Any Project Manager is worth their position and experience in project resource management because managing people and projects together are the scope of any project management. To help an organization’s workforce perform at its best, I will share the most used resource management tools and best practices along with some of the most effective resource management techniques.

What is Project Resource Management?

In the process of project resource management, the responsibility of predicting, gathering, and overseeing all the critical team members, equipment, and resources required to achieve project success lies. This process also entails organizing and scheduling resources and their allocated time to ensure a seamless workflow.

A “resource” is a generic term for a person or tool (such as software or hardware) that is needed to finish a project. Human resources and equipment are the two main categories of resources in project management. Time and money could also be viewed as project resources.

The Process

Below are several crucial steps in the project resource management process:

1. Resource Management
2. Calculating and allocating resources
3. Obtaining Resources
4. Organizing and leading the team
5. Continuously assessing further resource needs

You specify the requirements necessary to complete the project in resource planning. Making a work breakdown structure or another resource planning visualization may be required. Then you perform resource allocation (based on the resource availability) and estimate resources for project delivery to decide how much time each team member will spend working on the project.

Following the completion of project planning, you must obtain resources (internally or externally) to finish the work before building and overseeing the project team. Finally, you evaluate resources frequently to keep an eye on and manage project progress.

Resources are not limitless for any project. This is because not every person assigned to a project devotes their entire time to it. When resource utilization metrics or the percentage of time people devote to a project, are calculated, planning, estimating, and resource allocation become easier. Scope and budget are two additional resource restrictions in addition to time.

When managing new projects, you can use a variety of resource management techniques to help you get around these restrictions. Here, we’ll go over a few of the most popular methods.

Resource Loading

Determining how much work is expected from team members to complete based on their capacity is done through resource loading, which assumes that the project’s start and end dates are fixed. When taking into account paid time off, sick days, and miscellaneous breaks, the resource load is reduced to 50% or 60% as capacity should not be at 100%.

Estimating resources

There are two main ways to estimate project resources:

1. Bottom-up: Estimate the time each team member will need to spend on each deliverable from the bottom up.
2. Top-down: Based on the most important roles necessary for project success and your project budget as a constraint, assign human resources to those positions.

Resource Distribution

This must be done in order to perform resource allocation.

Identifying the skill set needed to complete the project’s tasks.

Calculating the number of hours each task will take. Plan your resource capacity, or choose who will work on what tasks based on their availability and the project schedule.

Resource Management

Techniques for resource optimization strike a balance between supply and demand. To complete projects on schedule and within budget, resource optimization aims to maximize available resources. Resource evaluating and resource smoothing are two different types of resource optimization.

Resources Evaluating

Calculating the amount of work, you anticipate team members will complete based on capacity is the first step in resource evaluation, similar to resource loading. Project start and end dates are flexible based on the available resources, which is the main difference in resource evaluation.

Resources Smoothing

You can use the resource smoothing technique to reduce demand while remaining within the given time constraints. The main resource constraints of your project are the start and end dates, which cannot be changed. Engaging a more seasoned individual who can finish the job in less time is an example of resource smoothing.

Resource Planning

Resource planning makes predictions about future project resource needs. To improve your forecast and prevent overallocation, plan periodic project health checks to:

• Comparing actual costs to the budget
• Ensure that work consistent with their skills and interests engages team members
• Improve project procedures in light of lessons learned

Resources Management Tools

After discussing resource management strategies, we’ll be discussing several tools you can use to manage your project and team.

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Plans for Resource Management

A project resource management plan specifies distributing, organizing, and utilizing resources during a project. To support organizational decision-making, resource plans provide readily available, accurate data for project stakeholders.

Resource Calendars

The calendars are helpful for scheduling project tasks because they display staffing availability. Resource calendars should be made at the start of a project and updated frequently as it moves forward and new information becomes available.

Organization Resource Structure

To list the resources necessary for project completion, a resource organization structure is commonly employed. Typically, this takes the form of a tree diagram or hierarchical outline. A resource breakdown structure lists the people, tools, or other materials, time, and money required to complete the work, whereas a work breakdown structure lists the tasks necessary to complete project deliverables.

By aligning team members with necessary tasks, a resource organization structure can highlight dependencies and enhance project workflows.

Software for Resource Management

Consider using comprehensive resource management software like Orangescrum and others to manage your team and resources more effectively and complete initiatives more quickly.

Software tools for resource management, such as those for resource planning, resource allocation, resource scheduling (plus web-based options), and capacity planning, each focus on a different stage of the project lifecycle.

