A guide to resource scheduling in project management

When it comes to project management, making sure you have the right people, equipment, and facilities available and in the right place is essential to success. That’s where resource scheduling comes into place. Part of resource management, resource scheduling makes sure that you have everything in the right place at the right time.

In this article we’ll dive into the ins and outs of resource scheduling, why you need it, its benefits, and how monday.com is the ultimate resource calendar for scheduling.

What is resource scheduling?

Resource scheduling is the process of assigning resources to projects in order to work effectively and efficiently. This refers to people (employees or contractors), facilities, equipment, and more.

The goal of resource scheduling is to create a cohesive plan that allows you to see your resources on a timeline to make sure everything and everyone is on the same page to get a project done on time.

On the simplest level think of scheduling a kickoff meeting for a new assignment. Once schedules have been synced, someone needs to make sure there is a place for the meeting to take place. Scheduling both the people and the room are integral to making the meeting happen. Of course, resource scheduling only gets more intricate and complicated from here.

Why is resource scheduling critical in resource management?

To put it simply: to avoid chaos.

To map it out further: to make sure that teams are aligned and that projects move forward as anticipated with minimal hiccups along the way. Resource planning is important for organizations of any size, but as an organization grows, its importance grows. This is why using appropriate software, such as monday.com, is critical for staying on top of things and at all times.

The benefits of resource scheduling

Resource scheduling boasts a wide range of benefits in project management. Let’s look at a few of them:

1. Meet your deadlines

We’ve all been there. A deadline is approaching and it’s unclear if the team responsible is going to be able to deliver on time. Resource scheduling helps teams avoid exactly this issue. By having a set plan, and making sure the correct people, facilities, and equipment are available, meeting deadlines becomes much easier and more achievable.

2. Be prepared when things go wrong/change

No matter how well you manage a project, things are bound to change or go wrong at some point. This happens for a myriad of reasons including a sick team member, a broken piece of equipment, unexpected weather disturbing travel, and more. These changes are less overwhelming when there’s a plan in place to tackle them when they come up. Resource scheduling lets you see what and who is available at the click of a button to solve the issue.

3. Save time and money

Being efficient and well-planned saves any organization both time and money. Resource scheduling allows project managers to solve problems quickly and also gives them the ability to change the scope of projects and tackle new projects with ease. At the end of the day, this is a money, and a time, saver.

4. Track data in real-time

Resource scheduling helps teams understand resource consumption in real time, giving them access to valuable data and analysis. This is important for tracking projects on a micro level, giving managers the option to anticipate delays or issues and therefore re-allocate resources, and make informed decisions along the entire project pipeline.

5. Maintain a healthy work environment

No one wants an overworked and burnt-out team. Resource scheduling gives both management and team members an overview of capacity, total projects scheduled, and proposed timelines so that everyone knows what to expect.

Using a resource calendar

 A resource calendar is an important tool in resource scheduling. It aggregates all the information about the people, equipment, and facilities of your organization or a team, and puts it together in one place.  This helps management allocate resources appropriately, as well as grant vacation days, understand how to deal with sicknesses, and more.

A resource calendar typically includes team member information, schedules, equipment and tools, and workloads. It helps managers and team members to get a quick glimpse into what is going on in terms of timelines and availability.

Choosing the right software for resource scheduling

We are living in a world that is dynamic and fast changing. Businesses and teams need to be flexible and adaptable, often with little notice. Using dedicated software not only makes life much easier, but it’s also a time saver and in many cases enjoyable.

Resource scheduling will improve your work by keeping you organized and giving you the ability to see your resources in a variety of ways through reports, different views, and more. Choosing the right software for resource management depends on your organization’s needs, size, amount of resources, etc.

Let’s look at how monday.com can boost your resource scheduling.

How to use monday.com for resource scheduling

monday work management offers a wide variety of features that ensure you and your team are always on track and on the same page.

Here are some useful examples that can help you with resource scheduling:

• Dashboards: Show availability for team members or facilities, track deadlines across various projects, understand workloads, and more. Dashboards are a valuable resource for gaining insights across multiple projects and timelines in one centralized area.
• Timelines: Understand project deadlines visually, track vacation time, and plan projects moving forward.
• Workload and team planning view: Visualize and track hours for team members
• Assigning team members and resources according to availability – build a system to make sure that you aren’t assigning work to people (or resources) who are above capacity.

When using monday.com to build your resource schedule and project calendar, we recommend starting with the resource management template. The template gives you a full view of your resources so that you can focus on your work and plan for the future.

Now’s the time to start resource scheduling with monday.com

Resource scheduling is an important tool for any team looking to be organized and efficient in the way they work. monday work management can help teams of all sizes schedule resources at just the click of a button.