Efficient Resource Scheduling & It’s Benefits

One aspect of resource management is efficient resource scheduling, a complex task. Efficient resource scheduling means making the best use of available resources by allocating the right work to the right resource at the right time to make your workforce more efficient. It ensures effective and efficient use of resources to accomplish organizational goals with economic benefit in mind. Firstly the activities of the project need to be scheduled followed by allocation of the resources by Coordinating staff credentials and the activities, keeping in mind the availability of the resource during that specific project time. 

In companies with large or multinational projects or running multiple projects simultaneously, resource management would include allocating the right available resources for the specific tasks among the various projects or business units. For this information is needed to be shared consistently throughout different parts of the organization.

A company which meets the customer demand of delivering a good quality product in time and budget meets the aspiration of the client.  The reliability of services or the assurance that services are provided in a consistent and dependable manner increase the credibility of the company a satisfied client translates into a good brand image. Brand image & customer satisfaction can be achieved by a resource planning software which is used in multinational companies for managing projects on a large scale.

Advantages of Resource planning and scheduling are many.  Efficient Resource planning and scheduling lead to development of systems which makes a job easier.  It makes the organization more effective by re-alignment of traditional working practices. Resource scheduling ensures effective and efficient use of human talent to accomplish organizational goals and empowers your organization to meet deadlines, in addition to safeguarding profitability.

Resource scheduling helps to maintain employee harmony in the workplace. Employees seek increased quality of life which may mean less time spent at work, with more time for other activities whereas businesses seek high employee productivity, reduced absenteeism and retention of talent. 

A good resource schedule which has a definable work flow is viewed by the employee as an integral part of business management associated with company goals and is therefore treated with respect. A collaborative resource planning software tends to reduce workplace stress. It does not invite ad hoc changes, and is not perceived as being arbitrary. A good schedule leads to confidence and trust among the employees. Trust provides the foundation for a positive cultural environment, which in turn provides the driving force necessary to achieve performance improvements leading to the basic goal of achieving profitability in the business.

Preparing a good resource schedule manually is a tough job with more variables to be taken into consideration than actually feasible. A good software “eResource scheduler” is available which overcomes the obstacles of manual scheduling, fits the needs of the managers and staff, and is flexible and robust. It is easy to use and operationally proven by different organizations. It is well supported via help desk and maintenance releases for user confidence. It delivers fast schedules even in complex scenarios to match staff supply to business requirements.

Enbraun's Resource Planning Software - Quick Tour

A Bosses Guide to Significance of Efficient Resource Planning

In both medium and large size companies, it is necessary to learn early on the importance of efficient resource planning. This is needed for a variety of reasons. Employees all have different strengths and weaknesses. If two people are put on the same shift and have very similar weaknesses, it can vastly hinder productivity. They will slow down work by making the same mistakes or taking extra-long to do tasks that someone else could have done much better. 

Setting up minor management and always having one on staff ensures that work will go smoothly. Many workers need some form of direction to ensure that their work does not slack. Having a resource planning software can result into efficient management and appropriate arrangement with maximized profits. Observe the way the company functions carefully. If management is doing a poor job, it is time to have them reassigned or have them work on shifts only other higher management to help correct the poor behavior.

 

Enbraun's Resource Planning Software - Financial Report

Workers also have different skill sets. Some workers can execute certain tasks very quickly, but with poor quality. Others can do tasks quite slowly, but will provide great quality work once finished. However, having only people that make each other’s skills better can hinder growth as well. Making a good decision requires many different factors to be considered. Creating set workplace roles can also help with this much needed growth.

Good management can be left to work on their own they will ensure that other people are getting their work done as well. After all observation is done, it is easy to organize management with collaborative resource planning software and the workers that need them most. Different projects require different people to be on schedule at different times. For example, working in a consulting firm means that when scheduling meetings with clients that need to speak with different specialty departments, different workers than usual will need to be called in to ensure that they can collaborate on the project.

Some people will simply not get along with one another, and this also needs to be considered. Although it is very unprofessional to simply refuse to work with another person over a minor issue which can result into low performance. Sometimes it becomes easy to reschedule workers by a configurable resource planning software. It is up to the boss to put people who work well together on shift at the same time. This will ensure that these people can complement each other’s skills while maximizing productivity. This is the importance of efficient resource planning.

Accelerate Organization Production with Resource Planning Software

The nature of projects and tasks in the modern businesses demands that it is of paramount importance to make sure that all players in a particular project fits in with the projects programs. In order to enhance high efficiency and cost reductions, manual scheduling of tasks has become old fashioned and can no longer work. As such it is important to ensure that a project manager needs to assign the right resources to the right project. This requires resource planning software.

These software have been designed with configurable collaborative resource scheduling tools to help you schedule your resources effectively in a particular project. With them, you will be able to efficiently plan, schedule & manage resources. Facilitate financial reports, drag & drop scheduling, forecasting reports, etc.

Resource planning software connects your Financial Accounting package (ERP) at the back end and your CRM systems at the front end. This gives a chance to effectively bridge your planning and execution gaps to acquire complete control and visibility over your entire business projects.

