Resource Scheduling: A Complete Guide for Project Managers
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 8:19 am
What does it take to complete a project successfully? People, time and money? Yes, but there is more. Successful project completion requires assigning the right resources to the right tasks at the right time and in a logical order.
So it's no wonder that companies lose millions of dollars in real and opportunity costs due to delays or budget overruns.
As a project manager, effective resource scheduling is key to ensuring the right attempt.
What is resource scheduling?
Resource scheduling is a fundamental part of project management, where investors email list available team members are assigned specific tasks to be completed within a predetermined time. There are mainly two methods of resource scheduling: Time-bound or Resource-bound.
Scheduling resources with time constraints
If there is a fixed deadline for the project, you will assign resources to complete the work within that time frame. In this case, the deadline is fixed, but the resources are flexible. Time-bound resource scheduling is often used by professional services organizations or agencies with additional resources waiting for projects.
This also applies to projects that have a fixed release date. For example, if it's a Christmas release, the deadline is December 25th (or earlier).
Programming with limited resources
On the other hand, if you have a limited number of resources, you will plan the project based on their availability and capacity.
This method of resource management requires flexibility in schedules. Resource-constrained scheduling is often used in product companies or internal teams, where additional team members or contractors are hired. For example, when ClickUp adds AI features to our platform, we schedule the project with our resource constraints in mind.
In any case, a resource schedule is fundamentally governed by resources and time. Let's take the example of a content production team . It has SEO analysts, writers, editors, designers, and publishers. Here, each person performs their task after completing the previous one. Therefore, it is necessary to schedule resources sequentially like a biweekly sprint.
SEO Research and Briefing Day 1-3
Writing from the 4th to the 9th
Edition from the 10th to the 12th
Design from day 13 to 15
Even this simple resource schedule presents challenges. As you can see in the chart above, an SEO analyst or editor needs three days to complete their task, while a copywriter needs six days to complete theirs.
So if this team had one resource with each skill, everyone except the writer would be underutilized. It is precisely this problem that effective resource scheduling is intended to address.
So it's no wonder that companies lose millions of dollars in real and opportunity costs due to delays or budget overruns.
As a project manager, effective resource scheduling is key to ensuring the right attempt.
What is resource scheduling?
Resource scheduling is a fundamental part of project management, where investors email list available team members are assigned specific tasks to be completed within a predetermined time. There are mainly two methods of resource scheduling: Time-bound or Resource-bound.
Scheduling resources with time constraints
If there is a fixed deadline for the project, you will assign resources to complete the work within that time frame. In this case, the deadline is fixed, but the resources are flexible. Time-bound resource scheduling is often used by professional services organizations or agencies with additional resources waiting for projects.
This also applies to projects that have a fixed release date. For example, if it's a Christmas release, the deadline is December 25th (or earlier).
Programming with limited resources
On the other hand, if you have a limited number of resources, you will plan the project based on their availability and capacity.
This method of resource management requires flexibility in schedules. Resource-constrained scheduling is often used in product companies or internal teams, where additional team members or contractors are hired. For example, when ClickUp adds AI features to our platform, we schedule the project with our resource constraints in mind.
In any case, a resource schedule is fundamentally governed by resources and time. Let's take the example of a content production team . It has SEO analysts, writers, editors, designers, and publishers. Here, each person performs their task after completing the previous one. Therefore, it is necessary to schedule resources sequentially like a biweekly sprint.
SEO Research and Briefing Day 1-3
Writing from the 4th to the 9th
Edition from the 10th to the 12th
Design from day 13 to 15
Even this simple resource schedule presents challenges. As you can see in the chart above, an SEO analyst or editor needs three days to complete their task, while a copywriter needs six days to complete theirs.
So if this team had one resource with each skill, everyone except the writer would be underutilized. It is precisely this problem that effective resource scheduling is intended to address.