Resources are the backbone of an organization, from its day-to-day operations to the smooth flow of individual projects. But too often, businesses don’t keep careful track of their resources or understand how they are contributing to the big picture.
Enter the resource manager. These professionals are too often overlooked in the business world, despite the considerable value they bring to organizations of all types and sizes.
If you don’t have a carefully honed resource management process in place at your organization, it’s time to consider bringing a professional with the right skill set into the fold. Wondering how a resource manager will benefit your business? Here are nine ways.
What does a resource manager do?
A resource manager’s primary role is to handle an organization’s resources. That includes planning, scheduling, budgeting, allocating, and generally overseeing the appropriate use of resources, which span personnel to time to specific software and tools.
A resource manager will take stock of current assets and assign them to different projects as appropriate. They will look for holes and consider how to best address these gaps. They will also search for opportunities.
Ultimately, intelligent business resource management leads to a stronger ROI.
9 reasons why you need a dedicated resource manager
- You will have a concrete plan in place.
Planning is a critical phase — in fact, an ongoing process — for every project you undertake. And that’s not just the responsibility of the project manager. Resources are an integral part of your plan; without them, you won’t be able to move forward.
A resource manager will determine which resources you need and how to best incorporate them at each stage. This is a critical part of your plan, dictating a roadmap for the entire team to follow.
- Your project timelines will be more accurate.
Too often, project timelines are altered, leading to disappointment at best and chaos at worse. But time is a resource, too, and with a skilled resource manager in place, your business will be better equipped to establish accurate timelines for your projects. This professional will have the competencies to predict when and how you can best complete your various endeavors.
- Project managers will feel better supported.
When you don’t have a dedicated resource manager, project managers bear the brunt of the burden. These leaders are often already overworked. A resource manager is an asset to them. These professionals work together to plan and coordinate projects, collaborating to ensure cohesion.
- You will reduce workplace conflict.
When multiple people are tasked with handling and allocating resources — something that’s not even part of their job descriptions — there is bound to be conflict among coworkers. But designating a resource manager to handle all your critical tools and assets will streamline the process, breaking it down into a more digestible procedure, putting it in the hands of a professional with expertise. This, in turn, will lead to greater simplicity and less conflict.
- You’ll save money.
Managing resources is a costly process, particularly when you don’t have a system in place for doing so. When you have a professional with the experience and skill set, however, you can hone your process, thus saving you money overall. This applies to overhead costs, too. Your resource manager will inform your employment strategy, such that you dedicated appropriate funding to the right professionals to complete your team. This will also allow you to avoid redundancies, which really leads to wasted funds.
- Employees will be happier.
Resource management, in essence, is a planning and decision-making role. It’s about streamlining projects and taking initiative. When you don’t have a dedicated individual — or individuals — who fill this role, the task of allocating and managing resources is left to the employees, who have their own responsibilities, they are bound to feel overworked, and most likely unhappy, too.
With a skilled resource manager, your employees will be better supported in their roles. They won’t have to take on the extra burden of selecting and handling resources themselves and can focus on their own roles and responsibilities.
- You’ll make better hiring decisions.
Remember: employees are a resource. Someone who knows the ins and outs of the tasks and responsibilities, as well as the skills and competencies necessary for specific projects, will be better equipped to make informed decisions about whom to hire and how you can leverage their qualifications toward greater project success.
- You’ll have a blueprint for future projects.
Resource allocation is an intricate process, and when you’re starting from scratch every time, it becomes time-intensive and exhausting. A resource manager, however, will aid your organization, saving it time and money, by developing a process for future projects. When you document your resource management procedures, you will have an effective blueprint to guide your procedures.
- Your project will be superior.
All of the items on this list essentially boil down to one thing: a superior project. Together, they lead to higher quality initiatives, services, and products, both in terms of process and customer satisfaction. At the end of the day, resource management is an important tool for your company — one that leads to a stronger brand, a more satisfied team, and happier employees.
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