Resource management is a series of processes and

techniques used to ensure you have all the necessary

resources to complete a project or meet business
objectives. It also focuses on making the most efficient use of
those resources by eliminating waste for more profits and a
high return on investment (ROI)

There are four main types of resource management: resource

allocation, resource leveling, resource smoothing, and
resource forecasting.

1. Resource allocation

Resource allocation is all about getting the most from your

available resources. This means assessing all the resources at
your disposal, analyzing how they can be used efficiently, and
then deploying those resources to help your team get to work.

2. Resource leveling

Resource leveling is a method managers use to uncover

underused or misallocated resources and then redeploy them
to optimize efficiency. In terms of stock, this would mean
ensuring you have neither a shortage nor an excess of your
inventory. Similarly, you might extend a project’s timeline to
level out the overall costs; for example, if you need to wait for
cost-effective materials to be available.

3. Resource smoothing

Resource smoothing aims to ensure resources are spread out

as evenly as possible over time. When done well, project
managers will still meet project deadlines and objectives, while
minimizing fluctuations caused by resource overloading or
underutilization. This technique involves modifying the start
and finish dates of activities within a project to avoid peaks
and valleys.

4. Resource forecasting
Resource forecasting (capacity planning) predicts resource
requirements in the future. This is a critical part of resource
planning, as accurate forecasting means less waste and faster,
cheaper execution.

Three common resources to manage

a. Human resources

Your human resources are your team members who carry out
project tasks. HR can include a pretty broad spectrum of
management tasks — from job recruitment and time
management to measuring your workers’ performance and
their workload against KPIs. As you’ve probably guessed,
resource management is essential to accomplish these things.
Comprehensive human resource management software,
providing teams with a visual representation of their
recruitment operations and where each candidate stands in
your hiring funnel. Capture job applications from your
company website, and send them straight into a board for you
to examine. Add the Time Tracking Widget to monitor if team
members are using their time efficiently. Access a range of
visually-intuitive graphs on employee performances, goals, and
feedback. Choose from many different HR-specific templates to
help you get started in a quick and organized fashion

b. Material resources

Managing materials is all about the tangible resources your

team needs to complete a task. That might include office
essentials like ballpoint pens, event lanyards, mugs, laptops—
any physical item that your team needs to use as part of a
wider task. In pretty big project, it might be challenging to
track dozens of items on a spreadsheet. Map Views enable
everybody to see precise material locations and share labels
for different material types on your workflow templates using
Gantt, Kanban, Calendar, and Dashboard views to instantly see
a resource status at any given moment. A screenshot of
different project views (Gantt, Kanban, Calendar, Dashboard).
c. Relationship resources

When resource managers talk about relationship management,

they’re specifically talking about professional working
relationships with vendors, contractors, and subcontractors.

Effective Team Management Techniques for Project

Management

a. Map & Align: Timelines, Objectives, and Goals

Setting objectives for effective team management, you have to

endorse good time management as well. Attach concrete
timelines to each member’s role in a project and link it to
weekly goals. Keeping team members on a defined schedule
allows them to keep track of their own performance and
activity with that of the project’s life cycle. One way to manage
individual timelines is by employing project management
software. n Task is a free task management tool that allows
you to assign a due date to each task and project created.
When the due date is imminent, you get a notification for a
reminder. In nTask, you can also track the progress of each
project, in reference to each task within the project in the form
of a Gantt chart. Secondly, creating a single objective that
defines the project scope is not enough. Make sure you align
that objective with your team’s objectives so that each member
knows how to relate their individually appointed objectives to
the bigger picture. Otherwise, your team members could steer
in opposite directions.

b. Apply B.E.C.C with your team

BECC

As a project manager, you must be well-versed with the golden

tip of Communication when it comes to effective project
management team monitoring. Though this tip is still golden
and equally constructive, it is no longer sufficient on its own.
To become a well-rounded project manager, you must apply
B.E.C.C to your team.

B=Bond, E=Empathize, C=Connect and C=Communicate.

(B.E.C.C)

There are many leadership styles out there to be mirrored and

adopted. But in order to be a truly transformational leader,
you have to be all three: directive, supportive, and
participative.

To practice Participative leadership, empower your team, and

hand them the gift of autonomy. Encourage team involvement
by allowing decision-making to escape from your end to theirs,
so your team feels a sense of liberation in contrast to the
otherwise suffocating atmosphere of following strict
guidelines.To practice Supportive leadership, show/unmask
your human side. Let your team know you care about them.
“To not only see your own success but to focus on the success
of others.” He explains that a major part of a leader’s
responsibility is to focus on making other people achieve their
success, instead of focusing on his/her own. This typically
requires how well the project manager knows the team
members. Their strengths and weaknesses, their likes and
dislikes, how easily they are motivated, and their areas of
interest. The more you are conversant with these aspects of
your team members, the more successful you’ll render at
solving their problems and bringing them to the finish line.
And to practice Directive Leadership, adopt a manner in which
you appear approachable to your team members. Set up a
feedback system where they can approach you with their
opinions and suggestions. Take it from Tim Cook, CEO of
Apple, who is widely known for giving a listening ear to the
people that work next to him. He trusts and values their
opinions and supports his leadership style by asserting that
one of the many great traits of a good leader is that he is
humble. Not only will this kind of attitude give birth to a
cordial bond between the team and their leader but it also
motivate them to collaborate with their boss.

