In today’s blog post, we will learn about project resource management. This is a very important topic to understand in the world of project management because resources are scarce and it is important to know how and when to use them. We will start off by talking about what project resource management is and then go into some of the processes involved in resource management. Let’s get into it!
Defining Project Resource Management
Now when you think about project resource management the first thing that probably comes to mind is the financial side of things and managing that well. While managing the finances is very important, it is not the whole story of what the term resources refers to. Project resource management is defined as “the processes required to make the most effective use of the human and physical resources” (Schwalbe). So this includes things like “facilities, equipment, materials, supplies (Schwalbe)”, and many other things that can be considered as a resource. If you notice what defines each of the things listed as a resource you might be able to see that all of them are limited. So making the most effective use out of every single resource is very important to not only making a good product, but keeping the project on time and under budget as well.
Now that we have defined what project resource management is, let's dive a little deeper into the processes that actually make up resource management.
Planning Resource Management
This process includes deciding how you and your team will “estimate, acquire, manage, and use project resources” (Schwalbe). There are a couple of different things that can go into this process such as creating a staffing management plan, team charters, and the responsibility assignment matrix.
Staffing Management Plan: This describes when and how people will be added onto the project and how they will eventually be taken off of the project when they will no longer be needed.
Team Charter: Team charters are really used to help build team chemistry, promote teamwork, and clarify communication within the team. There are multiple things that can go into this such as team values, communication guidelines, conflict resolution process, meeting guidelines, and team agreements.
Responsibility Assignment Matrix: This helps the team to “map the work of the project, as described in the WBS, to the people responsible for performing the work” (Schwalbe). This really helps the team understand their individual responsibilities so that there is no confusion. It is important for resource management too because of the fact that everyone can know exactly what their job is and waste less time doing other things.
2. Estimating Activity Resources
This is a very simple process that is easy to define and understand. It involves estimating the human and physical resources that will be needed for the project. Some of the outputs of this process are “resource requirements, a resource breakdown structure, and project documents updates” (Schwalbe).
Resource Breakdown Structure: This “is a hierarchical structure that identifies the project’s resources by category and type” (Schwalbe). The categories that might be used in this output could look like analysts, programmers, and testers.
3. Acquiring Resources
This can look like “obtaining team members, facilities, equipment, materials, supplies and other resources as needed” (Schwalbe). Some of the outputs for this process “include physical and project team assignments, resource calendars, change requests, and updates to several documents” (Schwalbe).
Resource Assignment: Assigning resources appropriately is a massive part of creating a product that is on time and within budget. This can take many forms but one of the ways to look at it is knowing what people to assign to which task. It can also include finding additional personnel to work or additional physical resources.
4. Developing the Project Team
This process includes “ building individual and group skills to enhance project performance” (Schwalbe). It can look very different depending on the team, the personalities on the team, and how exactly the project manager wants the team to run. It can also include training, team building activities, and other things that can help to develop a team. Some of the outputs of this process are “team performance assessments, change requests, and updates to several documents” (Schwalbe).
Team Performance Assessments: These are fairly self explanatory. It is a way to let your team know how they are performing and ways that they can improve. Letting your team know how they have performed is a very valuable resource to a company because if your team is not told how they are doing whether it be bad or good, there will not be any growth.
Updates to Several Documents: This can include changes to documents such as project team assignments, resource breakdown structure, and several others.
5. Managing the Project Team
This process is exactly what it sounds like, it involves “tracking team member performance, motivating team members, providing timely feedback, resolving issues and conflicts, and coordinating changes to help enhance project performance” (Schwalbe). While this might not seem too closely related to resource management, it definitely is. Making sure that your team is in the right spot is able to handle conflict well is important, as well as giving them good feedback on their work.
Resolving Issues and Conflicts: A team that is at war with each other will never complete a project, let alone create a good product. Knowing how to handle internal conflict is a skill that must be developed as a project manager and knowing how to handle it correctly is even more important.
Motivating Team Members: Motivating the team members is also very important because if they do not feel supported in their work, then the outcome might be worse than expected. Without feeling like a valued member of the team they might just try and do the minimum work required instead of actually creating a quality product.
Coordinating Changes to Help Project Performance: Changes are inevitable in projects and there must be processes in place to help make necessary changes. As a project manager you must be able to know when and how to make changes that will benefit the performance of the project.
There you have it! The processes that are listed above are all of what goes into Project Resource Management. Now of course there is still more that can be talked about within this subject but this post is just meant to serve as a brief overview of what it is and the processes that are included within project resource management.
Sources:
Schwalbe, Kathy. Information Technology Project Management. Available from: Yuzu, (9th Edition). Cengage Learning US, 2023.
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