RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN

Project plan goes hand-in-hand with project resource planning activities to ensure optimal
allocation of time and resources. This resource management planning will guide project
managers to truly optimize how they use their resources.

A resource management plan is essential for the smooth management of projects. It may be time-
consuming to put together, but the benefits of transparency, workload management, early
communication, and the ability to be proactive make your plan well worth the effort.

Try to ensure you are using high-quality resource management software. Resource Guru gives
you clear visibility of your team’s capacity. You’ll be able to assign the right people to the right
task and avoid over-allocation. When changes are needed, it’s quick and easy and everyone’s
kept in the loop.

Resource management plan

Resource management refers to the efficient, effective use of the various resources associated
with a project. A resource management plan accounts for all of the resources (humans,
workspaces, tools, and equipment) the contractor require on a project and guides how the
contractor will be categorized, allocated, managed, and released.

Resource management plans provide a framework to optimize the contractor resource’s

availability to efficiently meet your project goals. Quality plans reveal if you need more or less
of a certain kind of resource, like specialized staff members or a specific piece of equipment.
They highlight how to time your resources so that you can reduce idle time. This exercise will
also highlight any periods in your project where there are capacity constraints and you may need
to hire external freelancers.

Providing the people in our company with a resource management plan helps ensure that we can
put the right resources in the right place at the right time as much as possible.

Resource management plan key terms

Project managers can find it very helpful to become familiar with the key terms associated with
resource management planning. Below, we’ve listed some common terms related to resource
management plans.
 1. Resource allocation – The process of allocating resources to projects (or
specific tasks) based on availability and need.
2. Resource forecasting – The process of predicting your future resource
requirements before a project begins. Project managers must be familiar
with the project lifecycle, know the project’s objectives, and have an
inventory of resources needed.
3. Resource leveling – The process of overseeing resource allocation and
resolving any possible conflict that may arise from over-allocation.
4. Resource breakdown structure – A comprehensive list of resources,
filtered by function and type, required to complete a project.
5. Resource calendar – This shows all of the days that a particular resource
will be available.
6. Project calendar – Reflects the working and non-working days for
individual projects or tasks.
7. Those responsible – The person or people responsible for completing a
task.
8. Those accountable – The person or people who ultimately own the task.
They’re the ones who will be signing off on it once it is complete.
9. Those who should be consulted – Any subject matter experts or fact
checkers who should be consulted as part of ensuring the integrity and
effectiveness of the project.
10. Those to keep informed – Any individuals or teams, including
stakeholders, who should be kept informed of progress on the project.

Resource Management Plan: What It Is & How to Create One

Although scope, cost, and time are often cited as the most critical project constraints, they are not
the only limiting factors that a project manager should be aware of. Resource allocation and
management are also crucial factors to consider, as they will directly impact other aspects of the
project, such as its final cost and timeline.
For this reason, project managers will dedicate time to generating a resource management plan
before kicking off their projects.

What are “resources” in project management?

In project management, the term resources will include:
 Capital
 Material costs
 Tools and software
 Office space
 Personnel (internal employees or contractors)
 Materials or components (vital for projects that result in a physical product)
 And more
Resources are, in short, meant to reflect everything required to successfully execute your project
and which can influence both your project’s costs and timeline.
For example, your project plan will detail specific tasks that will need to be completed by the
team to move a project forward. Depending on the resources at your disposal, you may find you
will need to hire additional personnel to meet the project’s deadline, which would impact your
budget. If the budget is not flexible, however, then you may find that the timeline must be
extended in order to make do with the resources at your disposal.
Because your project’s resources will impact so much of your plan, the earlier in the process you
can begin creating a resource management plan, the more accurate you will be.

What is a resource management plan?

