects the Assignments tab.

The grid supports two methods for grouping: group by resource and group by task . Unlike in the grid view, columns aren't configurable. The only visible columns are Assigned To , Task Name , Assignment Start , Assignment Finish , and Assignment Effort .

The contour editing grid has been enhanced to include the ability to group contours by week, month, and year. It was also added previous and next controls to support quickly changing periods in the current view. Lastly, a grand total row was added.

When the grid is initially rendered, it starts at the earliest assignment contour. If your schedule doesn't contain any assignments that have effort, the grid is blank and won't render anything. The minimum value of a resource contour is zero, and the maximum value permitted is 9,999,999.

If you want to view your contours and different time scales, the read-only resource assignment grid and resource reconciliation grid are also available.

Resource calendars

The ability to edit a contour for a specific day is governed by the resource's working days, as reflected in their calendar. If a cell is disabled for a given resource, that resource doesn't have working days during that period.

A resource's contours can extend beyond the assigned task's current start and end dates. If a contour is updated so that it's after the latest end date of a task or the earliest start date of a task, the task's end date or start date is changed as appropriate. However, if a contour is updated so that it's earlier than the start date of a task linked to a predecessor, the update fails because the assignment triggers the task to start before its predecessor is completed, and that behavior isn't currently supported.

Coauthoring

Changes to the resource assignment grid are automatically reflected in any associated views, including the chart, timeline, board, and grid views. If multiple users are reviewing the project at the same time, any changes that one user makes are reflected in the grid. Conversely, any changes that are made in the resource assignment grid are shown to all other users who are viewing the project in the same session.

Unassigned assignment

In Project Operations, an unassigned assignment is an assignment that is assigned to a NULL team member and a NULL resource. Unassigned assignments can occur in a couple of scenarios:

• If a task is created but not assigned to any team member, an unassigned assignment is always created.
• If all assignees on a task are removed, an unassigned assignment is re-created for that task.

The contour expresses hours of unassigned effort based on the project's calendar.

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What Is a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) in Project Management?

April 11, 2024 By Ten Six

Here, we’ll explore what a RAM is, how you can create one, best practices for creating and using it effectively, as well as some common challenges with incorporating them into your projects.

What is a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)? A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a tool used in project management to define and assign roles, responsibilities, and authority levels for each task or activity within a project.

It includes columns for each team member’s name, their role or title, their area of expertise or skill set, and any other pertinent information related to the task at hand. The rows represent individual tasks associated with the project.

This allows managers to easily identify which team members have been assigned specific tasks and how much responsibility they have over those tasks.

The Benefits of RAM

Using a RAM provides several benefits when managing projects; such as improved communication between teams by clearly outlining roles and responsibilities; increased accountability among team members; better tracking of progress against goals; improved resource allocation based on skillset requirements; and reduced risk due to more accurate forecasting capabilities.

Additionally, it can help reduce costs by eliminating unnecessary resources from being allocated towards certain activities, while also providing greater visibility into potential issues before they arise.

Types of RAM

There are two main types of Responsibility Assignment Matrices. A Functional (F-RAM) and a Projectized (P-RAM).

• Functional (F-RAM) – Functional RAM assigns individuals according to their functional expertise, allowing them flexibility in terms of where they work within an organization’s structure.
• Projectized (P-RAM) – Projectized RAM assigns individuals according to their particular skillsets but requires them to remain dedicated solely towards one particular project until it’s completion, regardless if there are changes in personnel or scope during this time period.

Key Takeaway: A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a useful tool for project managers to assign tasks and responsibilities to team members. It can help improve communication, increase accountability, track progress more accurately and reduce risk. There are two main types of RAMs: Functional (F-RAM) and Projectized (P-RAM), each with their own advantages depending on the particular needs of the project. Overall, using a RAM can lead to better resource allocation and improved visibility into potential issues before they arise.

Best Practices for Creating and Using a RAM

Identify the project tasks and responsibilities.

The first step in creating a RAM is identifying all of the tasks required for successful completion of the project. This includes everything from planning meetings to writing reports to testing software.

Once you’ve identified all of the necessary tasks, you can then assign each task to one or more individuals who will be responsible for completing it. It’s important that everyone understands their role so they know what’s expected of them and how they fit into the overall picture.

Assign Resources to Each Task

Next, it’s time to assign resources such as personnel, equipment and materials needed for each task. Make sure that everyone has access to what they need, when they need it so there are no delays or roadblocks along the way.

Also consider any potential risks associated with certain resources so you can plan accordingly if something goes wrong during the execution of your plan.

Monitor Progress Regularly

As work progresses on your project, monitor progress closely using whatever tools are available such as status reports or dashboards. If things aren’t going according to plan due to unforeseen circumstances or other issues arise, adjust resource assignments accordingly. This could mean reassigning people from one task area to another area where more help is needed.

By monitoring progress regularly, you’ll be able to keep projects moving forward without unnecessary delays.

Regular Check-Ins

Having open lines of communication allows for quick resolution of issues or changes that may arise during the course of the project.

