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Want to keep your projects running on time and within budget? Resource scheduling is the secret to making it happen. It ensures you have the right team, tools, and resources at the right moment, minimizing waste and maximizing productivity.
In this guide, we explore resource scheduling best practices, how the right software can keep your projects on track, and how to build a successful project schedule. We also share key features to look for when choosing a resource scheduling tool, helping you make informed decisions and setting you up for success.
What is resource scheduling?
Resource scheduling is the process of planning and allocating resources such as team members, equipment, or materials across various tasks or projects to ensure that everything runs smoothly. When resources are managed correctly, managers can make sure the right people and tools are available for every project. This increases productivity, cuts costs, and keeps everything running on time and within budget.
Key resource scheduling methods
When scheduling resources, two common approaches are time-constrained resource scheduling and resource-constrained resource scheduling. Here’s how they work:
1) Time-constrained resource scheduling: This method focuses on completing the project by a set deadline. If there aren’t enough resources available, tasks may need to be split or reassigned to ensure deadlines are met. It’s all about prioritizing time over resource availability, which works well when deadlines are fixed and non-negotiable. Unfortunately, this approach can sometimes lead to employee overload or increased costs.
2) Resource-constrained resource scheduling: In this method, the availability of resources is the top priority. The schedule is adjusted based on how many resources (like people, equipment, or materials) are available at a given time. If there aren’t enough resources, tasks or deadlines may need to shift. This approach is ideal for projects with tight resource limits but flexible timelines. It helps avoid overworking team members and ensures the work is manageable.
Why is resource scheduling important in project management?
Resource scheduling is key to keeping projects on track and making sure everything gets done on time and within budget. Here’s why it’s so important:
Minimizes burnout and wasted resources: Good resource scheduling makes sure team members aren’t overworked, and that resources are used efficiently instead of being wasted or not used at all. When tasks are spread out evenly, it’s easier to stay focused and get work done.
Staying on track: When resources are planned well, it’s easier to hit project deadlines without delays. Project scheduling ensures that tasks are done in the right order and that important steps aren’t skipped. By assigning deadlines to each task, you can spot potential delays early and take action before they become bigger problems.
Controlling costs: Resource scheduling helps keep track of how resources are used, which prevents overspending and makes sure time and tools are used wisely. By knowing exactly what’s needed and when, project managers can prevent unnecessary purchases or last-minute expenses.
Making smarter decisions: When you know which resources are available, it’s easier to make decisions, like changing deadlines or reassigning tasks, if something isn’t going as planned. Managers can quickly adjust priorities to fix problems and keep the project moving.
What are the top benefits of using resource scheduling software?
Transcript for the video 'RM demo video':
Welcome to Teamwork dot com resource management. Using our planning tools, you'll be able to gain full visibility into your staff workload and confidently plan your client projects. Let's start by taking a look at our resource scheduler. If you are uncertain you can take on new work and you lack visibility into your project pipeline, using our scheduler can help you better anticipate your resourcing needs, scenario plan for hiring decisions, and have complete oversights over your team's future availability. In this example, one of my favorite clients has a new brand new retainer starting in May, and I've built out a tentative project to start to plan this work. As you can see, I've already planned some of my team onto the project, and I've already added in some placeholders as well. A placeholder is a role that you can slot into a project plan if you don't know who can actually take on that work further down the line. So I have a back end developer in place, a marketing manager, and I know I need a UI designer as well. The next step would be to start adding in some allocations. An allocation is a bucket of hours assigned to a resource during a project for a type of work. So for my UI designer, I'm gonna put in UI design work for that month of May for three hours a day. So now that I have all of my allocations out and all my resources out, I can move on to my people area to start to plan further. Now within here, I have the people grouped by a role, which allows you to compare each person in the same role against each other. The nice thing here is that if I take my UI placeholder role here, I can actually see who from my UI team can take on that work. For this year, I can obviously see that Alex is already over allocated on time for the month of May, but Tom does have some time. So I'll go ahead and assign that work out to Tom, and that just transferred that work over. You can also start to make other decisions in terms of hiring. Let's say I need a a senior manager on a different project here, but one of my senior managers is already taken up on a different project. Do I need to hire a new senior manager or promote someone from within? Or go ahead and maybe assign that work to a senior associate. The last thing I wanna point out here is at the top, you're able to see your potential revenue numbers adjust based on if the allocations you put in here were all met in terms of log log time on the project. Really useful insights up here at the top as you add in and plan your projects. Now switching over to our workload planner, the