Optimize Team Performance & Avoid Burnout

Š 2011-2019 Orangescrum Research Lab, San Jose, California

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Š 2011-2019 Orangescrum Research Lab, San Jose, California

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Table of Contents

● Introduction ● Resource Management Fundamentals What Is Resource Management?

Why Is Resource Management Important?

Who Manages Resources?

When Do You Need Resource Management?

● Resource Management Best Practices When Possible, Wait for Resources to Be Ready Use Real Data Streamline Processes Pay More Attention to Constraints Arm Them With the Right Tech Remember Resources Are People Too

● Conclusion

© 2011-2019 Orangescrum Research Lab, San Jose, California

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Introduction

T

here's no doubt, the world of work is increasing every day- more tasks, more projects,

more goals need to be completed by the end of the day or week or quarter. It can be confusing and complicated for both the project managers and their team members, whose time is being managed badly across multiple projects.

To make things even more complicated, increasingly distributed project teams and an overloaded array of new technologies always make managing teams' workload more complicated than ever before.

From a report I found - 7 shocking project management statistics that cost business owners millions each year

Š 2011-2019 Orangescrum Research Lab, San Jose, California

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The failure of IT costs the U.S. economy about $50-$150 billion annually Only 2.5% of companies successfully complete 100% of their projects The failure rate of projects with budgets over $1M is 50%t higher than the failure rate of projects with budgets below $350,000 73% of respondents admit that their projects are either always or usually "doomed right from the start," including 27% who always feel this way 49% of organizations have a project management training program in place

17% of large IT projects go so badly that they can threaten the very existence of the company

Only 26% of all projects succeed

All of this result in more stress, project failure, higher turnover, and higher costs for the company. Luckily, the complexities brought on by the digital era can be prevented by proper resource management.

But first what exactly is resource management and why do you need it?

Š 2011-2019 Orangescrum Research Lab, San Jose, California

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Resource Management Fundamentals

(Source-https://explore.easyprojects.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/How-to-allocate-limitedresources-for-multiple-IT-projects-1075x640.jpg)

WHAT IS RESOURCE MANAGEMENT? Before we talk about resource management, let's define what "Resources" are! Resources are the people, equipment, time, and/or money needed to complete a project. Every project needs resources. However, for the purposes of this eBook, we refer to “resources” as the people on a project team.

Then, what is resource management?

Resource management is the process of allocating and managing those resources wisely which helps you to meet the project goals. It’s the practice of effectively allocating project tasks so work gets completed while avoiding employee burnout.

Of course, it's easier to say, but difficult to execute. There are many challenges for resource managers. These range from lack of visibility into resource workload and schedules, to absence of performance and utilization data that prevents accurate future planning. When resource management is done correctly, the impact is felt throughout the organization.

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WHY IS RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT? Resource management is about “Having the right people, with the right abilities, in the right place, at the right time”.

When your team is on track, they produce amazing things, complete tasks with greater efficiency, and reach optimal performance. Execution improves team morale.

Not only does proper resource management help make this possible, but it also helps you accurately and efficiently plan future projects based on previous performance and utilization.

Pairing resource management with the proper reporting tools gives you guidance for the future.

On the other hand, inadequate resource management leads to stressed-out workers, which not only affects productivity but also retention.

According to our recent report on The Stress Epidemic, “Stress causes about 50% of workers to start looking for another job, and 25% to quit their current jobs altogether”.

Proper resource management carries many pros. So there are number of reasons to allocate and manage resources properly.

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WHO MANAGES RESOURCES? Anyone who has people directly reporting to them or is a project manager responsible for the success of a project and project team should manage their resources to avoid burnout or underutilization.

This includes the team or department managers or project managers who should have an ongoing awareness of who is doing what and when.

Resource and traffic managers with specific skills in managing resource utilization might bring in to help coordinate especially complex projects or to help manage resources on the departmental level.

A single resource is often assigned tasks by multiple project managers or department managers. Without a resource manager to balance tasks and workload, that resource can quickly get puzzled and projects might suffer.

Š 2011-2019 Orangescrum Research Lab, San Jose, California

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WHEN DO YOU NEED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT?

Resource management is critical not only to the success of your project but also for the health and well-being of your employees and team members.

We’ve all been in a situation where we felt like we were being pulled into the project after project, requests were piling up, and the backlog of tasks continued to grow.

Proper resource management defines a process for taking those requests and properly allocating them across your workforce for optimal performance.

Time and time again, studies show taking on too much work and multitasking reduces efficiency. Being assigned too many tasks on too many projects is a detriment to everyone.

Now the question arises, “how can you effectively manage your resources for optimal performance?”

© 2011-2019 Orangescrum Research Lab, San Jose, California

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Resource Management Best Practices

(Source-https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-rlu9VQGlLM/maxresdefault.jpg)

WHEN POSSIBLE, WAIT FOR RESOURCES TO BE READY: The pace of work is increasing every day, leading to an overwhelming number of growing tasks and to-dos. Deadlines are becoming more aggressive, and, if you’re not careful, it’s easy to slip into an “always on” mentality.

