Resource management

Project resources come in two kinds: team resources, meaning people with their skills and time, and physical resources such as equipment, materials and space. Managing resources means knowing what you need of each, when you need it, where it will come from, and when you will give it back.

To make clear who does what, the project manager uses a responsibility assignment matrix, often a RACI chart. For each activity you name who does the work (Responsible), who owns the result and signs it off (Accountable), who gives input (Consulted), and who is kept updated (Informed). The golden rule: exactly one person is Accountable for each activity, so ownership never gets lost in the crowd.

A resource calendar shows when each person or piece of equipment is available: holidays, public holidays, the days a rented crane is on site. When someone is loaded with more work than they can handle in a period (over-allocation), you have two techniques. Resource leveling delays activities until the load is reasonable and may push out the project end date. Resource smoothing moves activities only within their available float, so the end date stays the same, but it may not remove the whole problem.

You acquire resources by negotiating with functional managers inside the organization, by hiring, or by buying from outside. Don't forget the other end: release resources as soon as you no longer need them, so you aren't paying for idle equipment or keeping a person another project could use.