According to Ammar Aamer, associate professor for the Master of Science in Project
Management program at Northeastern, a resource management plan is a guideline, roadmap,
and reference that project managers and other members of the project team use to allocate,
manage, and control the resources required to complete the project work. It is also sometimes
called a resource plan.
Put another way, the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) defines the resource
management plan as:
“The component of the project management plan that provides guidance on how project
resources should be categorized, allocated, managed, and released.”
“The resource management plan is critical to the success of any project,” Aamer says. “A
successful project means completing the work within the scope, cost, and schedule. As a project
manager, to get the work done, we need to clearly define what resources we need, how to acquire
them, and, more importantly, how to manage them. Not having a clear resource management
plan would exacerbate waste and non-value added activities, translating into an over-budget run
and project completion delay.”
What is included in a resource management plan?
While every organization will have its own specific approach to resource management, specific
components must be included in all plans. According to Aamer, the plan should include any
relevant information that is needed to answer the following questions:
 What resources are needed to complete the project work? These may include people,
material, software, equipment, and other tools.
 How much of each resource is needed?
 How will these resources be acquired? Will they come from internal or external sources?
 When are the resources needed?
 Will there be any training required for personnel?
 What is the cost associated with the project’s resources? These costs should be tallied at
both the macro scale and on a resource-by-resource basis.
 What methods will be used to manage the project’s resources efficiently?
 What metrics will be used to monitor and control each resource?
 What process will be used to release resources?
Depending on the specifics of your project, you may find that you have more questions to answer
in the resource management plan as well.

How to Create a Resource Management Plan

1. Review related plans that will influence the project’s resources.

The first step in generating a resource management plan will be to review the project’s other
plans and documents. This will ensure that you fully understand the resources required for the
project and empower you to be more accurate in creating your plan.
For example, you should review the:
 Project charter, which will detail the high-level requirements of the project
 Work breakdown structure (WBS), which will provide a detailed understanding of the
project deliverables and required activities
 Project schedule, which outlines the key deliverables, milestones, and general schedule
that the project must follow
 Project quality standards and metrics, which will detail the quality assurance
processes for the project and enable you to account for any required resources to maintain
the required quality level
  Risk management plan and risk register, which will detail the risks associated with the
project

2. Understand your organization’s resource-related policies.

Once you understand the level of resources that the project will require, you must understand
your organization’s policies toward resources.
For example, if the project requires hiring additional part-time, full-time, or contract staff, you
should consult with your organization’s human resources department. If the project requires that
you purchase specific tools, software, or materials, you should consult with your procurement
manager and finance team. The goal is to ensure that you are following your organization’s
policies and workflows so as not to cause disruptions to the project.

3. Consult with the project planning team to generate the resource management plan.
The final step is to work closely with the project team members to generate the plan. These
individuals will offer additional perspectives to ensure that you are not overlooking any critical
resources or processes that might influence the completion of the project.

What It Takes to Be Successful

A resource management typically requires professionals to have a certain level of understanding
of the general principles of project management and key methodologies and frameworks that
guide the industry.
The contractor is going to approach the resource management plan based on a system thinking
approach. That is not to focus on cost only, but rather think about the interrelationships of the
project impacting factors such as scope, risk, quality, time, and communication. The contractor
would also have the mindset of Lean and Six Sigma when approaching the resource management
plan to plan for waste elimination and variation reduction methods.

Lean Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma is a team-focused managerial approach that seeks to improve performance by
eliminating waste and defects while boosting the standardization of work. It combines Six
Sigma methods and tools and the lean manufacturing/lean enterprise philosophy, striving to
reduce the waste of physical resources, time, effort, and talent while assuring quality in
production and organizational processes. Any use of resources that does not create value for the
end customer is considered a waste and should be eliminated.
INTEGRATING LEAN AND SIX SIGMA

Lean and Six Sigma both provide clients with the best possible quality, cost, delivery, and a
newer attribute, nimbleness. There is a great deal of overlap between the two disciplines;
however, they both approach their common purpose from slightly different angles:

• Lean focuses on waste reduction, whereas Six Sigma emphasizes variation reduction.

• Lean achieves its goals by using less technical tools such as kaizen, workplace organization,
and visual controls, whereas Six Sigma tends to use statistical data analysis, design of
experiments, and hypothesis testing.

Often successful implementations begin with the lean approach, making the workplace as
efficient and effective as possible, reducing waste, and using value stream maps to improve
understanding and throughput. If process problems remain, more technical Six Sigma statistical
tools may then be applied.