Update the RAM

It’s critical for the success of a project to keep the RAM updated throughout all stages. As tasks are completed or changed, it’s important to update both individual roles and responsibilities within the matrix so that everyone remains on track with their assigned tasks.

This ensures accuracy in reporting progress and makes sure no one falls behind due to lack of clarity about their duties or goals.

Key Takeaway: Creating a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) involves identifying all of the tasks and responsibilities required for successful completion of the project, assigning resources to each task,  monitoring progress regularly, regular check-ins and updating the RAM.

Don’t get left behind on your project! Make sure to keep your Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) up-to-date with clear roles and responsibilities. Communication is key, so don’t forget to check in regularly with team members! #ProjectManagement Click To Tweet

Challenges of Using a RAM

When using a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM), there are several challenges that can arise.

Lack of Clarity in Assigning Roles and Responsibilities

It’s important to ensure everyone on the team understands their specific tasks, as well as who they should report to for guidance or updates. Without this clarity, it can be difficult to effectively manage the project and hold people accountable for their work.

Overlapping Responsibilities Between Team Members

This happens when two or more people have similar duties or tasks assigned to them, which can lead to confusion about who is responsible for what part of the project. To avoid this issue, it’s important to clearly define each person’s role and make sure everyone knows exactly what they need to do and how they fit into the overall plan.

Tracking Progress and Adjusting Resources Accordingly

As changes occur throughout the project lifecycle, it may become necessary to reassign certain tasks to different resources or adjust timelines in order for everything to stay on track. Keeping an up-to-date RAM helps ensure that all stakeholders are aware of any changes that have been made. This ensures everyone remains informed about where things stand at any given time during the course of the project

Using a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is an effective way for project managers to keep track of tasks assigned to each member on their teams. By understanding how this tool works and following best practices when creating one, they can ensure that their projects run smoothly while also helping the team stay organized throughout its duration.

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Everything You Need To Know To Set Up A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)

Updated: May 29, 2024, 4:23pm

The responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) is a form of project management that encourages everyone to understand every step of the project. Looking at the chart involves all parties and encourages an end-to-end view of any big assignment at a workplace; everyone on the team better understands what they’re responsible for and where their part of the project falls along the timeline. Today, we’re going over a few reasons why a responsibility assignment matrix can level up your business.

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RAM vs RACI: What’s the Difference?

If you’ve ever researched different project management methodologies, you’ve probably seen the terms RAM and RACI used interchangeably. This can be very confusing. In basic terms, RAM refers to the framework in place to delegate tasks to individuals. A RACI is a popular form of RAM where different individuals within the team are given one of the RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted or informed) labels. In short, a RACI can be seen as a subset of the greater RAM framework.

What Is a RAM?

The responsibility assignment matrix is a project management style with four main roles: responsible, accountable, consulted and informed (this is also referred to as a RACI matrix). Each letter applies to a member of the team and lets them know what their role is in the project and how it fits in with the other members of the team.

For more details on how this methodology works, you can check out our detailed guide to RACI charts . But here is a quick summary of a RAM in practice:

Responsible

The responsible party in the RAM is the member of the team who’s supposed to complete the task. If you’re working on a pitch deck with your team, the responsible party could be tasked with compiling all of the image and data assets needed to put together the presentation.

Accountable

The accountable team member assigns the tasks to team members and makes sure that they are completed correctly and on time. This is the person on the team who ensures the timeliness of the project and the fair division of tasks among the responsible parties.

In order to complete many assignments, a responsible party will have to talk to an expert, and that is the consulted person. When someone is responsible for compiling marketing analytics for a presentation, the consulted party will have to give their expert analysis and make sure all of the information that the responsible party has to share is correct.

While the informed party may not have direct involvement in all of the project’s steps, they need to know when the big pieces are done to make sure everything is going smoothly. The informed member of the team has to know if there’s a delay or a stall in the project because they likely need it to be done in order to do their work as well.

Benefits of a RAM

The RAM is so useful to project managers because it helps everyone see their process and why it’s so important. Instead of working in a silo with no knowledge of fellow coworkers’ tasks, all employees can feel involved.

The RAM method of project management allows team members to understand why the tasks they’re doing are important in the big picture. Instead of telling an administrative assistant to collect phone numbers, they can look at the table and understand why the numbers need to be collected in order to execute the next step of the project. Seeing how they fit into the company’s operations will encourage employees to see themselves as a part of the company’s overall mission and feel invested in positive outcomes.

Is a RAM Right for My Business?

The RAM is a great idea for any business with multiple moving parts. It can be particularly helpful for e-commerce companies that need more of their employees to understand the fulfillment process and be on top of processing orders. When the customer service team is informed about the responsibilities of the warehouse management team, customer service will be better able to respond to customer complaints because they’ll be aware of what’s going on at the warehouse that could lead to delays.

As opposed to micromanaging employees’ daily tasks, the RAM allows employees to understand where their skills are most effective and how they are involved in the big picture of the company. This will allow everyone to feel more ownership over their jobs and perform them better because they feel trusted to do so.

Using the RAM Effectively

When a project manager decides to implement the responsibility assignment matrix on a big project, they should make sure that everything has dates and reminders for every party. Informed team members should know when they’re going to get updates from responsible team members. By the same token, a consulted team member should have an idea of when they’re going to get questions from responsible team members. Finally, the accountable team member will have assigned out all of the tasks and follow up on any missed deadlines.