Project Resource Management Best Practices

The most successful teams follow the below project resource management best practices regarding project resource management:

• Observe moderation. Things always take longer than we expect. A realistic buffer should be included to account for potential delays.
• Keep track of your suppositions. It’s crucial to make your thoughts clear when creating your resource plan. This aids in coordinating the scope and level of effort with stakeholders.
• Keep an eye on and revise your plan. For your resource management plan to be effective, it must be a living document. After completing the project, you can derive lessons learned that will assist you in estimating the effort needed for future projects.

Project Resource Management (PRM) is the process of effectively planning, allocating, and managing the resources (people, equipment, and materials) needed to successfully complete a project. A PRM guide typically identifies and acquires the resources needed for the project, including personnel, equipment, and materials. Assigning resources to specific tasks and ensuring that they are used efficiently and effectively. Monitoring and recording the use of resources throughout the project, including time and cost data. Continuously reviewing and adjusting resource allocation to ensure that the project stays on track and within budget. Identifying and mitigating potential risks related to resource availability and allocation. Ensure that the resource management process involves informing and involving all project stakeholders. Generating reports and using data analytics to track resource usage and identify trends and patterns. Utilizing industry-standard tools and best practices to improve resource management processes.

Effective resource management for the success of a project, including the need to plan, allocate, and track resources effectively. The main goal of PRM is to ensure that the project stays on schedule, within budget, and meets its objectives. Project resource management with Orangescrum project management software helps to plan, allocate, and track resources. It also helps project managers and teams to effectively manage resources, improve communication and collaboration, and ensure that projects stay on schedule and within budget. Try Orangescrum with 15 days free trial

More and more people are recognizing the benefits of using open source software. Though the open source community has been actively promoting the benefits of open source software for years, there have never been as many open source projects in use as there are now. Open Source Project Management has been a major trend for businesses that manage software through Open Source Project Management Software.

However, the majority of people and businesses are still unsure or have little knowledge of the open source philosophy. For you to make an informed choice, this article will provide you with a summary of the top open source benefits and potential drawbacks.

We can know the open source software’s principal benefits through its advantages below:

1. Complete Openness

The purpose of open source software is the transparency of its code; what you see is what you get. In actuality, the complete transparency of its code is the source of many other benefits associated with open source software.

Users of open source software more conceivably trust the software vendor since they can view the source code. Resource management cannot be hectic while using open source project management software to manage the project. Additionally, because the source code is openly accessible, users can use it for long-term projects with confidence, knowing that the product won’t just be dropped.

2. Adaptability

Open source software and open source PM software are adaptable in that it enables programmers to inspect the code’s functionality and make adjustments as necessary. They can thereby modify the software to suit the requirements of their business or themselves. One of the biggest benefits of this kind of software is that it can fix troublesome components of the program.

One of the major benefits of open source software is its flexibility because it offers freedom from vendor lock-in and the capacity to extend and modify an application.

3. Agility

Agility is a word that every business dictionary loves to use. To stay ahead of the competition today, businesses must be nimble. Since it enables numerous approaches to a single problem, open source software excellently satisfies the need for agility and Agile Project Management.

The software made available to the public is frequently modified and updated by the open source community. Updates to commercial software happen more infrequently and typically for financial and business-related reasons.

4. Improved Safety

Open source proponents frequently assert that their software is safer than proprietary alternatives. Open source software is not, however, intrinsically more secure. Instead, the level of security is raised for several reasons.

• The number of code reviewers is increasing. As a result, more errors may be identified and resolved.
• Updates are performed more frequently, and issues are fixed much more quickly. This gives attackers very little time to take advantage of any coding flaws.

Open source components are frequently heavily utilized in closed-source software. However, this does not necessarily guarantee greater security, particularly when the open source components are inadequately maintained and infrequently updated.

5. Cost-Effectiveness

Open source software is frequently free or less expensive than proprietary software.

You consequently save money on license and maintenance costs. Additionally, the majority of open source solutions use fewer hardware resources to complete their job. In other words, you can reduce the cost of hardware!

The possibility for businesses to test the software in small-scale settings before implementing it widely is another cost-effective feature.

6. Beginning Modestly

In addition to being cost-effective, starting small and testing the open source software on a smaller scale has other advantages. Companies can check to verify if the proposed solution is the best one for them, for starters.

Teams frequently begin using open source software in businesses before switching to versions with commercial support as their demands expand. As a result, this open source benefit makes it simpler for businesses to test out various solutions and grow them as necessary.

