Effective resource planning is a crucial objective for businesses of all sizes, whether they operate online or in traditional industries. Given the wide variety of businesses that require resource planning, it’s challenging to provide a one-size-fits-all recommendation for an online resource planner. This guide aims to help you navigate the selection process by posing essential questions that will guide you toward the best resource planning tools for your team.
What will you get with this article:
The role of resource planning software in project management.
Five key considerations and questions to ask when searching for an effective resource planner.
Examples of companies that have chosen Teamdeck.io as their primary resource planner.
Strategies for effectively managing capacity planning, project tasks, and business processes.
Resource planner, resource scheduler, resource planning software, project calendar, online calendar planner, etc. – are the terms that describe, generally speaking, the same. A resource planning tool allows you to manage resources and to allocate the right team members to the right projects/tasks/clients.
Resource planning is an integral part of resource management, which is the process of using a company’s resources in the most efficient way possible (source: Business Dictionary). It enables you to utilize your team better and make sure that everyone is working on something they’re well equipped to do. As a result of resource capacity, your projects and commitments are more likely to be successful.
A bird’s-eye view of team members, project team, project, and tasks.
Note that in this blog post, we’ll focus only on online management software —dedicated apps for resource planning, resource scheduling, and other resource management tools. It’s possible to utilize a spreadsheet (or another tool that works for you) for allocating your team members’ work.
However, we believe that software that’s been designed for that purpose will ultimately make the project portfolio management process more efficient and effective. Plus, you can find resource planners at different price points (including free options, especially for small teams). You should be able to find something right for your budget and needs.
Resource planning tools have evolved significantly over the years, moving from basic scheduling aids to sophisticated platforms that offer a range of functionalities designed to enhance efficiency and productivity. Let’s delve deeper into how these tools work and the various features they offer.
Modern resource planning tools provide a centralized dashboard where managers can view and manage all resources. This comprehensive view includes details about ongoing projects, resource allocations, and upcoming deadlines. The ability to see all this information in one place helps in making informed decisions quickly.
Example: A marketing agency working on multiple campaigns simultaneously can use the centralized dashboard to track which team members are working on which campaigns, their current workloads, and upcoming deadlines. This visibility ensures that no project is overlooked and that resources are optimally utilized.
Effective resource planning tools facilitate real-time collaboration among team members. Features like shared calendars, instant messaging, and collaborative document editing ensure that everyone stays on the same page, regardless of their physical location.
Scenario: A tech startup with teams spread across different time zones can use these features to coordinate work seamlessly. Team members can update their availability, communicate changes, and adjust schedules in real time, reducing delays and misunderstandings.
Reporting and analytics are critical for understanding how resources are being utilized and where improvements can be made. Many resource planning tools offer detailed reports on resource allocation, project progress, and team performance. These insights are invaluable for strategic planning and optimizing resource use.
Case Study: A construction company uses advanced analytics to monitor the utilization of heavy machinery and labor across various sites. By analyzing these reports, they can identify underused equipment or overburdened staff, allowing for better resource distribution and cost savings.
Resource planning software plays a pivotal role in project management by ensuring that resources are allocated effectively and projects are completed on time and within budget. Here’s how it integrates with project management processes:
Resource planners help project managers create detailed schedules that consider the availability and capabilities of their team members. This scheduling goes beyond simple task assignments, incorporating factors like skill sets, experience, and workload balance.
Insight: In software development, assigning tasks to team members with the right expertise is crucial for efficiency. A resource planner can help match developers to tasks that align with their skills and experience, ensuring that complex coding challenges are handled by those best equipped to solve them.
Balancing workloads is essential to prevent burnout and ensure that all team members are working at optimal capacity. Resource planning tools provide visual representations of workload distribution, making it easy to identify when some team members are overloaded or underutilized.
Example: In a legal firm, some lawyers might be overbooked with cases while others have lighter schedules. A resource planner helps distribute cases more evenly, ensuring that all lawyers have manageable workloads and clients receive timely attention.
Projects often have tasks that are interdependent, meaning one task cannot start until another is completed. Resource planning software can help identify these dependencies and potential bottlenecks in advance, allowing managers to plan accordingly and keep the project on track.
Scenario: A film production team uses a resource planner to manage shooting schedules, ensuring that actors, sets, and equipment are all available at the right times. By anticipating dependencies, they can avoid costly delays and ensure a smooth production process.
Before you search for your team’s new resource planner, you must understand the benefits that resource management (and specifically effective resource scheduling and planning) can provide. Different companies will appreciate different benefits from resource availability and, as such, prioritize specific features when looking for a resource scheduler or project management tool with that functionalities.