It can be hazardous to get projects on track and running as soon as you've gotten green light, but starting a project without the right resources in place can genuinely “extend the end date of a four-month project to as much as a year,” according to Gartner’s “Resource Capacity Planning for PPM Leaders: Crawl Before You Walk” report.

It may seem counterintuitive, but delaying a project a month to accommodate resource availability could actually save you up to 8 months of delays. Instead of pushing the project forward, wait until all resources are available to dedicate to the project.

We know this may not always be possible when resources are limited, but using technology that lets you better forecast team members’ commitments can help achieve better outcomes.

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USE REAL DATA: The only way to effectively manage resources is to know exactly who is working on what and when. But that’s easier said than done. Lack of visibility is one of the most common pain points for resource managers, especially when resources are assigned to projects across the team.

Without true visibility into each resource's tasks and projects across teams and departments, it’s difficult to balance the resource utilization in a proper way.

Use Resource Management Tools to understand how much demand there is for each of your resources, so you can plan accurately and efficiently in real time.

Spreadsheets that need to be downloaded, revised, and re-uploaded lead to gaps in visibility when everyone can’t see the most updated versions.

Cloud-based work-management platforms where projects, tasks, and assignments are tracked within a single real-time solution keep everyone on the same page and up to date.

Orangescrum's Resource availability feature gives you full visibility into your entire team’s workload, even down to the individual team-member level.

STREAMLINE PROCESSES: Resources are the most valuable asset of your company. Misusing them should be considered an unacceptable waste.

Map out the project implementation plan end-to-end to identify and remove redundancies and inefficiencies.

Workers claimed, “Only 39% of their actual work day went to job tasks. The other 61% was eaten up by busywork and administrative duties”.

For many operational tasks, templates and automation can relax team members to focus on the projects they were hired for instead of wasting their time with low-impact work.

Use templates and automation to help perform repetitive tasks so your team can focus on what they do best.

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Orangescrum’s project template add-on makes teams more efficient by taking busywork off their plate.

PAY MORE ATTENTION TO CONSTRAINTS: Key resources known for their great work or specialized skill set are often in high demand.

Having these resources on your project can take your team to the next level. But when too many projects require their ability, those team members can turn into roadblocks.

According to Gartner, “Over commitment to projects could cost from 20 minutes to 2 hours in terms of the efficiency and effectiveness of project work ”.

Identify those key resources that are in high demand and schedule projects around their availability, so other team members aren’t waiting around for them.

Pareto’s Principle:

Pareto’s Principle states that 80% of your output will likely come from 20% of your resources. This means that 20 % will be in high demand. If they become overloaded, it can lead to project derailment and increased stress for them and others.

ARM THEM WITH THE RIGHT TECH: Using the right technology stack allows your team to function at their optimal performance, but too many tools — or tools that don’t easily integrate with each other — can cause unnecessary stress, wasted time, and inaccurate data transferred between systems.

According to Hubspot, on average, marketers are using more than 12 tools, with some using up to 31 on a day-to-day basis.

So arm them with the right technology stack that not only helps them do their job but also works together. It’s all about using tech to lighten the load, not increase it.

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REMEMBER RESOURCES ARE PEOPLE TOO: As the saying goes: Plans are meant to be broken.

Even the most well-thought-out projects with the most carefully managed resources can meet hurdles and obstacles. A human output is much less predictable than other types of output — say an industrial-printer-producing magazine.

People may take longer to complete tasks than scheduled, or unexpected roadblocks may arise.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to improve.

More than 80% of senior executives agree data should be at the heart of decision-making, according to Ernst & Young.

Monitor resource utilization closely and create custom reports for more strategic, accurate, and effective planning in the future.

Adjust and Iterate with Orangescrum:

Orangescrum makes it easier to prioritize projects, so you can move projects forward and reduce unexpected operating expenses when circumstances change. Make adjustments to task duration, the effort required, and assignees in real time, or assign tasks from backlogs when your team is available to take on more projects.

Then, create custom reports and views, like Gantt charts and Kanban View to easily measure team and project performance. Enhanced visibility allows you to improve future resource utilization and planning.

© 2011-2019 Orangescrum Research Lab, San Jose, California

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Conclusion

(Source-https://blog.forecast.it/hubfs/forecast_managing-digital-projects.png) Spending the time, energy, and budget to properly manage your resources is better for the bottom line. Not only are team members happier, more engaged, and performing at their optimal levels, but projects also run smoother, faster, and more efficiently.

Always remember; ● When possible, wait for all resources to be ready, otherwise, they can become roadblocks ● Use real-time, up-to-date data for full visibility into team members’ calendars when assigning tasks ● Manage incoming requests to avoid interruptions that cause project delay ● Streamline processes to eliminate redundancies and optimize resources ● Pay special attention to key resources who are in high demand ● Use a tech stack that integrates seamlessly for more efficient and accurate work ● Be prepared to modify plans on the fly

© 2011-2019 Orangescrum Research Lab, San Jose, California

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Try Orangescrum Today!

Ready to help your team achieves more? Keep projects moving, optimize team performance, and avoid burnout with Orangescrum.

For more information, head to our dedicated Orangescrum Official Page :)

Cloud: https://www.orangescrum.com/ Open Source: https://www.orangescrum.org/ Blog: http://blog.orangescrum.com/ Email: support@orangescrum.com

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