7. Powering the Digital Transformation

The digital transformation’s driving force businesses that don’t participate in digital transformation frequently find themselves on the losing end of things as the globe advances.

This study shows that businesses are increasingly relying on open source software to drive digital transformation while enhancing effectiveness, adaptability, and interoperability. 48% of businesses cite the open source as a “very essential” driver of their digital transformation projects. They can be used in several software project management methodologies like Time Tracking, Schedule Management, Agile Project Management, and various others.

8. Community’s Ability

Team collaboration is incredibly effective, as demonstrated by open source communities and contributors. Developers frequently suggest improvements to the code to improve functionality, security, or other factors because it is publicly available. Any proprietary program simply cannot match this open source software advantage!

9. Finding Talent

Employing open source software enables businesses to draw in higher-level personnel. Additionally, it offers plenty of chances for developers to grow professionally and learn new things.

The ability to independently develop their projects appeals to many developers. Recruiters are having difficulty finding top-tier talent to work in their firms due to a developer shortage in the market. The use of open source projects may be the solution to this problem!

10. No lock-in with Vendors

One of the primary advantages of open source software is the freedom to use, modify, and distribute it (with some licenses more than others).

This freedom includes the ability to discontinue using the software without suffering severe consequences. Organizations that use proprietary software run the risk of being forced to stay by price hikes and the vendor’s inability to withdraw without losing any data.

Conclusion

Open source software has risks like any other technology, but these risks are outweighed by its benefits. Open Source Project Management Software is the best option for choosing any OSS. The fact that open source projects are developed by a non-profit community and are free to use presents certain drawbacks.

The choice to use open source software should be based on several factors, as we have seen above, including the size of the end-user company, the scope of the project, the technical expertise of the end-user developers, and more. An end-user must carefully research the options, specifications, and developers for their type of project before deciding on open source software.

From the early pre-industrial era to the modern information age, the evolution of work has experienced several changes. The globe was greatly impacted by the outbreak. According to the Owl Labs State of Remote Working Report 2020, 77% of respondents concur that being able to work from home after COVID-19 would make them happy.

We are most definitely not going back in time given the degree of freedom and liberty with the new normal. The necessity of hybrid remote team management and onsite working styles has also been mentioned by several other international leaders. But are businesses and the sizable, multigenerational workforce prepared for this paradigm shift?

We believe Remote to be the new Normal

Working remotely does involve a lot of rethinking and adjusting. A substantial change in business culture requires a well-organized methodology and strong executive backing. Investments in infrastructure, technology, and tools may help enterprises profit from remote working while also empowering people.

We introduce the 3E approach of Embrace-Enable-Empower through this Point of View post to assist businesses and individuals in mastering the art of work from anywhere. According to our predictions, the workplace of the future will be a hybrid one that allows for remote team management. This transformation in the workplace and working methods is not merely a passing trend; it represents a revolution in the modern day.

Embrace

Every transition ushers in a fresh start. Embrace it from a new angle is the first step. The capacity of each of us to unwire and rewire the brain is significant. Being in a condition of resistance and frustration saps energy and is unhelpful. Therefore, to master the remote workforce in a frictionless mechanism and maintain this work style, we must continually concentrate on 3 pillars, both consciously and subconsciously.

Physical, mental, and emotional well-being

The importance of mental health was highlighted by nationwide lockdown scenarios brought on by the epidemic, particularly given the growth in feelings of loneliness and isolation among those who work from home. When designing the home office, ergonomics must be a top priority. This includes a sitting position, light intensity, an adjustable workstation, and comfy headphones. Filling timesheets isn’t fully about finishing tasks but to collaborate with the team efficiently.

Goals, Collaboration, and Learning

Making significant progress can be challenging without access to nearby peer colleagues, water cooler talks, or coffee breaks with coworkers, especially when the objective of the job is unclear. Leaders have to convey the mission, vision, and objectives in a way that is independent of place. Project management is not just about completing the task.

Work-Life Balance Social, Decoupling, and Flexibility

This calls for some wise decision-making and placing “Living holistically” above “Eat Work Sleep.” Team members will have a transparent view of each other’s schedules if availability hours are marked on the Open calendar. To live a peaceful existence without sacrificing the social or health aspect, it is equally vital to detach and dissociate from the work zone. Tracking resource availability and task management are the primary goals achieved through Open Calendar.

Enable

While a person may be prepared to embrace it, it’s also crucial to consider if our business is prepared to “enable the suitable ecology” to “work from anywhere.” Organizations must focus on and create the necessary circumstances and atmosphere to support remote working rather than merely giving lip service to it through marketing presentations and press releases. Time tracking is a very great alternate strategy to manage the work and workforce.

