Most project managers know that trying to keep track of employees, with their various projects and skill levels, is a daunting task. Perhaps it is not so bad when you only have two employees, but when you work in an organization with 500, it is simply impossible to keep track of resources without a little help. Here are some of the biggest issues in resource management, as well as some advice on how to overcome them.

Managers don’t know what people are working on

When you have 5, 10 or 25 people reporting to you, it becomes increasingly difficult to know what they are working on at all times. Is John wasting time on a project that is not all that important to the department, or the company? Is Mary spending all of her time on something a colleague has asked her to do, while neglecting the project you really need her to work on? What you don’t know can most certainly hurt you.

Managers don’t know if people are available to work on future projects

When a client asks if you can take on a major project and complete it by the end of the month, how do you answer? You might say yes and then scramble to free up the right people and get them to execute the project by the deadline. You might also refuse the project, despite the revenue it would bring, because you are unsure whether your people can handle it or not. The ideal situation would be to have a system that could show you, at a glance, what your resource availability is for the next month. Not only do you need resources to work on your project, but you need them to have the right skill sets. You may have three team leads available, but if the project absolutely requires a developer and the developers are booked up, your project doesn’t stand a chance.

Managers don’t know if people are over-allocated or under-allocated

One of your employees is constantly overbooked. He is scrambling to put in as many hours as possible and finish every task he is assigned to without compromising its quality. At the same time, another employee with similar skills often has free time on her hands. Isn’t this something a manager should know and be able to address?

The success of a project highly depends on a project manager’s ability to manage resources effectively. The larger the organization, the more difficult this becomes without the right system to provide visibility and communication.

- April Boland, Journyx Communications Coordinator