Five good reasons for a resource management tool in times of Corona

Unplanned changes in the economy cause fluctuations in personnel requirements. The current Corona Pandemic shows us just what this means. It is therefore all the more important for companies to know at the click of a mouse which employees are currently working on which projects and which skills are required. The central success factor is a cross-location overview of all resources. Lack of information leads to wrong decisions and suboptimal staff deployment. In our blog post, you can find out that it doesn't have to come to that and how to prepare yourself in time with digital solutions.

Why a comprehensive overview of resources favors the flexibility of a company

Basically it is good for project managers to know who is working on what and where employees are located. Availability and skills are the decisive, but also the limiting factor when it comes to planning projects and successfully implementing corporate strategies. Cloud-based planning tools enable flexible rescheduling, if this becomes necessary, for example, when travel is restricted. You can see immediately who is still available - and where. This information can be decisive for the continuation of a project. In the best case, you also know where your employees have their strengths and can use them optimally and flexibly depending on their skills. As the person responsible for a project, you should also always be able to provide information in order to inform customers and stakeholders about possible delays and their expected extent and, in the best case, to show alternatives in order to be able to continue a project even in a crisis.

Five good reasons for a resource management tool:

• Planning resources holistically across all locations
• Assemble teams perfectly according to needs and skills 
• Develop today the personnel requirements of tomorrow
• Get all resource information in real time 
• Make flexible decisions faster based on current facts

Can this flexibility also entail layoffs?

A company has one primary goal: to operate profitably with the aim of guaranteeing its economic survival in the long term. Consequently, in the event of an economic downturn, there are always redundancies, just as there are hiring in the event of an economic upturn. In this context, the knowledge of roles and skills of employees is also valuable, as it supports companies both in the definition of dispensable roles and skills and in the early, needs-based recruitment and training of employees in the event of an economic upturn.

Against this background, will resource management continue to gain importance in the near future?

In any case, the ability to digitally control employee planning proves to be an added value, as companies can react flexibly to constraints - provided that an Internet connection is available. Knowledge of a company's resources and the skills of its employees and the cloud-based option of planning them is therefore a key to economic survival and success.

Would you like to learn more about the importance of resource management for project management? Then read our article Resource management - overrated or really important?