Research shows how to assess and improve the critical management and planning of finite human resources to support business growth objectives.

READING, UK – Sept 23, 2014 – Organisations that improve the resource management and capacity planning of their people are significantly reducing their top pain points and, positioning themselves to better capitalise on business opportunities. This is the main conclusion of “The 2014 State of Resource Management and Capacity Planning Report”, commissioned by Planview® and conducted by Appleseed Partners and Dig Market Research.

The study found that the most mature organisations reduced the top pain points – including the common dilemma of overcommitting their resources and insufficient visibility into resource capacity – by 30 to 60 percent. This is based on a survey of nearly 500 global planning and resource leaders, who assessed their maturity in both resource management and capacity planning as well as identified their top pain points and causes, business risks, software use, and best practices.

According to the results, organisations that are mastering the resource dilemma:

Understand that resource management and capacity planning are distinct but interrelated disciplines that require attention and improvement to advance resource utilisation, efficiency and return;
Have a holistic view into both pipeline demand and resource capacity; and
Invest in the people, processes, and tools to improve in both areas with statistically significant reductions in the pain points that lead to resource overcommitment and underutilisation.
“Companies are rushing into new projects to drive business growth while sustaining the current state of business, all with a finite supply of shared resources. As a result, organisations overcommit and underutilise their resources, which negatively impacts project timelines, business opportunities, customer satisfaction, innovation speed, productivity and budgets,” said Maureen Carlson, partner at Appleseed Partners and chief researcher and report author. “The aim of this report is to show companies how to better deliver on their business goals with the most transparent, efficient and intelligent use of their resources.”

Organisations seeking to improve their resource management and capacity planning capabilities can access the report for:

Proof that organisations have made significant improvement towards solving the most common resource management and planning pain points;
Steps for assessing their organisation’s resource management and capacity planning maturity to identify their level as a Resource Executor, an Aspiring Planner, or a Capacity Master; and
Actionable information and recommendations for implementing the five key practices top performers share in order to increase in maturity and achieve business benefits.
For more information on improving resource management and capacity planning and to explore the research real-time, visit benchmark study website at http://rmcp.planview.com.
 
Planview will host a Webinar to discuss the research findings for IT and enterprise project management office (EPMO) professionals on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 10:30 a.m. EST. To register for either the live broadcast or the on demand recording, visit Planview.com/rmcp-IT.

Future Webinars will cover the results pertaining to product development and services-based organisations.

Jerry Manas, Planview senior editor and bestselling author, will host the Oct. 1 Webinar along with chief researcher and report author Maureen Carlson of Appleseed Partners. Manas just published his latest book: “The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook: A Guide to Maximizing the Value of Your Limited People Resources,” which supports and expands on the report’s findings. In the book, Manas recommends techniques and approaches that organisations can use to increase innovation initiatives through a balanced demand portfolio, drive greater productivity through better utilisation of resources, and supercharge value delivery by focusing people on work that matters.