7 Simple Charts For Resource Planning Visualization + Best Software

Understanding team member skill sets and availability is one of a project manager’s most important tasks. But without resource planning visualization, project stakeholders will likely fail to appreciate the hours you’ve invested in getting to know your team and meticulously calculating the hours that it will take them to complete project work.

In this article, we’ll define resource planning visualization and explain why it’s important, review the steps involved in visual resource planning, and discuss chart types and software that project managers can use for resource management planning.

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What Is Resource Planning Visualization?

Resource planning visualization provides useful graphic tools for managing resources. Using well-designed visuals for resource planning helps you see who is doing what task, what resources are required and expended, and when each task occurs in the project plan. 

A Gantt chart, for instance, is a visualization tool that allows team members to forecast and track progress against the project plan.

The Importance Of Resource Planning Visualization

Resource planning visualization helps resource managers develop project plans and optimize resources for those plans.

For example, conducting resource scheduling using visualizations enables resource managers to depict key milestones, review resource allocation, and calculate resource capacity.

Visual models reduce time and improve productivity by communicating massive amounts of information in a condensed space. But, these graphics require planning. Establishing a process for developing visual resources will help fulfill the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Poor resource planning can result in significant impacts on a project and a company:

• Reduced communication
• Increased cost
• Greater team member and project manager responsibilities
• Lower team member performance
• Project delays
• Lower quality products

Steps In Visual Resource Planning 

Visual resource planning follows the same general principles as traditional resource planning; however, resource management software makes it easier for team members and resource managers to visualize the project plan, understand workload capacity, and find the information required to make decisions.

Keep in mind that many projects now operate in an agile environment. In agile project management, flexibility, collaboration, and interaction are key to shaping the path to product completion.

Project managers often follow the below recommended steps for visual resource planning (usually using resource planning software) so they can dynamically adjust the project plan.

1. Complete A Work Breakdown Structure

When scoping a project, resource managers often create a work breakdown structure (WBS) to outline tasks for team members. The WBS hierarchically organizes project tasks and deliverables into a visual format.

Consider using a WBS software tool or work breakdown structure template for this, which will save you time and effort. Many of these tools offer their own templates so you don't have to start from scratch.

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2. Create a Gantt Chart for Project Scheduling

The project manager may then use the WBS to create a Gantt chart for laying out the project schedule. Building the project schedule requires thinking through employee roles, responsibilities, and skill levels.

While a detailed Gantt chart is crucial for visualizing each component of the project and resource calendar, integrating a robust project scheduling tool can streamline this process significantly.

By basing project scheduling decisions on this information, resource managers can optimize the schedule to best fit project requirements and deliverables.

3. Report Project Data

Once you finalize the project schedule, you can make necessary information understandable to your team. This may come in the form of infographics, maps, diagrams, charts, and other graphics. You can also create project dashboards that display project health metrics for executives and other stakeholders.

Chart Types For Resource Planning Visualization 

Resource managers use a variety of charts for resource planning visualization. This can be a part of visual project management or separate from it, depending on your work methods.

Like all communication, effective visual resources carry a message to an audience. The best way to communicate varies depending on the message you need to convey, so choosing the right chart is important for your audience to understand the data. 

Complex charts encourage users to take time to explore aggregated data, whereas classic visuals like a bar chart are best for communicating data clearly and quickly.

Each of the chart types below serves different resource planning purposes.

HINT

Check out these resource planning templates, including templates for some of the charts listed below. They’ll speed up your process and save you time and effort.

Charts For Organizing Resources

These chart types help organize data during the project planning phase.

Work Breakdown Structure

A work breakdown structure is a type of flow chart that organizes deliverable components within a project. By identifying the components and resources for each deliverable, the work breakdown structure helps project managers to optimize resource allocation and develop the project timeline.

Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed (RACI)

RACI, also known as a responsibility assignment matrix or diagram, outlines the roles and responsibilities of team members for each project task.

RACI may not be the best fit for agile projects because team member responsibilities may fluctuate as the project evolves. Some agile environments, like Scrum, adapt RACI to fit the project plan.

Charts For Scheduling Resources

Once the project manager assigns resources, the next step is scheduling them.

Timeline Schedules

Timeline schedules provide a breakdown of the project from beginning to end. A Gantt chart is a common type of timeline schedule that visually represents task progress on a detailed level. 

A resource manager uses a detailed Gantt chart to visualize each component of the project calendar based on WBS data. Additionally, using project planning software lets the project manager easily modify the Gantt chart, making it suitable for agile project environments.

Kanban Boards

Contrary to a Gantt chart, which emphasizes timeline, Kanban boards prioritize individual tasks. Kanban is a project methodology with its own style of resource planning visualization.

Adopting elements of the WBS and Gantt chart, team members identify the appropriate production stage for a task (e.g., “To-do,” “Doing,” and “Done”) by moving it into the appropriate column on the board.

Resource managers use a Kanban tool in agile environments for workflow visualization, limit work in progress, and display forthcoming tasks.

Charts For Calculating Risk

Before finalizing a resource plan or project plan, project managers must consider potential project risks.

Cause-And-Effect Diagrams

Also known as fishbone diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams outline risk factor data for resource managers. Risk factors include anything that can affect the scope, schedule, and budget of a project (also known as the triple constraints).

Matrix Charts Or Diagrams

Matrix charts are complex visuals that aggregate data to show relationships. By showing how many elements interact, matrix charts help resource managers to identify optimal personnel and other resources for a project.

An impact matrix, also known as a risk assessment matrix, is a common chart in a risk management plan. The impact matrix relates the probability and impact of risk factors to determine their severity.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, And Threats (SWOT) Charts

A resource manager develops a SWOT chart to analyze an entire project or specific element within a project, such as personnel utilization. SWOT charts present a holistic view of potential risks.

Software For Resource Planning Visualization

Resource management software goes beyond Gantt chart design to track resource utilization, and resource availability.

1. 1. Adobe Workfront — Best for strategic resource allocation
2. 2. Float — Best for visual, profitable resourcing
3. 3. Scoro — Best for forecasting team utilization
4. 4. Kantata — Best for real-time resource utilization
5. 5. monday.com — Best for simple workload planning
6. 6. Saviom — Best for resource planning, capacity management & optimization
7. 7. Bonsai Agency Software — Best for workload optimization
8. 8. Kytes — Best for linking resourcing to financials
9. 9. Hub Planner by Milient — Best for midsize and large companies
10. 10. Productive — Best resource planning and capacity forecasting

If your budget is an issue, there are also plenty of free resource management software tools.

Why Project Managers Use Resource Planning Tools and Software

Resource planning software and project forecasting software help resource managers to do their job efficiently and effectively without jumping across applications.

Want to update the project schedule? Use the app. Want to see about which resources are available? Use the app. Want to generate a risk report based on previous performance? Use the app. Resource managers can do everything they need to do from one central location.

Key Resource Management Software Features

A resource manager can plan projects efficiently using these key features found in resource management software applications:

• Identifying and allocating resources within capacity planning limits (you can also use specific capacity planning software for this)
• Viewing readily available aggregated data
• Using multiple views to compare and edit data
• Using visual creation tools to generate reports, diagrams, charts, and more
• Creating automated, dynamic reports
• Scheduling human resources and equipment resources
• Conducting project portfolio management
• Communicating and collaborating using messaging, meetings, and live status updates
• Accessing intuitive dashboards that provide a clear and customizable overview of project and resource data

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