Project planning vs. resource planning

The construction business is booming. But the full order books have long been offset by an immense shortage of materials. How can construction projects be successfully implemented when material shortages are looming around every corner? This is the question many project managers must be asking themselves. After all, they not only have to keep an eye on the construction site as a whole, but also plan for the available resources and manage them during implementation. Without sufficient manpower, materials or machinery in the right place at the right time, a project will not progress. But for many, this detailed planning is not so easy.

Project management

Anyone who manages a project bears a great deal of responsibility. From the first cut of the spade to the handover of the building, he holds the reins in his hands. The project manager must ensure, for example, that all deadlines are met, that the budget is not exceeded and that everything goes according to plan. After all, the top priority of project management is to achieve the agreed goal. The manager therefore not only monitors everything that happens on the construction site, but is also the contact person for all those involved in all matters. If, for example, the team reports that materials are missing or workers are unavailable, construction progress is delayed and deadlines cannot be met. The project manager must find solutions as quickly as possible and inform the client.

Resource management

Resource management, on the other hand, focuses on the details. The planning of resources determines when, where, who, what and how much of them will be used. Precisely because the current situation offers little planning certainty, this step is essential. After all, the earlier you know which raw materials you need and when, the sooner you can order materials. This increases the chances that it will be in the right place at the right time. However, these intricacies present challenges for some managers. After all, different projects mean different crews, machines and construction materials in different places. Keeping track of this is sometimes not so easy. But inaccurate resource planning makes control during implementation even more difficult. As a result, the project quickly gets out of hand. Imagine that too few skilled workers are planned for your project on the construction site. The assigned team cannot complete the workload in the allotted time without working overtime for weeks on end and is then completely overloaded after a short time. Then there are the overtime surcharges, which quickly shrink the budget. Or deadlines are missed because the necessary machines or building materials are not available. A construction stop not only causes resentment within the company, but above all does not satisfy the customer. However, adding resources at short notice at this point is just as problematic. If you pull personnel or equipment from projects in order to use them where it burns most, you are already in a vicious circle. Shifting resources across projects doesn't solve problems, it shifts them. Comprehensive and realistic planning helps prevent fires from starting in the first place.

Conclusion

The most successful way to manage your projects is when project and resource management go hand in hand. If you want to bring a project safely to its goal, you must not shy away from the finer points, but also plan resources in advance and check them regularly. After all, spontaneously searching for solutions costs far more time and money - not to mention nerves. And even if controlling both factors together works: stay realistic. Plan buffers with which you can compensate for possible bottlenecks. Take the time at the beginning of a project to take care of these details. Because later, you won't have that time. Useful tools like Molteo make it easier for you to plan and control the project and all resources.