It’s also important to understand that using a RACI table is an outline. There will always be unintended problems that come up during a project timeline. The project manager who is running the RAM will see where the breakdown happened and be able to help the team pivot and redistribute tasks based on the RACI chart. As important as planning ahead is, remaining agile on the job is also a necessary skill.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best project management tools and software.

To determine the  best project management software , we ranked several tools based on ease of use, cost to your organization, each company’s customer support, as well as special features.

Wrike was our top choice. It earned the top spot because it works for companies and teams of all sizes. Airbnb, Google and Dell all trust Wrike to aid their project managers. Wrike also allows teams to create custom workflows, set timelines with interactive charts and reporting and build a visual representation that shows the progress of every project in real-time.

Other highly ranked project management tools include Asana, Monday and HighGear.

What is a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) in project management?

It’s a method of project management that allows all employees to understand the timeline and distributed responsibilities of a project. With the RAM table, all employees will understand where they fall on the RACI chart (described above).

How do you create a RAM?

First, make sure you have a list of everyone who will be involved in the project. Then, make a list of tasks for the project and create a preliminary timeline. The next step is to identify which team members are responsible, accountable, consulted or informed for each of the steps of the project. Finally, you can share this with the team and field any questions that come up.

What can a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) eliminate?

Ideally, the RAM eliminates confusion and any downtime between steps of the project where people might be confused if a certain piece of it has been completed yet. Everyone will know who to inform when the next step is ready to get started.

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What Is Project Management?

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Project management helps teams track and organize their work within a project to achieve its goals. This process involves the application of various skills, tools and techniques, and the coordination of team members to meet project demands. Below, we explore the requirements of project management, its various types, and ways you can implement the process into your team’s workflow.

What is project management?

Project management is the process of planning, overseeing and executing a project to achieve its goals and objectives within the set budget and timeline. There are several roles and methods of project management, each designed to meet the specific project’s needs and improve efficiency. To make this process proceed more smoothly, project managers will often use tools or software to keep track of tasks and communicate with team members.

While project management has its fair share of challenges, the benefits are well worth it. Effective project management keeps a project on time and budget, with the flexibility to make adjustments and changes as needed.

Types of project management styles

There are several methodologies used in project management, each providing a different approach to cater to projects of varying scale and complexity.

The waterfall project management model takes a linear, strategic approach to projects. This straightforward style breaks a project down into sequential phases; each phase is only allowed to begin when the previous one has been entirely completed. This project management style is primarily used for well-defined projects that don’t require significant changes once they’ve started.

Agile project management allows teams to take an iterative, flexible approach to a project. This project management methodology encourages collaboration and feedback. Project managers typically use this style to break down projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. It’s great for projects that require adaptability as requirements change and evolve.

Scrum is a version of the agile project management methodology. This approach places a further emphasis on incremental work. In scrum project management, team members focus on sprints, which are short iterations wherein team members deliver small pieces of the project efficiently and quickly.

Kanban is another project management methodology under the agile framework. The kanban style emphasizes a visual system, where cards and boards are used to manage work and better illustrate the responsibilities of team members. This is a valuable methodology for projects that require a steady flow of deliverables.

The lean project management methodology focuses on efficiency. It operates on a cycle that is designed to raise productivity and reduce waste, which includes not only physical waste but also intangibles such as time and effort. This methodology is often combined with agile to improve workflows.

Often used in manufacturing, the Six Sigma project management style emphasizes continuous improvement. Through statistical models, project managers can reduce errors in work and improve efficiency.

Project management roles

To effectively execute a project across multiple teams or departments, there are various project management roles that must be filled. These roles range from the project managers themselves to team members.

Project sponsor

The project sponsor provides necessary resources, such as funding, personnel or materials for a project. This person may be an employee at your company or an outside client. The project sponsor is typically responsible for final approval on deliverables.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders are those who have a vested interest in the project. They typically give information or instructions and ensure the project meets its intended goals and expectations.

Project manager

The project manager works closely with sponsors and stakeholders. Their primary goal is to oversee the project’s development and ensure things are completed on time and within budget. Project managers determine which project management methodology should be used, oversee day-to-day activities, set milestones and identify resources needed for the project.

Team members

Team members work on individual tasks within a project. Their responsibilities vary based on the project methodology and its requirements. Team members typically report to either a team leader or the project manager and complete deliverables within a specific timeframe.

Project management phases

The process of managing projects follows a life cycle, which consists of different phases from the inception of the project up until its completion. These stages can be further divided based on needs or complexity.

Initiation is the first phase in project management. During this stage, the project team discusses the purpose of the project as well as general objectives and goals. It is during initiation that overall project feasibility may be debated.

The planning stage is when the project is defined in greater detail. The scope, specific objectives, deliverables, milestones and resources needed are identified during this phase. It’s also when the project manager determines which methodology will be used to achieve the desired outcome.