Resources with Profile window

Improve Project Delivery

Good software will have comprehensive project management applications to ensure your service delivery and business projects are more effective and efficient. From de-risking to effective planning of projects as well as scheduling resources, good resource planning software enables you to continually refine and optimize your projects and service delivery processes.

Advanced billing and Contract Management

Effective project management software has its service resource planning applications created from the ground up alongside some of the leading professional service organizations functions including the most configurable and robust contract management and billing system available.

Business Visibility

A resource planning software comes with a fully integrated project resource planning applications that ensure alienates you from any worries regarding consolidating some deciphering facts or another spread sheet and figures that might be presented in emails. A resource planning software will be able to receive real time visibility into some key metrics that constitutes to the success of your PSO including cost, resource demand, utilization, capability, revenue, shortfalls, billing milestones, budgets and profitability.

Integration

A resource planning integration system ensures that you can comfortably connect to the most common ERP, CRM and finance systems. Even if your integration needs are for real time updates, batch transfer or data imports, a resource planning software offers numerous integration options to ensure you successful interchange your data.

Optimize Resource Usage

Software has an intuitive resource planning application that enables you to effectively manage your project's resource capability through maintaining optimal staff levels, prioritizing resources and in gaining real time visibility of chargeable and productive utilization.

Forecasting and Financial Management

Software will enable you to accurately predict the future of your business which is vital to the continuity, success and an improved effectiveness and efficiency of any business entity. The comprehensive forecasting and financial management features enables you to accurately measure and predict future costs, revenue as well as profitability.

If you have a business that is projects intensive and you have many balls hovering in the air (which business doesn't?), then you might want to take a planning software out for a spin.

Advantage of Resource Planning Software in Business Activities

Business is any activity undertaken by an individual or a group of person with an intention to make profits. A business engages in various activities like planning of resource, scheduling of activities, coordinating and other managerial activities. All these have to be completed in time in order to generate maximum profit in the production. Prospective entrepreneurs should adhere to these objectives.

Much of business time is put waste when it handles its tasks through the use manual system. This necessitates to the use of the software, an atomized means which is efficient-oriented. Examples of the software in business application include the Decision Support System, Transaction Processing system and Management Information System. They can be largely used in resource planning where an enterprise defines way to achievement. Software provides the business people with adequate and reliable information. Marketing information and bureaucracy of the enterprise is unambiguous. Previous methods that contributed to the failures can be fully noted. This enables the enterprise to opt to use other successful means in use elsewhere. Information about resource allocation is retrieved from the reports generated by the software. As a result, time as a resource is much conserved and can be used in other productive areas.

Booking chart with Booking window

Boundaries are clearing defined by the software. The business is expected to work towards the laid limits by the legal authority, operational, technical, economic and social feasibility. Beyond the predetermined extents, no productive operation can be encountered. Forecasting of resources is efficient via use of software. Unknown future is determined prior. Situations like inflation, competition increases government provision of subsidies and technological changes can be adequately known. The fallout is to relay strategies to deal with upcoming challenging matters.

Scheduling of activities is best in practice via use of the software. The order and the way in which operation is accurately develop by use of the program, this results into application of qualitative business techniques, where there is matching of skills and jobs to done. The enterprise standards of performance are maintained. Cases of underemployment or over employment are eradicated. In turn, employees’ are encouraged to exercise creativity and innovation in right of their propelling positions, and hence works towards achievement of objectives of the business.

Top echelons (management) benefits significantly in resource planning software application. Executives’ unstructured decisions are accurately established. They rapidly derive information from the software. For example, decisions on where to establish a new firm or a branch, whether there is funds to finance multiple projects. Management need to store information in reliable source (in software). This is used for swift evaluation of business performance. They can decide to reward the best performing employees based on the results retrieved from the software. This motivates employees to work zeal and confidence. Their individuals’ objectives are harmonized to entire business’ objectives.

Scheduling Resources in Organizations for Entrepreneurs

The corporate world is one of many intricacies and without proper planning and organization, things will not run smoothly. Software exists that makes planning resources in organizations an easy task and allows businesses to focus on business practices that are more important.

In a large company, streamlining your resources to run in harmony with each other is of vital importance or you will end up with an office building that is permanently in chaos. In order for any business to be successful it needs to adopt efficient planning strategies that will lend to its productivity and ultimately improve its profit margin.

An example of this would be a central database scheduling system that allows everyone in an organization to see what is happening with meeting rooms and conference venues throughout the building at any time of day. Advance booking by using a resource planning software save time & effort which also benefits in identifying idle resources. This way, things like double bookings will be done away with and you also find that time is not wasted and instead, used more efficiently.

If an employee can track venues this way, it improves time keeping and management and this is a wonderful way in which this software works to affect harmony in an office building. Another use for planning software is that of human resources with regard to project management.

At any point, an employee can access a shared database to see what projects are currently being run and who is involved with each project. They will also be able to see what each person is responsible for and what the time line is.

