The Art of Resource Management

Resource and Management two of the most critical aspects of any business (product, services, consulting, professional services etc.) and are of little value unless together!

Millions of account executives, project managers have to run from pillar to post for resources to ‘just’ get their projects “delivered”. On-time delivery and with profit margins are aspects that get thrown out of the window amidst execution chaos.

A typical client/project win strategy goes something like this –

Sales Team – Pitch the minimum cost possible to ensure client/project win

Estimation Team – Under pressure to deliver high level estimates & resource requirements with lowest possible cost.

They do not have the finer requirements and at the same time, they cannot spend too much time on making a deeper estimation as it needs to be submitted like Yesterday! Always!

This is where everything goes haywire. The basic project management principles are ignored or not accounted for. And the problem is compounded due to the ever-changing business models, demanding clients and reducing profit margins. More so for the Services organizations.

The backbone of any product is good service and that of service offering is Resources! Resources account for the bulk expense or profit for any organization. Having them well managed and run like a well-oiled machine is crucial to the success of the company.

All companies understand the above facts and still continue to struggle to get their act right.

Why is it so hard?

Is it lack of “true” understanding of resource management?

Is it an elusive “art”?

Or a difficult “science” making it not everyone’s cup of tea?

Whatever you may think, I believe catering to the following basic guiding factors will improve our chances of having highly utilized and productive resources at maximum times.

1. Understand and Maintain your Resource Skill Matrix

Our businesses need multi-skilled workers and our resources understand it well too. It is imperative for us to be thorough in our hiring and map the various skills that a resource displays during the interview. Similarly, we must always identify and capture the multiple talents at display on the ground.

It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill. ~ Wilbur Wright

The skills can range from basic to advanced levels in various technical domains, soft skills, leadership skills, emotional intelligence etc. And each of these are vital and add to an organisation’s capabilities and strengths. 

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