How to effectively manage your resources

19 October 2020

We are all being asked to adapt how we work, and many of us are seemingly having to do more with less, whether that be less time or fewer resources.

Utilising all the resources you have at your disposal is even more important in this ever-changing environment.

We will offer some insight into how effective resource management can help you to achieve more with less.

Effective planning

In an earlier blog, we talked about the importance of planning projects, however, a large and often under-appreciated element is the need to adapt your processes and projects. What you set out as the best plan on day one may not be the best solution further down the line.

Take a construction job for example; it may be that you think you need a crane and two electricians on-site to carry out the next step of works, but actually, the crane is no longer required or is required elsewhere for more urgent work. By having full visibility of available resources and necessary work, you can more effectively plan and deploy your resources.

The logistics sector has mastered this art; planning the most efficient routes to deliver the maximum number of parcels in a day. So how could you deploy your resources more effectively to achieve the maximum work possible?

Perhaps you are a surveyor, crisscrossing with your colleagues on your way to carry out jobs, or are you being asked to carry out work that you know a colleague could complete in a more efficient way?

Data-driven resource planning

The effectiveness of your plans can be supercharged with data; understanding project profitability and the speed and levels of expertise your team displays in certain areas can ensure that you are using yours and their time most effectively.

By reviewing the data that says person x can deliver this work in 2 hours and person y takes 1.5 hours, but person y is more effective at other elements of the work, you can effectively deploy your team where they’ll add the most value to the business. Understanding the numbers and making informed decisions will help you get the most from your resources.

Automated resource planning

Taking learning from the data to the next level, there is also the ability to auto-complete your planning. Looking at the available resources, and the projects/workload ahead, you could deploy your resources effectively by matching skills and availability automatically using intelligent software.

Whether you are matching people and their specialities to jobs with their requirements or allocating the right vehicle needed to access a site, an intelligent project management platform could help to effectively deploy your resources.

If you would like to discuss your resourcing issues and see if we can help to automate some of your processes, please get in touch.

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