The project plan is put into action during the execution phase. Active collaboration is an integral part of this stage, as the team works toward moving the project to completion. Throughout this phase, the project manager tracks and monitors progress and identifies how to resolve issues.

Monitoring is the phase in which project managers track things at a high level — whether the project is progressing as planned, on time and within budget. Monitoring also requires managers to plan ahead and try to prevent any bottlenecks or disruptions as best as possible.

The final phase of project management involves handing over deliverables. These deliverables are then reviewed and approved by major stakeholders. Project closure serves as an opportunity for the team to wrap up loose ends and resolve issues that arise during the review process.

Project management software

To make project management easier and more efficient, many teams make use of project management software . At present, there is a wide variety of software solutions available. Some of these solutions are best suited for specific project management styles, while others can be customized to meet unique project needs.

Having the right software is critical to maintaining transparent communication and collaboration throughout the project life cycle.

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Say My Name Transcription Project: Resource Guide

• Assignment Examples
• Transcription Guidelines
• What's Getting Transcribed
• Say My Name Transcription Project: Pre-Assessment Survey Please have your students fill out this survey before they are presented with information about White Hall and how to transcribe historical documents.
• Say My Name Transcription Project: Post Assessment Survey After your students have completed their transcription project, please have them fill out this survey.
• Deciphering Cursive Handwriting from UNC-Wilmington Library Resources on cursive handwriting from the University of North Carolina Wilmington Library include: a video tutorial, common abbreviation, cursive handwriting quizzes, and more.

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Archives Instruction

The Research Center for Special Collections & Archives (RC-SCA) is happy to provide your class with introductory information on White Hall and the Say My Name Transcription Project. Please fill out the form linked below if you would like us to meet with your class.

• Instruction Request Form

Example 1 (In-Class)

This assignment is courtesy of Heather Fox

Archival Investigation: Transcribing White Hall Documents

• Read and study the "Transcription Guidelines" .
• Peruse documents that require transcription. Choose TWO documents that require transcription and work together to complete the transcription. When choosing, find a document that has writing on a full page (versus a line or two on a page). If in doubt, please ask me first. Also, while transcribing, be sure to save your work often.
• Share your findings and experiences with the class.

Absences Only: If absent, complete a Transcribe Archival Investigation Report , which should be submitted in PDF form to Blackboard and must contain the following items for full credit:

• The title of the document
• The link to the document that enables me to access it
• Your group’s screen print photograph of your completed transcription of the document
• A 2-3 sentence summary of the document that you transcribed, which includes the amount of time that it took the group to transcribe the document
• One paragraph that describes your “meta” observations about this archival research experience, in terms of the scope and purpose of the project as part of our course’s theme and objectives

Notes from Heather

• I tend to provide less instruction up front and work alongside students as they work through questions/considerations.
• Have students work in pairs. Pair cursive readers with non-cursive readers.
• Since some documents are more difficult to read than others, suggest that students look for easier to read documents, instead of picking the nearest option when they open the site.
• Comparing letter formations and reading in context within the same document can help with deciphering text.
• If a group does not finish a full transcription, "Save" without pressing "Done". 
• Leave time for students to complete the post assessment during class.

Example 2 (Outside Class plus In-Class)

This assignment is courtesy of Ginny Whitehouse

Transcribing Historical Documents

Outside Class Assignment

• Using your EKU email account, sign up for “From the Page” so that you can be assigned transcriptions in the next class. 
• Watch the video from the UNC-Wilmington Library on “Reading Cursive Handwriting” then take two of the cursive handwriting quizzes at the bottom of the page. Retake until you get 100%. 
• Read the “Transcription Guidelines" .
• Use those guidelines to transcribe the "Sample Letter" provided from EKU Archives. 
• Take the End of Class Quiz by Noon Wednesday.

In-Class Assignment  (Thursday class)

• Transcribe the historical document assigned to you.

Notes from Ginny

• The "End of Class Quiz" was just a matter of them copying and pasting the "Sample Letter" transcription. I gave them full credit for making a solid effort.
• At the Thursday class, we talked about the prep work they did.
• My class said the Wilmington video, particularly, and the "Transcription Guidelines" were helpful.
• The Wilmington quizzes helped them gain confidence but they didn’t learn anything new. 
• Doing the "Sample Letter" exercise was really important for most of the students.
• We reviewed in class the "Sample Letter" and discussed some mistakes/inconsistencies that they had, such as not including the header information on the letter and not returning after each line. For those who struggle with detail work, this level of “step by step” instruction was good.

Example 3 (Outside Class)

• Peruse documents that require transcription. Choose ONE document that requires transcription review and work together to complete the transcription. When choosing, find a document that has writing on a full page (versus a line or two on a page). If in doubt, please ask me first. Also, while transcribing, be sure to save your work often.
• Once you have completed your transcription review, take a screen shot photo of your work.
• Your group’s Transcribe Archival Investigation Report should be submitted in PDF form to Blackboard and must contain the following items for full credit:
• << Previous: About
• Next: Transcription Guidelines >>
• Last Updated: Aug 14, 2024 11:25 PM
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16. Programming Data Structures and Algorithms using Python Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers 2024

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17. Programming in Modern C++ Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers 2024

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21. Software Testing Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers 2024

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Submission Deadline

Don’t forget to submit your assignments by August 8, 2024!