Another great way that resource planning software supports user is by tracking financial resources of the organization. The budget of the project is outlined and every rand spent will be accounted for on a spread sheet so that you will be able to see exactly how much money is being spent and what it is being spent on.

All of the above work together to form an invaluable integrated system that allows you to keep track of how the resources are being scheduled in your company. This information in turn gives you the power to make important decisions regarding your business that are founded on fact and results and won’t be a shot in the dark that leaves you hoping for the best in terms of outcomes. You will always be aware of what is going on in your company with regard to finances, employees and space.

For any company in the competitive corporate world today, planning resources in organizations must be at high priority. If you take time and effort to implement a sound planning strategy, whether it is through computing software or other ways, your business will only stand to benefit in the long run. You will find yourself at the helm of a well-oiled and very competent machine that grows in success in leaps and bounds with little or no wastage.

 Enbraun's Resource Planning Software - Project Screen

Enthusiastic Smart Use of Planning Software to Increase Resource Efficiency

Many companies from a variety of sectors will benefit from the use of planning software to increase resource efficiency. Great programs have certain capabilities, which help managers to identify resource inefficiencies. By improving the efficiency of both managers and employees, computer programs may open the door to increased productivity, and increased revenue.

Good software has an excellent set of features. The best programs have an easy-to-use setup wizard, to make the initial use of the program both simple and fast. The best programs also track multiple employee information sets, including availability, skill level, departments, and personal information. Additionally, resource planning software’s has exceptional reporting capabilities, which help schedulers to analyze trends in employee behavior.

A computer program helps schedulers to identify potential problems, before they happen. For instance, a manager in a large bookstore with a cafe, when inputting employee information into a new software program, may discover how few of her employees are actually capable of working in the cafe. A shortage of trained workers will lead to a bottleneck in the cafe during busy hours, which will lead to lost revenue.

A collaborative resource planning program can surely improve manager efficiency. When the scheduling manager for a business spends less time producing a schedule, because the computer program automatically fills in shifts, then the manager will devote more time to revenue-generating activity. A manager may provide coaching to employees, serve customers, or complete an outstanding project, instead of endlessly poring over schedule spread sheets.

A software program may help employees to become more efficient. Good programs will sort job assignments according to employee skill level, placing the most efficient person in each available position. The right person, in the right place, at the right time, will improve both productivity and customer service.

Businesses should examine their needs before choosing a scheduling program. Businesses may have a few personnel, or a large staff; businesses may have one location, or multiple locations. Resource planning software auto-generate employee shifts which save time. Also, programs which produce easy-to-understand reporting help managers to spot trends quickly, so that they may address potential issues.

Many managers are reluctant to try the use of scheduling software to increase staff efficiency. Managers may be comfortable with their established routine, or may fear that part of their job is being taken away from them. However, once managers see how computer programs save time, create efficiencies, and allow staff to work closer to the revenue line, even the most stubborn among them may become converts.

Maximise Resource Utilization with Scheduling Software

In the past 2 decades, organizations have grown many folds, mainly due to introduction of lenient and pro-business laws which have opened up the entire world in a single market place. On top of that the technological revolution has realized the concept of virtual office and real time information sharing.

As a result, the entire world has become like a unified market for medium and large size organizations. Now organizations have offices and representatives in multiple countries and projects have become even more complex and demanding in terms of technology and worker skill sets. This new development has its own pros and cons. Benefits include bigger market, more business and higher profits, but at the same time it has its own set of unique challenges.

As the organizations are growing, so are the number of employees and other resources, this comes along with big issues such as efficiently scheduling resources and maximizing utilization, so that profits can be maximized and associated costs can be justified. It’s easier said than done. Out of all the different types of resources, employees are the most challenging to schedule and optimize, mainly because every employee can have multiple attributes (skills, roles, training, certification, experience, preferences etc…) and capturing and maintaining these attributes can be tedious and never-ending job. Not only this, employees are spread across continents, are highly mobile and therefore can be involved in different projects at multiple locations. Therefore visibility of resources and their attributes is a bigger issue than ever.

What should a project resource coordinator do if he / she is not able to find a resource with the required skill sets in his own team or department? The usual solution is to hire or to contract an outside resource, but this at times is not economical, can be time consuming and not practical due to operational reasons and policies. Other possibility is to extend the scope of search within the organization and look for the required resources in other departments, offices and even offices in other countries, this option has benefits of being economical, comparatively faster and motivating for employees. But identifying the right resources on the basis of required skill sets is only possible if organization is using a collaborative resource scheduling and planning tool that captures and maintains comprehensive profiles of all the resources across the organization that can share resource information (skill sets, commitments, availability etc…) in real time so that efficient resource scheduling and utilization can become a reality.

‘eResource Scheduler’ by Enbraun is a good example of collaborative Employee Scheduling Software. It can be configured to schedule custom defined resources e.g. Rooms, equipment etc. Main features include configurable groupings & resource attributes, drag & drop Scheduling, billable & non billable bookings, time-sheet, resource utilization report, resource forecasting report and financial report.