Project Plan Services’ recent webinar introduced the Resource Management by Smartsheet (formerly 10,000ft) platform, discussing what is resource management and how it can help most industries and organisations. We reflect on the key learnings from the session.
1. Remote working is here to stay
With 97% of employees not looking to return to the office full-time, remote and flexible working is not going away soon.* 2020 saw a necessary boom in remote working presenting new possibilities regarding employee’s location, shifting our focus to their skillset and experience to get the job done and done well.
However, with this innovative approach comes fewer face-to-face meetings and office environments, which presents us with the challenge of not truly understanding the full picture of our team’s workload, their time and the resources available. That is where we reap the true benefits of resource management.
2. Resource Management looks different to everyone
Despite the common goal, resource management looks different to everyone depending on role type and level, industry and project status, to name a few. The key thing is to find the right resource management practices that work for you and your business. Resource Management is about increasing visibility of all resources; people time and tools, leveraging these to align them to meaningful work and goals. Taking a rounded view of your business practices, what do your resource pools look like, how are people assigned to projects, how is their time managed and tracked?
3. Email chains do not share the full picture
Without team meetings and reliance on email and virtual catch-ups, it is hard to understand who is working on what, who has too much work on their plate and who has availability, whilst also maintaining your insight into project status, budgets and timelines. Therefore, it is key to find a practice to understand the full picture, whether that is through an existing platform or investing in a solution that will streamline your approach whilst saving you time and resources in the process.
4. Find a solution that takes the pain out of the process
Introducing new processes and software can be tricky, especially when your team are not all working from one central place. It is important that when choosing software that it is a solution to your specific challenges and requirements rather than convoluting existing processes. Finding a platform that is flexible to your needs not only for now but as your organisation grows and business increases. In addition, choosing a platform where implementation is supported with ongoing guidance and training for staff too.
5. Why Resource Management by Smartsheet (formerly 10,000ft)?
The visually inviting platform is slick and simple to use, offering 3 tiers of permissions allowing for employees at project or resource management level to assess and assign resources to projects as well as having an insight into predicted and actual financials. Licenced users are also able to add managed resources, this could be people or meeting rooms and equipment. Then there are 'time tracking' users who can review, amend and submit the time they have been requested to spend on specific projects. Making timesheets on excel and submitting via email chains is a thing of the past. In addition, Resource Management is powered by Smartsheet, which means if your organisation already uses Smartsheet, Resource Management has a native integration within the console allowing you to easily keep records, projects and reports up to date with minimal effort and ensuring optimal adoption.^
“Resource Management by Smartsheet is one of the simplest and easy to use resource management tools we work with. It provides the scalable capability that delivers the insight needed to take action and ensure more can be achieved with finite resources. I wholly recommend it to organisations of all sizes and industries that need to plan at either high level, low level detail or both!” Peter Allanach, Director at Project Plan Services.
Project Plan Services are a Smartsheet Platinum Partner, offering unprecedented support, guidance and training to our clients. We understand that you are looking to solve unique needs with efficient and tailored solutions. PPS work with you to support your individual requirements.