5 steps to create a resource

management plan
You can create a resource management plan in any tool—in fact, you could theoretically
even use a spreadsheet to maintain insight into resource utilization and availability. 
The best resource management tool is one that acts as your team’s central source of
truth. With Asana for resource management, you have easy insight into what everyone
on your team is working on, what resources are available, and how to prevent team
burnout. 

1. Define the project goals

To best assign your team’s resources, you need to know the project's goals and objectives.
Ask the following questions:
 Is this a simple deliverable, or a more involved campaign? 
 What metrics will be used to measure the success of the project?
Gaining clarity on what each project entails will make it easier to know what resources
you need and how to assign them. 
Read: How to write an effective project objective, with examples

2. Align on project scope

What is the scope of the project? If possible, meet with project stakeholders to align on how
much time and resources you should be dedicating to this initiative. That will give you
the best sense of the project plan and help you decide what resources are best suited for
the job. 
At this stage in the process, it can be helpful to practice resource smoothing—which
means making sure you won’t have any resource shortages during the project scope
and timeline.
Read: 7 common causes of scope creep, and how to avoid them

3. Identify the types of resources you’ll need

Get detailed about what your project requirements are so you can identify the proper
resources. As we mentioned earlier, resources in your resource management plan can
include:
 Team equipment
 Software
 Budget
 Employee bandwidth 
Part of creating a resource management plan is determining what types of resources
you’ll need, so you can then identify what resources you have available.

4. Identify available resources

This is the meat and potatoes of resource management. During this stage, you should
identify who should be staffed on this project. Depending on the project scope, you
might have to resource level and deprioritize other work to avoid putting too much on
your team’s plate.
But as we’ve learned, employee bandwidth is not the only resource you’re managing.
The same due diligence is necessary with your other resources: Find out if the software
you currently use is up to date and works for the project your team has to complete. If
not, do you have enough budget to upgrade to a better one?
Check each needed resource you identified earlier and see what you have already
available to set your team up for success.

5. Check in on project progress

To be a great resource manager, check in with your team frequently during the project’s
life cycle. How are they doing? Are they feeling overworked, or, conversely, is the
project overstaffed? Clarifying that you support them and—most importantly—
understand what’s on their plate is a great way to continuously support your team.