By following the links above, you can easily find and complete your Week 1 assignments for various NPTEL courses. Ensure that your submissions are accurate and submitted before the deadline to avoid any penalties.

Stay tuned for more updates and guides on upcoming assignments and course material.

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UW SER Project Selected for Funding Under DOE Regional Carbon Management Initiative

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Institutional Communications Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137 Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: (307) 766-2929 Email:   [email protected]

Published August 14, 2024

With an anticipated $4.7 million from DOE, the planned $5.9 million Wyoming Technical Assistance Collaboration for Carbon Management (WYTAC-CM) project intends to build a comprehensive and intuitive central data repository of technical and nontechnical information to accelerate development of carbon storage projects in the Greater Green River Basin and Wind River Basin.

The three-year project aims to conduct a data aggregation campaign that will include technical inventories of CO 2 storage reservoirs and confining units; current and potential CO 2 sources; and current and pending CO 2 capture, transport and storage projects.

The project will be co-led by Research Professionals Lily Jackson and Dan Eakin in SER’s Center for Economic Geology Research (CEGR).

“This undertaking will enable present and future project development with stakeholders to more easily navigate the carbon management landscape by compiling a thorough collection of resources on a regional scale,” Jackson says. “Carbon management and storage are relatively new concepts in the energy world, and teams are often reinventing the wheel when gathering pertinent information. We are prioritizing shared learning and best practices to hopefully bring the technology closer toward commercialization.”

To address the increasingly complex project landscape, the WYTAC-CM team also plans to conduct an in-depth evaluation of the policy, regulatory and permitting issues within the Greater Green River Basin and Wind River Basin to flag potential challenges related to the implementation of basin-scale carbon transport and storage.

“Community engagement and policy analysis are increasingly important factors that need to support the technical advances if new carbon management solutions are to be successfully deployed,” Eakin says. “Rather than focusing on the technical side only, the project will cover the multifaceted subject areas that will be necessary to complete a project all in one database.”

At the completion of the project, the collated data resources will be made accessible to current and potential project developers, regulators, community advocacy groups, labor organizations and all of those seeking to develop and deploy carbon management projects in Wyoming.

“In addition to the admirable goal of streamlining carbon management resources, an exciting aspect of this project is that it will have wide-reaching impacts, led by two exceptional professionals among SER’s research team,” CEGR Director Fred McLaughlin says. “Southwest Wyoming is witnessing increasing interest in carbon capture and storage, and this project will serve as the connective tissue, enabling all stakeholders to collaborate effectively.”

Additional partners and collaborators on the project include SER’s 3D Visualization Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Carbon Solutions LLC and Colorado School of Mines.

For more information, email Christine Reed, SER outreach director, at [email protected] .

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A Quick Guide to KPI Dashboards (Examples and Templates Included)

Executing a plan, whether a project or a larger organizational strategy, is pointless without monitoring its progress and performance. Expecting everything to fall into place ignores inevitable risks and changes when abstract plans live in the real world. This is why managers use a KPI dashboard to stay on track.

A KPI dashboard, which stands for key performance indicators, is a tool to measure various metrics. There are different types of KPI dashboards but they all provide a host of benefits. Download a free KPI dashboard template to try it out and experience those benefits firsthand or upgrade to project management software instead.

What Is a KPI Dashboard?

A KPI dashboard is a visual tool that displays various metrics in graphical form to help managers track the performance and progress of projects or an organization. It’s a platform that collects various KPIs related to the project or the performance of an organization that’s used to monitor, help analyze and achieve the goals and objectives of the project or organization.

Using a KPI dashboard shows how well a project or organization is meeting its goals. These dashboards can identify trends, monitor progress and allow for data-driven decision making. Some metrics that can be displayed on a KPI dashboard include revenue growth, profit margins, customer satisfaction and employee engagement. For projects, charts can show the progress of tasks completed, team workload and more.

When creating a KPI dashboard, first determine which metrics are crucial for achieving the team’s goals. It’s advisable to focus on identifying these key metrics rather than cluttering the dashboard with unnecessary information. To define those KPIs, use SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

The best KPI dashboard captures real-time data, which means managers are making decisions with what is currently happening rather than directing the project or organization on yesterday’s news. Project management software can deliver live data to KPI dashboards. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with real-time KPI dashboards that can capture metrics for one project, a program or a portfolio of projects. Unlike lightweight KPI dashboards, ours doesn’t require any lengthy and complex setup. It’s ready to deliver a status report whenever needed. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

KPI Dashboard Examples

There are many different types of KPI dashboards. We’ve only mentioned two, one for projects and another for organizations, but at least a handful can be used to track progress and performance in many industries. Here are some examples of different KPI dashboards.

