In Resource Management, the goal of meeting deadlines is key. However, we also realize that work is fluid and it is our job to be proactive in preventing any internal roadblocks to missed deadlines. It's our priority to keep the impact to the client and the internal team as minimal as possible.
In your role as a resource manager, providing a clear path for team members is crucial for their success. Collaborating with project managers to keep work continuously lined up, setting clear expectations, and meeting task level budgets, are all ways we help keep the project in check and on time. Here are 3 ways resource management benefits your business daily to keep work on track.
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MASTERS OF TIME TETRIS
Anyone who has worked on a client project, in any capacity, knows that when your business involves dealing with clients, the best laid plans can turn into a nightmare. There is no way to control when a client is late on a critical payment, has internal team delays or cannot meet the agreed upon deadline at the last hour. These scenarios can happen causing the domino effect of project managers having to reset the projects timeline, work expectations and team members work load.
This is where your resource management magic begins! In your role, you are a master of time Tetris. You are the sole person observing the daily moving pieces among all clients and project managers. With this set up, your business doesn’t come to a grinding halt to try to reset. Or need to hold non-billable, internal meetings to talk with your project management teams for next steps. No, you are prepared! You know all the moving work and can, with ease, move the developer who now has three days free to clean up a back log for another client.
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THE PROBLEM SOLVERS
When it comes to problem solving, there are many approaches that an individual can take. It usually consists of identifying the issue, coming up with solutions, agreeing on a solution with parties involved and then applying it. In the world of resource management, this is where your skills excel the most. You are the main support system between the project management, production and upper management teams, if not more.
Understanding what each team and its members needs and how that affects other teams is key. For example, if upper management wants to review the weekly numbers in order to confirm their plan for holiday bonuses, the following internal goals need to occur.
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Project managers are efficient in providing clear timelines and technical requirements to production team members. The goal of productivity is being met. In your role as resource manager, providing knowledge for all current and upcoming work will assist the project management team in keeping their projects aligned.
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Production team members are diligent in logging billable work being accomplished. Then, the goal of revenue is being met. In your role as resource manager, you're responsible for clearing roadblocks for time to be logged and confirming the prioritization of the work.
As each team may request different types of information from your role, the data can often be dependent among the various teams. It can create scenarios (as above) in which you problem solve more than once to achieve your end goal.
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THE KEEPER OF $$$
Being profitable is an important part of any business. However, it can easily become lost in the daily minutia while working on a project. Project managers have their focus on the administrative duties and the production team is cranking out results, so this is where value resource management is known. While you are not in charge of projects, a resource management role means that you can keep a pulse on the overall health of project. Is the scheduled work meeting the deadlines? Is the budget still on track? Is the client meeting their set expectations? Now, why is this specific task important to resource management? As the old saying goes, time is money.
Keeping an observation over all moving pieces helps provide a birds-eye view that may alert you when issues start to occur. Your role as a resource manager means that you keep project budgets in check, juggle time allocation, and problem solve when project deadlines become derailed. Your role means no last minute conference calls, no side conversations and wasted time. Share below how resource management has benefitted your business.