People’s Talent, Performance, and Joy

In the past several months, a variety of alternate choices for talent management have emerged, including online virtual training and virtual learning solutions. Gamification approaches virtualization and remote coaching possibilities have become the new standard. To revive the ongoing work environment and prevent burnout, organizations should make sure that there are possibilities for employee connection at regular intervals. This enhances resource availability and gears up the work.

Compliance with Processes, Security, and Guidelines

We still have a few compliance processes that are vestiges of the past that need the approver’s physical presence, even though the majority of these processes were digitalized in the pre-Covid period. Numerous routine procedures, like the approval of timesheets, leave requests, and the transfer of assets across borders, have been automated and meet compliance standards across enterprises. Task management has been automated and companies need to comply with the upgrade.

Regulations, Policies, Employee Benefits, and Infrastructure

Regulations that affect the remote way of working may be internal or external. Statutory entities, governmental agencies, and municipal governments define external regulations. Every company must explicitly adhere to them without regard to a deadline. It’s a little bit simpler for firms to connect their internal rules with the remote method of working when it comes to internal regulations as opposed to exterior policies and laws. This helps the PMOs with project management and remote team management in many ways.

Empower

Organizations and people need to be empowered in new ways to work from anywhere as personal and professional lives converge in the space of our homes. To bridge the gap between the individual and corporate environments, socio-technical solutions are required. There are unique and overlapping demands and obstacles that must be taken into account for individuals, teams, and management.

Personalization, productivity, and connectivity of individuals

To lessen stress on people as remote work becomes more common, flexibility in where one works—at the office, from home, or in communal spaces—would be crucial. It might be difficult to remain productive and focused in a home atmosphere when there are many demands on one’s time. Being productive and sustaining well-being both need self-discipline. PMOs should make sure that resource management should happen in easy terms.

Asynchrony, Teams, Hybrid Workspaces, and Transparency

Teams must have access to productivity, collaboration, and information-sharing tools through hosted cloud services to operate without a hitch on- or off-site. Office 365, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Google Workspace are a few examples. Furthermore, productive meetings in a hybrid workspace need conferencing capabilities together with applications and facilitation strategies that support group work and brainstorming.

Management Engagement, Communication, and Impact

Managers find it challenging in terms of resource management to assess team engagement levels, communication, and working styles without visible indications. Knowing personality types also enables equal emphasis and opportunity for both outspoken (extroverts, for example) and less vocal (introverts, for example) people. An important socio-psychological component in a hybrid work environment is eliminating the bias against team members whose in-person interactions have dominated those of the remote workforce.

A Fresh Approach

We underwent an unfathomably large-scale transition to a new way of working aka remote workforce and living as a result of the worldwide epidemic.

However, in the long term, this transformation will only be viable for businesses that have addressed it in a well-thought-out, systematic way.

In this digital age, the remote workforce of employees is strong, and it is essential to include their voices and opinion while making adjustments and putting systemic changes into place.

Orangescrum is one of the best remote Workforce management software for teams of all sizes. Sign up now to avail of 15 days trial and attractive offer on the occasion of thanksgiving and black Friday sales.

Managing multiple projects can necessitate a higher level of concentration, multitasking, and good organizational skills. In order to avoid oversights and maintain stable business relationships, you must have an effective plan to track all of your projects and responsibilities.

Learning how to stay organized and multiple projects management at once is a valuable skill that every project manager should have. In this post, we will define project management and strategies for managing multiple projects and provide tips on how to manage them successfully.

What exactly is project management?

Project management is a simplified procedure that assists teams in meeting their objectives within a particular time. It entails using methodologies, skills, knowledge, deliverables, techniques, and tools to successfully complete projects. You can achieve your objectives by developing a solid and comprehensive approach.

Strategy for multiple projects management

Multiple project management can be difficult when different methods must be followed to fulfill deadlines. Nowadays remote project management has taken a dominant skill that is necessary for every PM.

Here are some ways you may use to make the most of your time and efforts:

1. Always start with a plan

A strong strategy may help you in team management, task management, resource management, foreseeing hazards, and reducing burdens. You may create an effective plan by:

• Make time to organize your project.
• Estimate how long each job will take and create a realistic timeline for your projects.
• Make a project goal, and define project objectives to escape procrastination.
• Weekly reports can also be used to assist in organizing, prioritizing, and reminding you of upcoming responsibilities.