• Business KPI Dashboard: A visual tool that displays KPIs, which are quantifiable metrics that help a business meet its goals and make data-driven decisions. Different departments within an organization can use a business KPI dashboard and the metrics displays vary depending on the department using it.
• Project Management KPI Dashboard: This provides a visual representation of project information that’s used to measure project success. These KPIs identify areas of weakness and pinpoint progress. Project managers use the KPI dashboard to review progress, access pending tasks, review budgets, visualize team capacity, improve results, make better decisions and improve communication and alignment across departments.
• Marketing KPI Dashboard: This platform collects, tracks and displays data that helps marketers and sales teams understand information to make better data-driving decisions. Marketing KPIs show how well a marketing campaign is progressing towards its objectives. It includes metrics such as website traffic, lead generation, conversion rates, social media engagement, customer growth, revenue growth and marketing-attributed return on investment (ROI).
• Manufacturing KPI Dashboard: This KPI dashboard helps manufacturers monitor and review production. It provides data that allows them to identify areas for improvement, track changes and make strategic decisions. KPIs can be measured at different levels of a plan, from an organizational level down to process levels. Key metrics include overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), cycle time and capacity utilization.
• Financial KPI Dashboard: This is a comprehensive overview of an organization’s financial performance. It allows stakeholders to track and analyze financial indicators to monitor the company’s health, identify risks and make strategic decisions. Some examples of financial KPIs are working capital, current ratio, debt-to-equity ratio and operating cash flow.

Benefits of Using KPI Dashboards

There are many benefits of using a KPI dashboard. They help businesses improve efficiency, decision making and productivity. They can also identify trends, align goals and optimize performance. Using a KPI dashboard keeps businesses focused on KPIs that have the greatest impact and signal whether outcomes are aligned with targets. But that’s just the start. Here are a few more benefits of using KPI dashboards.

Monitor Employee Performance

The KPI dashboard can be monitored by setting goals based on an organization’s objectives and priorities. These can be tailored to individual goals. It also communicates those goals clearly and consistently to employees and tracks their progress, allowing managers to analyze the data against set targets and benchmarks.

Identify Bottlenecks and Optimize Workflows

KPI dashboards can identify bottlenecks by tracking metrics and providing insights into performance. Lead and cycle time data can identify delays in the delivery process, while performance metrics can identify inefficiencies. By incorporating efficiencies, production, inventory and resource utilization metrics, managers can get insights that allow them to streamline processes, identify bottlenecks and optimize daily workflows.

Optimize Resource Utilization

KPI dashboards can optimize resource utilization by providing real-time data. This helps management identify trends, which leads to more informed decision-making. Knowing the status of resources, the resource utilization rate, forecasting future resource needs and planning for optimizing resource usage are all part of analyzing the data from the KPI dashboard.

KPI Dashboard Excel Template

Now that a KPI dashboard has been well-defined and the benefits outlined, many will want to have a chance to take one out for a spin. Many project management software products have dashboards or varying sizes and abilities. Most of those require being set up in advance to reap the rewards of this valuable tool. But for those who want to kick the tires and see what all the fuss is about download this free KPI dashboard template for Excel.

This customizable KPI dashboard template can track project tasks or a portfolio of projects. There are also charts to monitor project costs and track budgets to help keep projects and organizations to their budgets. This KPI dashboard template allows for tracking team workload and labor costs as well as monitoring the utilization of materials, equipment and other resources.

More Free KPI Tracking Templates

There are more free KPI tracking templates available on our site that can be used with the KPI dashboard template. We have over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Word that cover all phases of managing a project across several industries. Here are a few that can be used to track KPIs.

OKR Template

OKR stands for objects and key results. It’s used for setting goals that are challenging, actionable and measurable. This free OKR template for Excel helps organizations track the objectives and key results of each of their functional departments. It also captures priority levels, due dates, costs and more.

Project Dashboard Template

A project dashboard is a KPI dashboard used in project management. This free project dashboard template for Excel is made up of color graphs and charts that make it easy to see task progress, workload and costs at a glance. This bird’s eye view of the project allows managers to chart progress and make more informed decisions about the project.

Progress Report Template

Use this free progress report for Word to document the project’s progress and compare that to where the plan expected it to be. The progress report summarizes the scope, schedule, cost and risks while listing tasks that were completed during the period being reported. It also will list accomplishments made over that period and what is expected to occur over the next reporting period.

ProjectManager Is Ideal for KPI Tracking

KPI dashboard templates are not ideal. They give managers outdated information, which is going to negatively impact the decisions they’re making. That’s because these templates are static documents that don’t capture live data. They have to be manually updated, which not only dates the information but pulls one away from more valuable tasks. Upgrading to project management software can solve that problem, but not all project management software is created equally. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has real-time project and portfolio dashboards that capture live data to make more informed decisions. But that’s only one KPI tracking feature.

Monitor Resources to Keep Teams Productive

When onboarding teams, managers can set their availability to make it easier to assign them tasks. They can identify PTO, vacation time and even global holidays for distributed teams. Once the assignments have been made, managers can view the team page or the color-coded workload chart that provides an overview of resource allocation. Managers can see who on the team is overallocated or underutilized and then balance the team’s workload from that chart to keep everyone working at capacity.

Get More Detailed KPIs With Reporting Features

When a high-level overview isn’t enough, toggle over to the reporting features. Reports can be generated with a keystroke and deliver data on project status and portfolio status as well as reports on variance, timesheets, workload and more. These are customizable reports , which means they can be filtered to go deep into the data for managers and their teams or create a more general summary that can then be shared to keep stakeholders updated on progress and manage their expectations.

