What is Resource Planning?

What is Resource Planning?
What is Resource Planning?

For various firms out there in the market, resources are dear investments for them. The inconsistent and unpredictability in the market raises eyebrows on skilled resources. It becomes essential to deal with and utilise the workforce to their maximum strength after considering resource planning for more productivity and effectiveness. 

Let us understand the concept of resource planning in this article.

Resource planning means a formulation of strategy for planned and judicious utilisation of resources. These resources could consist of assets, equipment, human resources, facilities and more. Resource managers can either assign a cost-effective global resource or hire talent on demand for the workforce with the appropriate skillset. It removes last-minute hiring costs undertaken by the firm.

The process comprises inventory and recognition of resources across various places in the country. It includes surveying, mapping, qualitative and quantitative projection and assessment of the resources. It will assist businesses in enhancing efficiency with the maximisation of resources. It will also deliver the best outcomes for projects and improve job satisfaction and retention of employees in the team.

It is vital for the sustainable survival of different kinds of living species. Rajasthan has the capacity for the development of solar and wind energy but lacks water resources. Here, it becomes essential to have resource planning.

Enhancing the outputs could be a difficult task but not impossible. There is an allotment of the suitable activity to the right people in a team and at the right time, which resolves the delivery issue of the project with precise outputs, with no delay and disputes. It should fit into a team for ensuring successful resource planning.

Following are the three steps of Resource planning:

  1. Involvement of resources: Collect the resources required for the comprehensive project – from beginning to end. It comprises human resources, namely testers, coders, front-end developers, back-end developers, designers, including non-human resources equipment such as printers, PCs and other machinery parts required.
  2. Project the number of resources required: Contemplate the time necessary for each resource. For instance, if it’s a coding project, one has to specify the number of developers needed besides the anticipated hours for the project.
  3. Preparation of a resource schedule: After collecting all information, setting up a process for a detailed resource schedule begins. The resource schedule includes resources required for the project, namely quantity of resources every week and month, the period for each resource, identifying resource-related issues and disputes, and ensuring proper settlement.

How can resource planning be achieved?

  1. Conform to the demand: The project manager asks for resources from the resource managers to complete the demand of the respective project. Following that, resource managers evaluate the demand and capacity discrepancies. They recognise the shortage or abundance of resources from several perspectives like skills, roles, etc., ahead of time-based on the evaluation.
  2. Execution of strategies: Suitable strategies are put in effect to fill the gap. After recognising the shortage and abundance of resources, the operational execution of resourcing meets the gap of the skills and demand. The resource manager can get a 360-degree perspective by using the right scheduling tool to assist in an informed decision-making process.
  3. Allotment of the resources: The resource scheduling tool leads managers to allot the right skilled workforce to the right project through a merger of unified view and advanced filters, as per their presence.