Project Resource Planning involves the systematic process of identifying, allocating, and managing resources required for project activities. Effective project resource planning helps in delivering projects on time, within budget, and to the desired quality standards by ensuring that all necessary resources are efficiently utilized and managed.
All types of resource groups (e.g., machine groups, person groups, tool/equipment groups, and crew groups) can be planned for projects. Project resource planning plays a crucial role in capacity planning across multiple projects by ensuring that resources are planned efficiently and effectively.
Multiple resource groups can be planned for one activity. The same resource group can be planned multiple times on the same activity by using resource criteria. Resource criteria should be defined on the project to enable another level of planning beyond just the resource itself.
It is possible to plan a resource group from the project level or sub-project level. However, in those cases, the sub-project and/or activity need to be specified since project resource planning is always done at the activity level.
It is important that the resource groups have cost and capacity defined for the activity duration. The resource cost and capacity to use are defined by the early start and finish dates of the activity. The cost and hours for the resources will be reported to the project according to the posting control setup.
Resource requirements can be defined for projects. Project resource requirements planning ensures that once the requirements are planned for resource groups, resource individuals that fulfill the defined criteria, such as skills, competencies, and certifications, can be allocated to projects. This facilitates the successful execution of projects.
A resource group can be planned by specifying the resource group and planned hours. Planned cost is calculated based on the planned hours of work and the cost for the resource group. For example, if a resource group is planned to work 200 hours on a project, and the cost for the group is USD 50 per hour, the planned cost would be USD 10,000. Cost elements on resource planning records allow for detailed tracking of expenses related to resource groups. If the cost of the resource or postings are changed later, it is possible to update the change through the Update Cost command.
If a resource group planned on a project is already planned on work tasks, the WO Planned Hours show the amount of time reserved for work tasks. Remaining Planned Hours show the amount of time that is still available for project activities after accounting for the hours planned on work tasks. This helps in ensuring that resources are not overcommitted. For example, if a resource group has 100 planned hours for a project and 30 hours are planned on work tasks, the remaining planned hours would be 70 hours.
The amount of work performed on a project activity can be manually set in the Progress of a resource planning line, which allows for accurately recording and tracking the progress of specific activities. This helps in identifying any deviations from the planned schedule and taking corrective actions promptly.
Estimated hours to complete are calculated based on manually recorded progress to provide a realistic forecast of the time required for a resource group to complete an activity. It helps in tracking the progress of an activity by comparing the estimated hours with the actual hours worked. For example, if a resource group is initially planned to complete an activity in 100 hours, but after 50 hours of work, only 40% of the activity is completed, the estimated hours would be 75 hours. If any delays are identified, the project plan can be adjusted to ensure that the remaining work is completed within the revised timeline.
It is possible to determine whether the resources are being used as expected by comparing the scheduled hours and the reported hours. For example, if a resource group is planned to work 100 hours on a project, and 10 days have elapsed out of a total of 50 workdays, the scheduled work would be 20 hours. Any discrepancies between the planned and actual utilization of resources can be identified, and appropriate actions can be taken to address any issues.