Resource management decisions are often based around labor. How much is needed? What types of skills are required and when does it need to be done by? Who can do it? Did it get done? You can measure labor in the following ways:
- Demand–How much is needed? Demand is the net request for labor, work, and resources for a work item.
- Capacity–What types of skills are required and when does it need to be done by? Capacity measures what is needed for a work item and the availability of resources that can be allocated or assigned to one or more tasks. Capacity can be measured using actual resources or by using generic resources as a placeholder.
- Allocation–Who can do it? An allocation is an agreement between a resource manager and a project manager as to the availability of a given resource (actual or generic) to work on one or more tasks in task plan.
- Assignments–Did it get done? Assignments are tracked against the individual tasks within the task plan. Assignments are tracked in timesheets that are submitted by the resources assigned to tasks in the task plan. Timesheets can be approved or rejected.
Resources are people (labor) that can be used by a work item. This includes generic labor resources and a TBH (to-be-hired or unknown) resource. A resource manager is allowed to add resources and to create resource teams for actual and generic resources (a placeholder). The Resources module helps provide tools to resource managers for creating, managing, allocating, and securing your resources.
For more information, see the following topics: