Resource management

Resource management as part of project management is used to identify and assign project participants ( resources ) and use them as efficiently as possible.

Municipal resource management

In contrast to resource management in project portfolio management and project management, municipal resource management should be mentioned. Sustainable urban development can only be ensured through holistic municipal resource management. The finiteness of fossil fuels and rising material and procurement costs are forcing municipalities to act actively and proactively. The aspects of housing, health management, recruiting skilled workers and social security must also be taken into account. Using the example of the city of Delitzsch , a comprehensive scientific study for Germany could be presented for the first time in 2014.

Forms of economic dealing with resources are also negotiated under the term resource management .

Processes

The PMBOK guide provides three main processes for this:

Organization in the project

All persons and roles in the project are identified and recorded as part of a stakeholder analysis (confidential document) and an organizational chart (public document). The reporting channels are coordinated and recorded with the parties involved.

Recruiting staff

The procurement of project staff is organization-dependent. In some organizations , the project manager has only limited influence on the choice of what limits his options for action. Nevertheless, it is his job to acquire suitable employees for the project.

Team development

Team development serves to improve the skills of the individual and the entire group. It is usually worthwhile to see this topic across projects and in the long term.

Resource management in practice

Resource management is an essential area in project portfolio management and project management and is used to optimally plan human and material resources.

Resource Management Challenges

Capacity and resource management is a demanding sub-area of project and portfolio management. Resource management is very demanding for all stakeholders due to its three levels (strategic, tactical and operational), the social elements and the complex requirements. The challenges that go against structured and systematic resource management are varied:

Lack of transparency about existing roles and resources
Illnesses, resignations or interpersonal problems make tactical planning difficult
Managers often make ad hoc decisions about projects and staff allocations
Key resources are overbooked
Ongoing projects are taking up more capacity than planned
Employees are allocated to several projects with dependencies, which requires multi-project management
Employees are never available with 100% of their capacity for planned activities (net capacity)

Planning boards and capacity overviews are often used for a clear presentation. These are usually part of project management software or project portfolio management software . Color codes or a histogram are often used to represent the utilization of resources . In addition to planning personnel resources, planning material resources such as meeting rooms or equipment can also be useful.

Benefits of resource planning and resource management

Free resources can be identified quickly
High transparency about which resources are used and when
Easy way to reschedule resources and keep track of things
Employees have clearly defined tasks and are not overloaded

Of course, it is important to tell employees which projects they are assigned to and which tasks they have to perform. That is why resource management is sometimes also included in solutions such as an issue tracking system , project management software or an ERP system .

Dimensions of resource management

Resource management is based on three dimensions:

1. Strategic dimension: The implementation of projects with resources ideally follows the strategy of a company. Long-term resource management asks about the available and necessary resources (capacity, skills) for the implementation of the strategy. Existing capacities and skills and the corporate strategy are coordinated and resource development can be planned.

2. Tactical dimension: Medium-term resource management deals with the specific allocation of resources to projects. In order for staffing to be meaningful, projects must be prioritized and given capacity requirements. During staffing, capacity requirements are then booked down from a role to a person. In addition to the allocation, the acquisition of resources (hiring new employees, outsourcing) is also a task at this planning level.

3. Operational dimension: The operational dimension asks how changes can be dealt with during an ongoing project and how tasks can be managed efficiently.

Individual evidence

↑ Manfred Wilde (ed.): The sustainable city. Future-proof communal resource management. De Gruyter, Oldenbourg, Munich 2014, ISBN 978-3-11-035382-2 .
^ ^A ^b Frederik Ahlemann, Nadine Limbeck, Andreas Drechsler: Capacity and Resource Management. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
↑ Jens Hirschinger: Histograms for resource management. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
↑ Resource planning - the supreme discipline in project portfolio management. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .