1 Thing to Do and 1 Challenge with Resource Allocation
The purpose of this article is to cover one thing you can do with resource allocation, and correspondingly, one hard-to-control challenge after allocating resources.
Resource Allocation is a TRANSITION Activity
TRANSITION activities include Resource Allocation because people that were providing effort on the project need to be doing things other than project once it is complete. Basically, they need to find other jobs.
TRANSITION includes Resource Allocation
If they are on loan from another functional manager, then it is a matter of them returning back to that functional area, accompanied, preferably, with a conversation with them, and their manager, as a transition activity.
If they are consultants, then their contract is done, and they are on their own after the project is complete.
If they are staff who came on board as employees for the project, then as project manager work together your project sponsor and, if necessary, with other executives to ensure that these staff move to a new manager after the project.
There is also another type of allocation required, which is the subject of this blog post and that is resources that are not present during the project but needed after the project is complete to support the project outcomes to ensure their long-term quality.
In other words, if the project creates an end solution or a service that didn’t exist prior to the project, then resources with the knowledge of what is needed to support and sustain that end solution should probably be in place once the project is complete.
These could be project resources, mentioned earlier, who came on board as employees for the project, or they could be new employees. It could also be an outsourced service.
The point is if there are specialized resources needed after the project is complete to support and maintain the long-term health and quality of the project solution, then those resources need to be defined ahead of time.
One Thing to do with Resource Allocation
The one thing you can do with resource allocation for the support of project outcomes after the project is complete is to plan ahead for those future resources during the project, preferable somewhere around the mid-point of the project so there is time for executive feedback and approval.
Plan ahead for any necessary resource allocations after the project is complete
The plan needs to include the roles expected, the description of their responsibilities, and the budget to support those resources.
The conversation starts between the manager managing the project (that’s you ) and the project sponsor, leading probably to an executive presentation, feedback, review, and eventual approval.
This can be one of the most beneficial activities you as a Project Manager undertake towards ensuring that long after the project completion, the solution you and your team worked so hard to deliver, continues to provide value to the organization.
One Thing that is Hard to Control with Resource Allocation
With resource allocation, your control as a manager managing the project, is really only within the domain of the project.
However after the project is complete, no matter how visionary your plan for support roles, their responsibilities, and the adequate budget you set aside, once those resources have left your control as a project manager, their allocation is under the control of another manager.
As an example, I was managing a project that myself and the project sponsor realized would need two resources after project completion to provide support to the business teams and continue the learning and adjustment to the solution by the business teams.
This was the kind of solution that affected people very personally with respect to their documents and so no matter how much effort we put into adoption and change management during the project, learning needed to continue after the project was complete.
With this foresight we put together a presentation and budget and despite difficult current financial constraints were able to secure funding commitment for the two resources under a particular management role.
Unfortunately, near the end of project, the responsibilities for that particular management role shifted around within the organization and the support of the solution and the allocation of those resources went to a manager who had absolutely no idea about the organization-wide solution we were implementing and had no appreciation for what was needed to support it long term.
In fact, to our dismay, this manager completely allocated the resources to another area responsibility, entirely separate from what the project needed.
That left the project with no support resources. A year later, speaking to some of the business teams, they lamented the fact that there were no support resources to help the business teams continue their learning.
Though it was a breakthrough solution, and they acknowledged that it offered tremendous value they also needed felt it needed support to continue to get the full benefits they had expected and help employees learn how to use it. It was a frustrating conversation.
This illustrates that though you can plan ahead with support roles, responsibilities, and budget, once the resources are managed outside of the project, the allocations are under another manager’s responsibility.
Summary
One thing you can do to ensure the sustainment of the value of the project solution you and your team work so hard to implement, is by planning for any long-term support roles needed, their responsibilities, and budget, and get the necessary executive approval.
However, acknowledge that once the resource allocations leave the project control, they can be re-allocated by another inexperienced manager lacking in knowledge for what is needed for the long-term support of the solution.
Action Steps / Apply This Knowledge
- If resources are needed long-term, define the roles, responsibilities and budget required to support those roles.
- Present and get executive approval at the mid-point of the project so there is time for discussion and review prior to the project end.
- Present necessary resource allocations as high as possible in an attempt to have the allocations managed appropriately after the project is complete to ensure the long-term quality of the project’s end solution.
Learn More
In an upcoming workshop, for which you can subscribe to be notified when it’s available, we cover project management examples in detail.
Also, in the workshop, we go into greater depth on many of the project management items in the Manager Project Mastery (MPM) model. As well you can ask questions about any of your current projects during the Q&A.
TRANSITION – Resource Allocation Planning
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