Avoiding scheduling conflicts – one of the many roles of a resource planner
For instance, when you are in an organization that works on multiple projects simultaneously, it will be crucial for you to have a tool that enables you to coordinate your project portfolio and align multiple schedules to deliver projects.
So, what are the main upsides of planning resources with the help of a dedicated app?
The images below show the interface of Teamdeck, the resource planning software we’ve built. If you have any questions about the tool, let us know!
Sure, it’s effortless to allocate resources to a given assignment using a schedule planning app, but so is writing it down on a piece of paper or in a spreadsheet. The real advantage of resource planners lies in their ability to help you change your team’s schedules. Flexible planning is much easier when you know that you can quickly reallocate your resources or try out different scheduling options. Many resource management apps allow you to drag and drop various assignments—it’s convenient when you have to move things around quickly.
Resource management apps help you fix project scheduling conflicts by quickly editing the schedule, but they also allow you to avoid them in the first place. It’s possible because you can see the availability of your employees (including part-timers or freelancers working for your company). This insight makes it possible for you to plan the work more successfully. After all, you won’t be surprised by unexpected vacations or other commitments.
Resource managers or PMs want to make sure that team members have work to do, but they’re not overwhelmed with assignments. Resource scheduling tools help you to strike the right balance here: you can monitor people’s workload and reallocate employees to future projects when needed.
When you implement a resource management tool or app at your organization, you give everyone a better understanding of what’s going on at the company – all are on the same page. Managers can assess the schedules of different projects, while employees and each team member see what they have in store for the upcoming days, what other project phases are.
Better work and project transparency thanks to the resource planner. Booking, workload management, leave tracking.
Before you even start analyzing different resource management software tools, you should take a moment to think about your company’s needs. Knowing what you’re looking for will make the decision process easier.
You can start with the following questions:
What kind of resources do you want to schedule (e.g., people, equipment, office space)?
What do you want to plan (e.g., projects, shifts, events)?
Do you use any other tools?
What is your team’s structure?
What are your team’s habits?
Let’s take a close look at each of these questions. The first thing you have to think about is the type of resources you want to plan. You have probably noticed that we have mostly referred to people scheduling tools managing resources and processes throughout this blog post. You may as well want to create schedules for non-human resources. Say that you have just a handful of conference rooms that need to be allocated to different people every day. Or that you have some equipment that needs to be booked in advance.
Most resource management apps allow you to enter both human and non-human resources into the system, but many tools have been designed for human resource planning specifically. If your primary capacity planning focus is on inanimate resources, don’t worry: there’s probably a dedicated resource planner for that purpose (e.g., equipment manager or office space planner)
Granted, we could generally say that every company works on some type of project. Still, you need to dig deeper into the requirements of your work. Do you want to plan long-term projects (e.g., software development)? Or perhaps you need to plan daily work shifts or one-time gigs. Different industries will have specific needs here, and you might want to look for other job roles: say, a shift planner for restaurants.
The first two questions should have narrowed down your search to a particular segment of the market. Now it’s time to evaluate the features of different tools within that segment.
For starters, you need to make sure that a new resource planner will fit into your team’s toolbox. It’s especially important when your team utilizes several online tools (like project management software, chat or content creation apps). You want the new planner to integrate seamlessly with your existing ecosystem. Ask whether the app you’re evaluating has sufficient integrations, extensions, or options for customizing it (with API, for example).
Then, analyze the structure of your project managers and teams (the people who will use the planner). Chances are that you will want to grant different kinds of permissions to different team members. Make sure you will be able to do it in the app.
Finally, take your employees resource managers’ habits into account. For example, if your teams spend a lot of their work time on the go, it makes sense to use a tool with a robust mobile app.
It’s always useful to compare the app you’re taking into consideration with other popular but best project planning tools. Many apps offer dedicated comparison pages (we’ve created such sites for people seeking alternatives for Resource Guru, Monday, and Wrike).
Even if you think that a given app ticks all the boxes upon reading a product description, it’s imperative that you try it out. This way, you’ll get a sense of user experience and test different features before rolling it out to the whole team.
One option will be to utilize a free trial that many products offer. Sign up and explore the app on your own before introducing your team. Alternatively, you can ask for a product demo—it’s an excellent opportunity to assess a given company’s customer support.
At Teamdeck, we offer two options:
Sign up for a 30-day FREE Trial. You will get full access to the app and will be able to transition to the premium membership when the trial expires seamlessly. Tip: if you want to see what it’s like to use Teamdeck in real-life scenarios, you can import sample data to your account and play around.
Schedule a call with Aniela. She will discuss your needs, show you the different capabilities of our resource planner, resource reports, how to plan resources and plan projects, and help you decide whether it’s the right fit.
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