Project Managers are usually trained and advised to think of the possible scenarios or situations that could cause obstructions and constrictions, which could hinder a successful project execution. This is exactly where the resource identification, resource allocation and management process becomes important.
Collectively, Resource Management Plan deals with identifying and planning the effective use of resources required by the project. We will try and understand the meaning and importance of resource management and resource management plan with respect to overall project management in detail in this article. You can also enroll in one of the best certification for Project Manager and get more insights on Resource Management Plan.
What is a Resource Management Plan?
Before understanding Project Resource Management Plan, let us define the term "Resources". A Resource in Project management can be defined as any asset, tool, component, and trained/skilled workforce needed to accomplish the project tasks. Depending on the type and the nature of the project, the resources could be but are not limited to:
- Raw materials/data
- Capital/Budget
- Trained/Knowledgeable Human Workforce in the form of employees, vendors, and contractors.
- Tools/Software
- Other equipment/data models, etc.
Resources are collectively everything needed to complete your project at an optimal cost and in a desirable timeline. Resource management is the art of managing your resources in a coherent and cohesive manner. Resource Management Plan is, therefore, a process of identifying, securing, allocating, and managing the resources necessary to complete the project task or project in general.
Resource management plan works as a roadmap, guideline, or master scheduler for securing, segregating, allocating, managing, and finally releasing the project resources. Failure to secure or efficiently manage a resource will adversely affect the project cost or the timeline, and therefore It is an important part of the overall Project Management Plan. PMP certification classes online are recommended to understand Resource Management in a Project Management Plan context.
Components of a Resource Management Plan
As the relevance of required project resources depends on the nature of the project, the components of a resource management plan might also vary slightly depending on the goals of the project and the nature of the objectives of the project/organization. In general terms – we can list the main components below:
- List and Understand the Goals and Objectives of the Project. This should be unequivocal and agreed upon by all stakeholders.
- Identify your Project Resources: Identify your resources and understand where the resources come from. For instance, in the case of certain internal projects, you might have all the project resources readily available internally within the organization, but some of the larger projects might warrant for vendors and contractors and involve outsourcing a part of the project.
- Budget and Costing: Budget and costing is an important part of the overall project management. An efficient project manager always tracks and plans to keep his allocated project in check. Similarly, you should decide and come to a consensus on how much of the available project cost or budget – can be allocated to project resources. Identifying your resources also helps in budgeting and costing.
- Management and Control: Draw and define procedures/policies that control the use of resources within the project. Ensure transparency and assign responsibilities for the effective use of all project resources that, includes resource management tools, software, access control and managing skilled/unskilled workforce that is required for the completion of the project.
How to Create a Resource Management Plan?
Once you understand and get a hold of each of the project resource management plan components listed in the previous section and can understand the importance, creating a resource management plan should be easy. But it is also necessary to learn the best practices to create. Let us look at what steps are usually involved when you create a Resource Management Plan
1. Review Related Plans
Always review other related plans and timelines. Your resource management plan should work coherently with all other aspects of your project management plan towards a common goal and on a common timeline. To understand all aspects are considered, it might be helpful to review the below plans/reports in general
- Work Breakdown Structure: It is a technique of breakdown projects into smaller tasks while still integrating the project scope.
- Project Charter: Project Charter is a document that explains the scope and objective of the project.
- Project Schedule: As the name suggests Project Schedule is a timetable that organizes tasks and resources with respect to due dates.
- Project Quality Standards and Metrics: Project Quality Standards and Metrics are the Key Performance Indicators of the Project.
2. Understanding Organization's Resource-related Policies
Before you create a resource management plan, you should thoroughly understand your organization's resource related policies. This will help you understand the liabilities and legal complications of some external resources you intend to use or plan for.
3. Scheduling Resources based on Availability
Securing a resource does not usually always guarantee the availability of the resource or for an indefinite amount of time. For instance, if there is a need for access to an external software tool by the project development team to complete the project – it might make sense to ensure that the project team is not otherwise occupied by other tasks of the project which might not let them use the access to a software tool to its full potential.
4. Keeping a Tab on the Progress of the Project
The project timeline and progress must be monitored to control resource allocation accordingly. This will help you improvise based on the changing project conditions.
5. Conducting Post-project Review
Conducting a post project review will help you understand how effectively your project resources were used and how your project resource management plan helped you deliver a successful project, along with pointing out anomalies and deviations from the original resource management plan. You can get Training in PRINCE2 foundation and practitioner certification programs and learn more about post-product review.
What is Included in Resource Management Plan?
A good, detailed resource management plan will comprehensively include all the below aspects:
- Resources: Identification of resources as to what tools, people force, office space and additional equipment are needed for the project.
- Quantity: The quantity of each resource needed at a given time.
- Timeframes: The timeframe for which the identified resources, in their respective quantities, would be needed for the successful completion of the project task.
- Roles & Responsibilities: To assign ownership of the resource and avoid conflicts, the resource management plan should include the roles and responsibilities of teams/individuals handling the resources to accomplish project tasks.
- Assumptions and Constraints: Identifying and communicating the assumptions and constraints of the project resources with all actors is important and explains the validity of the resource management plan. For instance, availability of employees, signing of contracts with vendors/contractors, etc.,
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Resource Management Planning Tips
Resource Management is mostly specific to the project and project situations that we intend to plan and prepare to handle efficiently with constraints like budget, availability of the tools, resources, etc. Some of the tips are as below, but the relevance can vary based on the requirement and project variables:
- Do not overuse or over commit your resources.
- Always plan to review and adapt as needed
- Monitor unplanned work or task lists and measure their impact.
- Incorporate any significant addition/impact due to the dynamic nature of the project into your resource management plan
- Avoid conflicts in schedule due to Multi-tasking
- Prepare for contingencies on critical dependencies.
Resource Management Plan Template
A resource management plan template is an example document that could give you a fair idea of how to develop your resource management plan in a presentable format. For the benefit of our readers, we are including a free resource management plan template in downloadable PDF format.
Benefits of Creating Resource Management Plan
- Offers Safety: In real life, we all operate under numerous constraints and Project Success could be difficult under certain circumstances. Resource Management Plan proves how you have effectively used all your resources and did everything you could, irrespective of whether the result was closer to the original goal.
- Avoids Unexpected Hurdles: A Resource Management Plan allows you to foresee hurdles and impediments during the project lifecycle.
- Prevents Burnout: Assigning roles and responsibilities to your resources ensures moderation and collective involvement, avoiding individual burnout.
- Measures Efficiency: The review will provide insight into how your resources are used to accomplish the project goals.
- Builds Transparency: A resource management plan builds transparency with defined roles and responsibilities for all actors/stakeholders of the project.
Conclusion
A resource management plan is essential for smooth management and coordination of projects. It may be time-consuming to put together a comprehensive and detailed resource management plan, but the benefits of transparency, workload management, early communication, and the ability to be proactive in preparing and planning for conflicts and contingencies are often considered well worth the effort spent in devising a resource management plan. Developing a resource management plan also involves problem solving and adapting to dynamic situations and dependencies in the project life cycle.