workload allows you to start to plan for shorter term, more committed work based off of the tasks. We want to be able to see which team members are overworked, understand where the bottlenecks are, and solve these pains by balancing workloads for staff members. So let's say I'm a project manager running an IT project, and the client has given us an urgent request to move the product along. I've also been hearing from my team members that some of them have too much on their plate and are overwhelmed with tasks. So how do I manage this? Well, first, I'm gonna go in my filter area up here and filter by my IT implementation team. Once I've done that, I can see those team members racked against each other. When looking at Don here, we see that he's overcapacity this week, and he's also has unavailable time slotted in for Friday as well. So what I can start to do in this workload planner is deprioritize some tasks by maybe moving tasks from different projects to the next week here. So all I'm doing is clicking and dragging tasks the next week, but I also can say, okay. Who else can take on further work? Glenn and Shane look okay. I can go ahead and reassign work to those folks as well. Now that I've done that, back at the top here, you can see that Don's capacity for the week has gone down a little bit to account for his workload to prioritize the IT tasks here and also to account for his day off on Friday. Lastly, within the planning area, I just wanna touch on the overview tab. The overview tab brings together data from the scheduler with allocated time and data from tasks themselves with estimated time. So in here, you're able to see that compared against each other and at a quick glance be able to see your staff's capacity for any given time frame. Very last thing we wanna touch on here is in the reports area and specifically the utilization report. Within this report here, this allows you to set up billable targets for each of your resources and understand how effective your resources are at reaching those billable targets. So for Alex here, I have an eighty percent billable target. As you can see here, the total utilization for the week is thirty seven point five. Now we're earlier in the week, so that's gonna go up from there. But this really allows you to understand how effective your team is at spending their time on billable work, the work that matters for your clients. So hopefully this helps, gives a sense into how our planning tools work in Teamwork. Thanks so much.
The right resource scheduling software can make all the difference in the success of a project. It helps streamline workflows, reduce risks, and maximize efficiency, leading to better results. Here are the top five ways resource scheduling tools can help your project:
1) Improved time management: Plan exactly when each task will be completed and who will do it, with the help of tools for time management. By planning ahead and accounting for breaks like holidays, you can ensure the project timeline stays realistic, project managers can avoid rushing to meet deadlines. It also helps account for breaks, like holidays, so the timeline stays realistic. With Teamwork.com, managers can easily track where their team's time goes using time reports.
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2) Better resource allocation: Prevent situations where team members are overloaded or resources are sitting unused. For example, if a project manager sees that one team member is assigned too many tasks while another has some free time, they can adjust things early on. This way, everyone has the right amount of work, and the team doesn’t waste time or resources.
Teamwork.com’s resource scheduler gives a clear view of your team’s capacity, helping you deliver projects on time and keep clients happy. Teamwork.com’s resource scheduling software also makes planning and decision-making easier, especially as your team grows and projects get more complex.
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3) Clear project overview: A clear, visual plan of what needs to be done and when makes it easy for all team members to see who’s working on what. This helps teams communicate and work together better, making sure everyone knows the project goals and deadlines. When team members understand their responsibilities, there’s less confusion and no one ends up doing the same work twice.
To make this even easier, Teamwork.com’s milestones feature allows you to set key project goals, helping teams stay on track and focused on what needs to be completed at each stage. With milestones, you can easily see how the project is going, so you don’t have to keep asking your team for updates.
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4) Cost savings: Avoid extra costs like overtime and unused equipment or other resources. For example, if a project manager knows exactly when each team member and piece of equipment is needed, they can avoid scheduling someone for extra hours or letting resources sit unused. By planning ahead, they can keep the project on budget and prevent overspending. It also helps find ways to do work more efficiently, like grouping similar tasks together to save time.
With Teamwork.com, project managers can track project budgets in real time, ensuring they stay on top of costs and avoid budget overruns. The platform’s profitability features allow you to compare planned vs. actual costs, giving you a clear view of where your money is being spent.
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7 Key features to look for in resource scheduling software
When choosing resource scheduling software, it’s important to find a tool that meets your team’s specific needs and helps streamline your workflow. Here are the key features to look for to ensure you’re picking the right software:
1) User-friendly interface: The software should be easy to navigate for everyone on your team. A clear, intuitive interface will help your team get up and running quickly without a steep learning curve. Look for features like drag-and-drop functionality or customizable dashboards to make managing schedules simple.
