Resource Manager

Term Definition
The resource manager is the person responsible for managing the resources of an organization or project. The resource manager would ensure that the organization or project had the necessary resources at the right time to complete the objectives.

An organizational resource plan will look at the organization's needs rather than an individual project need. One component of an organization resource plan might be a resource procurement strategy – how will the company obtain the resources needed to achieve their strategic plans. For example, if an organization was in need of two financial analysts in order to meet the objectives of next budget year the resource manager would plan and implement recruiting strategies to gain the resources needed.

Project and resource managers use resource plans to express resource requirements in terms of resources needed over a period of time. In the early stages of project planning, indicating for example that you will need “four analysts and two finance managers for five months” is useful. However, in later stages, resource requirements will be  fine-tuned and derive from project plans and timesheets as resources are assigned to tasks. To achieve the objectives of the project resource, managers must have a method of accurately identifying and matching available resources to the needed tasks.

Resource managers make use of tools such as resource calendars, and score-based matching to manage resources. Score-based matching is a useful resource planning tool. It allows you to precisely match resources with project needs. You will be allocating the right resource at the right time, which ensures proficiency on the project and eliminates roadblocks that might be caused by having the wrong resources. Score-based matching in resource planning is not very different than the process organizations use in selecting potential employment candidates. Employers define the skills, importance, experience and proficiency for a specific job. Candidates that match the defined values are invited in for hiring consideration.

Related Terms
Availability
Resource Calendar

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