Related KPI Content

There’s more to tracking progress and performance than a KPI dashboard. Dozens of KPIs can be used in project management, manufacturing and other fields. Read about the 10 essential team KPIs for any project, 20 production and manufacturing KPIs and metrics as well as learn how to create a Power BI dashboard by following the links below.

• 10 Essential Team KPIs for Any Project
• 20 Production and Manufacturing KPIs & Metrics
• How to Create a Power BI Dashboard: Pros & Cons

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

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Project #0 - C++ Primer Last Updated: Jan 22, 2024

Do not post your project on a public Github repository.

All the programming projects this semester will be written on the BusTub database management system. This system is written in C++. To make sure that you have the necessary C++ background, you must complete a simple programming assignment to assess your knowledge of basic C++ features. You will not be given a grade for this project, but you must complete the project with a perfect score before being allowed to proceed in the course. Any student unable to complete this assignment before the deadline will be asked to drop the course.

All of the code in this programming assignment must be written in C++. The projects will be specifically written for C++17, but we have found that it is generally sufficient to know C++11. If you have not used C++ before, here are some resources to help:

• 15-445 Bootcamp , which contains several small examples to get you familiar with C++11 features.
• Learncpp is a useful resource that includes quizzes to test your knowledge.
• cppreference has more detailed documentation of language internals.
• A Tour of C++ and Effective Modern C++ are also digitally available from the CMU library.

If you are using VSCode, we recommend you to install CMake Tools , C/C++ Extension Pack and clangd . After that, follow this tutorial to learn how to use the visual debugger in VSCode: Debug a C++ project in VS Code .

If you are using CLion, we recommend you to follow this tutorial: CLion Debugger Fundamentals .

If you prefer to use gdb for debugging, there are many tutorials available to teach you how to use gdb . Here are some that we have found useful:

• Debugging Under Unix: gdb Tutorial
• GDB Tutorial: Advanced Debugging Tips For C/C++ Programmers
• Give me 15 minutes & I'll change your view of GDB [VIDEO]

This is a single-person project that will be completed individually (i.e. no groups).

• Release Date: Jan 16, 2024
• Due Date: Jan 28, 2024 @ 11:59pm

Project Specification

In this project, you will implement an Observed Remove Set (OR-Set), a common Conflict-free replicated data type (CRDT) .

Imagine a group of friends is drafting a travel plan together on Google Docs. Everyone is typing, adding pictures, and striking off items all at once. But here's the cool part: there's no stepping on each other's toes. Every change, from a new destination to a deleted activity, seamlessly integrates into the document. This real-time, harmonious editing is the magic of CRDTs at play, transforming a potentially chaotic collaboration into a smooth, enjoyable experience.

In general, Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs) are data structures designed for distributed systems where multiple nodes operate independently without the need for immediate synchronization. These data structures can be updated independently and concurrently across multiple nodes, and still converge to the same state once all updates are propagated and processed. To this end, we need an abstraction with commutative , associative , and idempotent operations, then we could create a Merge method to "eventually" reconcile to a definitive final state.

The OR-Set is a specific type of CRDT that handles the addition and removal of elements in a set. In an OR-Set, each element added to the set is tagged with a unique identifier. When an element is removed, its identifier is moved to a "tombstone" set, instead of being completely deleted. This allows the system to track both the additions and deletions of elements, so we could re-add elements after deletion.

When a concurrent add and remove operation over the same element occur, one among several post conditions can be chosen: add-wins, remove-wins or an error mark. The OR-Set can also be called add-wins set since it always lets add operations win over remove operations. Therefore, the OR-Set always leads to a predictable state.

• Short paper on the OR-Set. It contains the interface description in Figure 2.
• If you want a gentler intro, check out this video (the link starts when they talk about sets, but start from the beginning if you want the full intro.)

Task #1 - OR-Set

In this task, you will need to modify orset.h and orset.cpp to implement an OR-Set. We suggest you to skim through the above short paper, especially section 4 (no need to implement the optimized version).

To implement add-wins semantics, the OR-Set distinguishes the different add operations on the same element by adding a unique token. This token is stored with the element as a tuple (e,n). Take a look at the GenerateUid() function in the orset_driver.h file to see how a unique token is generated.

Removals do not only modify the set of elements. Instead, you would also add the corresponding pair (e,n) to the tombstone set. (See figure below)

To merge a replica A is merged to a replica B: First, the elements are merged by removing the elements equal to the tombstones from replica B. Second, the set is united with the elements from B that are not included in the tombstones of the set A. After that, the tombstones are updated and therefore united with the tombstones of replica B (see figure below).

Your OR-Set must support five operations:

• Contains(elem) : Checks if an element is in the set.
• Add(elem, uid) : Adds an element to the set.
• Remove(elem) : Removes an element from the set if it exists.
• Merge(set) : Merge changes from another OR-Set.
• Elements() : Gets all the elements in the set.