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2) Real-time updates and notifications: Resource scheduling software should offer real-time updates so that any changes made by a team member are immediately visible to everyone. This keeps your team, clients, and stakeholders on the same page and minimizes misunderstandings. Notifications for task deadlines, resource availability, or status changes can also help keep your project on track.
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3) Task and resource management: Resource scheduling software should make it easy to assign tasks to specific team members and track resources. Look for tools that allow you to see who’s working on what, so you always know who is at capacity and who has room for more work.
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4) Reporting and analytics: Look for resource scheduling software that offers detailed reporting and analytics. This feature helps you stay on top of your projects by tracking progress, spotting resource issues early, and monitoring team performance. With strong reporting, you can keep your budget on track. It’s not just about managing tasks—it’s about gaining insights to improve efficiency and deliver better results.
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5) Collaboration tools: A good resource scheduling software should have built-in collaboration tools like messaging, file sharing, or discussion boards. These features keep your team connected, making it easy to share updates, discuss ideas, and solve problems in real time. With everyone on the same page, your projects can progress faster and with fewer misunderstandings.
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6) Integration with other tools: Resource scheduling software should integrate smoothly with tools you’re already using, such as time tracking, task management, and project management tools. This reduces the need to switch between apps and keeps your workflow streamlined.
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7) Scalability: As your team grows or projects become more complex, your scheduling needs will naturally shift. That’s why it’s important to choose a software that can grow with you. Look for tools that offer flexible task assignments, advanced reporting, and the capacity to manage larger teams.
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"I spend all day in Teamwork.com checking on tasks, making sure to-dos are done, running reports, looking at time logs. With Teamwork.com we can dive deeper into budgets and make smarter decisions for the projects."
Brie Ehle
Senior Project Manager at ThreeSixtyEight
How to create a successful project schedule with a resource scheduling tool
Creating a project schedule is like planning a trip—it helps you stay on track and reach your destination on time. A good project schedule makes sure tasks are done efficiently and resources are used wisely. Here’s how to map out a project schedule that keeps everything on track:
Define project scope and goals: Before creating a project schedule, clearly outline what needs to be done. Identify the project goals, deliverables, and deadlines. Knowing what you're working toward helps you plan effectively and set realistic timeframes.
Break down the project into tasks: Break the project into small, manageable tasks. This could include phases like planning, design, testing, or launch. Each task should have specific outcomes and timelines. Use resource scheduling tools like Teamwork.com. With features like Kanban boards, you can visually track the progress of tasks in real time, making it easy to move tasks through the project lifecycle.
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Estimate task duration: Estimate how long each task will take based on its complexity and available resources. Be realistic about how much time each task requires, and factor in potential delays or challenges.
Assign resources and responsibilities: Assign tasks to the right team members, making sure to match their skills and availability with each task. Ensure that everyone knows their responsibilities and deadlines. Teamwork.com helps you track who’s working on what with a project list view. You can easily see the details you need by expanding or collapsing subtasks.
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Set milestones: Define key milestones to track progress along the way. These milestones can represent the completion of significant tasks or phases of the project. With Teamwork.com, you can visualize these milestones and keep the entire team on track.
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Monitor and adjust: Once your schedule is set, keep an eye on progress. If things get delayed or plans change, adjust the schedule as needed. Use a resource scheduling tool to ensure you have everything you need and that deadlines are met.
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Simplify resource scheduling with Teamwork.com
Teamwork.com makes resource scheduling simple by giving you a clear overview of your team’s availability, tasks, and workloads. With features like the workload planner, you can easily assign tasks, track capacity, and make real-time adjustments to keep projects on track.
Whether you’re scaling your team or managing tight deadlines, Teamwork.com ensures you’re always ahead by streamlining scheduling and communication. Plus, with tools like Gantt charts and project templates, it’s easier than ever to plan and optimize resources effectively.
FAQs about resource scheduling
What is the difference between resource allocation and resource scheduling?
Resource allocation is about assigning available resources like team members, tools and equipment, or budgets to specific tasks or projects. Resource scheduling, on the other hand, involves planning when and how those resources will be used over time. Allocation answers “who” and “what,” while scheduling focuses on “when” and “how.”
What is the role of a project manager in resource scheduling?
A project manager makes sure resources like people, time, and tools are used efficiently so deadlines are met. They keep an eye on progress, make changes when needed, and fix any problems with resource availability. Their job is to prevent delays and keep everything running.
How does resource scheduling reduce flexibility in managing projects?
Resource scheduling can limit flexibility because it locks resources into specific tasks and timelines. This makes it harder to accommodate last-minute changes or unexpected issues.
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