3 Top Business Complexities That Resource Scheduling Resolves

Formulating a team with the right qualifications and skills can be a time-consuming task. If personnel information comes from team leaders, managers, or colleagues on different time zones and in different formats, the data can take a long time to turn into actionable information.

In a properly integrated resource scheduling solution, all the pertinent data is at the decision-maker's fingertips. The program will present available employees who are qualified to do the jobs. It can also detail work experience to show the applicable skill sets. The bottom line: resource scheduling helps staff projects accurately and quickly.

When pursuing new work, a company must use its understanding of its resources to make an effective bid. If the bid is too conservative (e.g. estimating long completion time frames), the door is open for a competitor to make a better offer. Conversely, if the bid is too aggressive (e.g. overestimating resource availability), the company risks missing deadlines and disappointing customer expectations. Setting the right expectation is a balancing game every business must learn to play.

Integrated resource scheduling helps set realistic expectations by providing real-time data on a company�s capabilities, such as employee hours, available equipment, and needed materials. Using this data, a company can make realistic bids, get a better understanding of current needs, and discover areas for improvement and/or growth.

Maintaining flexibility to take advantage of market opportunities is a key part of business success. Simply put: a company may have plenty of work today, but what about a week from now? A month from now? What if demand suddenly increases? A recent study found most PR and creative agencies said they had no overview of their resource situation more than one month ahead.

Resource scheduling can be used to forecast potential staffing, equipment, and material bottlenecks. It helps decision-makers know when resources will free up. This helps avoid staffing gaps, over-bookings, and unrealistic plans while increasing a firm's employee utilization rate as well as it's ability to book more work.

As companies grow, so does their need for resource scheduling. More employees are telecommuting. Employees in different locations are forming productive teams thanks to cloud-based software. And hiring outside contractors can be done with more speed and efficiency than ever.

From a high-level view, resource scheduling software lets managers base decisions on past experiences, current requirement, and future needs. On the day-to-day level, it avoids over-bookings and employee qualification issues. It is a viable tool your business should employ to stay lean and grow strong.