Barry MuirManaging multiple projects with a limited pool of resources is challenging for many industry sectors. Workforce planning tools have a large role to play as organisations strive to optimise the utilisation of their staff, whilst ensuring that individual project commitments will be met.
Within engineering services,
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Barry MuirManaging a portfolio of projects with a limited pool of resources is a rollercoaster ride. No sooner do you have the skills capacity nicely balanced with demand when a new project arrives, seeking resources that are already fully-committed. Where the projects are for external clients, this can jeopardise key dates,
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Barry MuirMany projects fail to meet their expectations, not only when the deliverables are examined, but also in their costs and timescales. Too often the project estimate is wide of the mark because the project’s risks turn out to be greater than expected. Experienced project managers know the importance of understanding what’s being taken on before setting expectations.
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Barry MuirAs new projects emerge, resources get allocated and project teams are formed. Often the source of these teams are departments that need to manage other tasks as well. For effective Team capacity planning, each team must efficiently manage their incoming tasks. This can be particularly difficult when team members have to balance conflicting demands between project and departmental tasks.
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Barry MuirNo sooner is the new project plan signed off than something changes. A project plan is simply an estimate of the work required to achieve the project ‘s goals, spread over what is hoped to be a realistic timescale. Yet, for all but the simplest projects, progress is unlikely to go according to plan.
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Barry MuirThe need to improve the UK’s productivity post Brexit is back on the Agenda. David Smith, the respected Economics Editor of the Sunday Times has published a piece arguing that Improving productivity is essential to survival in a post-Brexit world. Ben Broadbent, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, has confirmed that the Monetary Policy Committee,
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Barry MuirAs the dust temporarily settles on the Brexit referendum, uncertainty reigns. Although pro Brexiteers see only a silver lining and no sign of project fear’s downturn, many businesses remain wary and are reviewing their investment decisions. Should non-essential projects proceed as planned or be put on the back burner?
For consulting firms and contractors that rely on this project workload,
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Barry MuirFinding people with the right mix of skills and experience is crucial to each project’s success. Resource management tools enable project managers to define what they are looking for, but the differences in how businesses are organized have created a variety of resource allocation processes. Each of these must be supported if effective collaboration between project and resource managers is to be achieved,
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inn8SoozWith employee productivity levels stalling and the UK government releasing high profile productivity improvement plans, what contribution can resource management software make?
Project based organizations face the challenge of constantly optimizing the utilization of their skilled resources where each project has its own timeline, priority and competency requirements.
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inn8SoozHow accurate are your resource management reports? Is the underlying data sufficiently consistent, current and complete to be credible?
Management relies heavily on the reports produced by resource management software. Committing to key project dates is based on the predicted availability of the required skills, and hiring and retraining programs are driven by the skills mix being forecast.
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