For the full specifications of these operations, please refer to the above short paper and the starter code. We intentionally left some design room for you to think about how to represent your element set and tombstone set. Your implementation should use two sets as in the above examples. Do not use one single std::unordered_set to implement it.

To test your OR-Set implementation, we provided the ORSetDriver and ORSetNode classes in orset_driver.h/cpp . * ORSetDriver serves as a mock for a large cluster in a CRDT, which is responsible for creating nodes and managing meta data for synchronization. Most importantly, it generates a globally unique identifier upon each OR-Set Node Add operation. * ORSetNode is a single node in this distributed system. It's essentially a wrapper around the ORSet you just implemented with methods to communicate with peers via the driver.

All test cases are public in the orset_test.cpp file.

Task #2 - SQL String Functions

Now it is time to dive into BusTub itself! You will need to implement upper and lower SQL functions. This can be done in 2 steps: (1) implement the function logic in string_expression.h . (2) register the function in BusTub, so that the SQL framework can call your function when the user executes a SQL, in plan_func_call.cpp .

To test your implementation, you can use bustub-shell :

Your implementation should pass all 3 sqllogictest test cases.

Note: If you see BufferPoolManager is not implemented yet. when running sqllogictest, this is normal and you can safely ignore this warning in project 0.

Instructions

Creating your own project repository.

If the below git concepts (e.g., repository, merge, pull, fork) do not make sense to you, please spend some time learning git first.

Follow the instructions to setup your own PRIVATE repository and your own development branch. If you have previuosly forked the repository through the GitHub UI (by clicking Fork), PLEASE DO NOT PUSH ANY CODE TO YOUR PUBLIC FORKED REPOSITORY! Make sure your repository is PRIVATE before you git push any of your code.

If the instructor makes any changes to the code, you can merge the changes to your code by keeping your private repository connected to the CMU-DB master repository. Execute the following commands to add a remote source:

You can then pull down the latest changes as needed during the semester:

Setting Up Your Development Environment

First install the packages that BusTub requires:

See the README for additional information on how to setup different OS environments.

To build the system from the commandline, execute the following commands:

We recommend always configuring CMake in debug mode. This will enable you to output debug messages and check for memory leaks (more on this in below sections).

You can test the individual components of this assignment using our testing framework. We use GTest for unit test cases. You can disable tests in GTest by adding a DISABLED_ prefix to the test name. To run the tests from the command-line:

In this project, there are no hidden tests. In the future, the provided tests in the starter code are only a subset of the all the tests that we will use to evaluate and grade your project. You should write additional test cases on your own to check the complete functionality of your implementation.

Make sure that you remove the DISABLED_ prefix from the test names otherwise they will not run!

Your code must follow the Google C++ Style Guide . We use Clang to automatically check the quality of your source code. Your project grade will be zero if your submission fails any of these checks.

Execute the following commands to check your syntax. The format target will automatically correct your code. The check-lint and check-clang-tidy targets will print errors that you must manually fix to conform to our style guide.

Memory Leaks

For this project, we use LLVM Address Sanitizer (ASAN) and Leak Sanitizer (LSAN) to check for memory errors. To enable ASAN and LSAN, configure CMake in debug mode and run tests as you normally would. If there is memory error, you will see a memory error report. Note that macOS only supports address sanitizer without leak sanitizer .

In some cases, address sanitizer might affect the usability of the debugger. In this case, you might need to disable all sanitizers by configuring the CMake project with:

Development Hints

You can use BUSTUB_ASSERT for assertions in debug mode. Note that the statements within BUSTUB_ASSERT will NOT be executed in release mode. If you have something to assert in all cases, use BUSTUB_ENSURE instead.

We will test your implementation in release mode. To compile your solution in release mode,

Post all of your questions about this project on Piazza. Do not email the TAs directly with questions.

TAs will not look into your code or help you debug in this project.

The instructor and TAs will not teach you how to debug your code.

Grading Rubric

In order to pass this project, you must ensure your code follows the following guidelines:

Note that we will use additional test cases to grade your submission that are more complex than the sample test cases that we provide you in future projects.

Late Policy

There are no late days for this project.

You will submit your implementation to Gradescope:

• https://www.gradescope.com/courses/674039

Run this command in build directory and it will create a zip archive called project0-submission.zip that you can submit to Gradescope.

Although you are allowed submit your answers as many times as you like, you should not treat Gradescope as your only debugging tool. Most students submit their projects near the deadline, and thus Gradescope will take longer to process the requests. You may not get feedback in a timely manner to help you debug problems. Furthermore, the output from Gradescope is unlikely to be as informative as the output from a debugger (like gdb ), provided you invest some time in learning to use it.

CMU students should use the Gradescope course code announced on Piazza.

Collaboration Policy

• Every student must work individually on this assignment.
• Students are allowed to discuss high-level details about the project with others.
• Students are not allowed to copy the contents of a white-board after a group meeting with other students.
• Students are not allowed to copy solutions from another person.
• In this project, you are allowed to search on Google or ask ChatGPT high-level questions like "what is CRDT", "how to use std::move ".

WARNING: All of the code for this project must be your own. You may not copy source code from other students or other sources that you find on the web. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. See CMU's Policy on Academic Integrity for additional information.