Resource planning is a fundamental pillar to helping creative agencies maintain profitability by completing projects on time and within budget. But beyond profitability, resource management can also determine the health of your agency. If your staff is overutilized, that leads to burnout and employee turnover. If your resources are underutilized, then you are missing out on revenue. So what’s the best way to get started with resource planning? Here are five critical components to help you succeed:
Start With a Clear Scope of Work
Make sure that your deliverables and outcome are clearly defined so you know what success looks like. Once you know the end goal, you can map out what resources are needed to help you get there.
Build Out the Project Plan
Next up is to start estimating and allocating resources outlined in the project plan. Align deliverables with the schedule and budget, so you know what your needs are and when.
Line Up the Needed Resources
Now that you’re armed with a project plan letting you know your resource needs, you can start checking which internal resources are available and what gaps you have, if any. After internal resources are assigned, you can evaluate how to tackle obtaining any needed external resources.
Bring the Resources Into the Project Plan
It’s time to set expectations with your resources on deliverables, including establishing a clear and easy means of collaborating. This will enable quick communication to handle any speed bumps along the way.
Monitor Resources Across the Agency
This applies to both projects in flight as well as any upcoming projects. By maintaining visibility into your resource allocation, you’ll be better equipped to shift resources to any critical deadlines or free up resources as needed for potential projects.
Better Resource Management Efficiency With the Right Agency Solution
Take a closer look at resource planning best practices in this webinar: Effectively and Efficiently Manage Internal and External Resources on Projects. Watch this 30 minute session and learn how Deltek WorkBook can bring greater visibility and efficiency to your agency’s resource management and help you manage detailed budgets, track project plans & resourcing, and compare budget vs allocated vs actuals. Find out how Deltek WorkBook can help you gain better overall visibility into capacity across your entire agency – click here to watch.
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