Project management tools like Orangescrum can help PMs to plan and execute efficiently.

2. Make use of tools to assist you in team management.

Projects management software like Orangescrum can assist you in managing several projects, scheduling meetings, and delegating responsibilities throughout the workday.

The app helps with efficient planning, reporting, team management, team collaboration, and resource management. Using tools might also provide insight into how to optimize your procedures for improved results.

3. Keep all of your assignments in one place

Having access to all of your tasks at the same time can boost productivity, save time, and reduce confusion or stress. You can integrate all of your projects into one platform for easier access and streamline your work. These tools enable you to navigate quickly, identify issues before they emerge, and follow the progress of all projects in one spot.

4. Learn how to prioritize

Prioritization is a skill that successful project managers who oversee several projects have mastered. To maximize your time and productivity, focus on jobs that have a higher value than performing chores that are more convenient. Make a daily list of the top five priorities you need to complete for all of your projects that day. Project deadlines, assigning new tasks, guaranteeing timely deliverables, and other items may be on your list.

5. Establish open communication

Communication is a vital skill that leads to project success. When managing many projects at once, you must communicate with multiple stakeholders and teams.

6. Team management

It is crucial and it is critical to clearly communicate any difficulties, changes, or other essential information and to attentively listen to any criticism. Poor communication can result in the waste of resources and time, as well as the disruption of a project’s flow.

7. Make a file system

To organize your documents, assets, and files for each project, you can use file systems such as Google Drive and Dropbox. These file systems allow team members to access files from anywhere, boost collaboration, and ensure security. This can also enhance productivity because you won’t have to constantly send emails and files.

8. Work should be delegated

It is critical to avoid micromanagement when managing many projects. You can transfer responsibilities while maintaining control over what happens. Delegation encourages an environment in which your team is held accountable for its activities. It also minimizes your burden, giving you more time to plan strategically and focus on key issues. To carry out successful delegation:

• Delegate the assignment to subordinates.
• Enlighten your team members on their roles and duties.
• When delegating duties, delegate some authority.

9. Maintain your projects

Project managers are also in charge of managing project modifications. When managing many projects, it is critical to learn how to efficiently adapt to changes as they arise. Keep your plans up to date to avoid procrastination on important information. Use a project management software like Orangescrum that displays the current status of all your projects.

10. Gather your team for meetings

The best approach to keep track of the development of numerous projects is to hold regular team meetings. The meeting’s length can vary, but it should include subjects such as the teams’ accomplishments and successes, as well as any problems or challenges they’ve experienced. If there were any issues, suggest remedies to guarantee the projects ran smoothly. Meetings allow you to see how each project is progressing and which ones require more attention.

11. Control your expectations

When discussing the resources and timelines required for successful project execution, it is critical, to be honest with your clients. Being truthful prevents circumstances in which you have insufficient time and resources to complete the projects. When managing several projects, it is critical to interact with all stakeholders involved on a frequent basis in order to manage and satisfy their expectations.

How to Successfully Manage Multiple Projects?

• Preparing yourself to multitask on projects without developing organizational skills is impossible. Make a separate activity journal for each project, and fill it with project-related chores. Assign tasks to team members, log them in the activity log, and give them a deadline.
• Conducting a weekly evaluation is essential since unanticipated projects or activities from clients must be included in your daily schedule. This may have an impact on your weekly deadlines and necessitate some adjustments. As a result, it is critical to evaluate your activity log at the conclusion of each week to determine which high-priority activities are due the next week.
• It is natural to want to focus on everything when managing many projects. You may choose to focus on tasks that are unrelated to the project. Create proactive blocks of time when you can focus on high-priority projects to keep your attention.
• Conduct an audit to obtain records of each project’s expenditures, workflows, and other pertinent information. There are project management software tools available to assist you in organizing your work and saving time.
• It is critical to maintain a happy attitude in order to avoid stress and have a more productive workplace.

Final Words:

Multiple project management is daunting. However, with the right strategies, you can successfully lead your teams through the challenges that come with juggling a wide array of projects. The best approach is to make a separate activity journal for each project and continuously track the progress.

The key is to organize yourself and create a systems-based approach that helps you control and meet deadlines. You can also delegate specific tasks to team members while monitoring the progress and results. Finally, schedule meetings regularly to discuss progress and seek solutions for problems.

Tools like Orangescrum can help you keep track of all your projects, work efficiently, and collaborate with others. You can manage several projects at once with the right approach. The goal is to organize, plan, and delegate tasks. Sign up now – It’s free