c. Double Rs: Recognize & Reward

Ask yourself this: Would you put a vast amount of hard work
into your work if the outcome was petty recognition, negligible
personal benefits, and unacknowledging feedback from your
peers Probably not right. Imagine the same for your team
members. Perhaps placing yourself in their shoes and then
realizing what is essential for effective team management, is
the most powerful technique you can employ. Every human
has needs, desires, and incentives that are the driving force for
their reason to work towards something.

A small verbal pat on the back goes a long way in motivating

the team to continue with their dedication. After all, your team
is accountable to your judgment at the end of the day, it is only
characteristic of them to expect you to let them know how
good of a job they are doing. Many organizations have applied
ERG (Existence, Relatedness & Growth) Theory in their
workplace to understand employees’ motives and how to
induce motivation in them. Alderfer’s ERG theory is a pyramid
depicting 3 sets of needs every human has. Growth Needs
Motivation stems from incentives and incentives stem from
needs. To cultivate motivation in your team, you need to
address their needs first. This is where the rewarding part of
the Double Rs comes in. Say you’ve recognized a member for
excellent results, will that last in driving him/her to continue
producing the same level of results for another 5 months?
Absolutely not. You need to arrange tangible rewards that can
boost your team’s work ethic. According to a survey conducted
by Deloitte University Press, when asked what would make
them stay at their current employer, 44% of the employees
answered additional bonuses or financial incentives.
d. A culture that Fosters Teamwork

One of the main goals of effective team management is to

ensure that the team functions as efficiently in your absence as
it would in your presence. In large companies, managers can’t
be present at all times to monitor their teams. By formulating
a positive, collaborative culture in the workplace, a manager
can enable his/her team to perform equally well when he/she is
not around. Endorse social messenger tools that your team can
use to communicate with each other on a daily basis. On an
automated platform of a project management tool, your team
can track and manage changes of the project, conduct
effective meetings, and formulate and share timesheets with
you and other team members from anywhere in the world.
Remember, effective team management is not a one-time stroll
in the park. It is a constant struggle to improvise, adapt and
modify your strategies as your team grows and changes.

e. Manage conflict

A huge chunk of managing teams involves managing people of

different interests, personalities, and beliefs. When people
with diverse backgrounds come together, both personal and
professional conflicts can erupt. As much as 85% of the
employees at all levels have been reported as experiencing
some kind of conflict in an organization. Part of effective team
management techniques is the ability to handle conflicts and
neutralize differing views that may lead to disagreements. If
handled tactfully, through the right set of tools and expertise,
further aggravation of the situation can be avoided.

Some of the ways a project manager can handle conflicts

are:Take everyone’s perspective and try to see the conflict
from each person’s point of view. This can help to get a better
overall understanding of the situation, consequently helping to
come up with an effective solution. Identify points of
agreement and disagreement between the individuals.
Understanding what the individuals agree or disagree on can
greatly help the project manager to develop common grounds
for a mutual agreement. Be mindful of your own body
language and attitude. There should be no personal bias
involved while solving the conflicts, and your team members
should not feel that you’re being unreasonable on personal
grounds.as a mediator. Conflicts tend to turn into heated
debates within a matter of seconds, and that’s why it’s
important for a project manager to stay neutral and not take
sides, ever! Try to provide guidance to everyone involved.

f. Invest in team-building activities

Investing in some team-building activities can be an effective

team management technique. Once in a while, to break the
monotony at the workplace, and to bring a sense of unity
among employees, team-building activities should be
performed. For effective team management, project managers
should carefully decide the activities that need to be
implemented according to the culture of the organization and
the temperament of the team members involved. These
activities can range from short communication-building
activities to more complex problem-solving ones, all depending
upon the objective you have in mind. If team-building activities
are organized and implemented with proper planning,
numerous team management benefits can be reaped within a
short span of time.

g. Delegate and develop

As a project manager, you should be responsible enough to

delegate tasks to team members according to their expertise
and area of specialization. Although employees should be
allowed to experiment in other domains for gaining
experience, the core work duties should remain associated
with one’s particular set of skills. Delegating tasks according
to individual strengths is key to increasing the productivity of
employees. It results in getting the right amount of work done
in lesser time, consequently increasing the overall output of
the team. One way to implement this can be to appoint team
leaders who get to interact with the employees on a more
personal level and understand their strengths better. This can
be great for achieving smaller goals too. One of the most
effective team management techniques closely associated with
the delegation of tasks is the professional development of
employees. To build and maintain a close relationship between
you and your team members, professional development should
be one of your major team management concerns.Your team
should have a feeling that their skills are being developed
rather than exploited. For achieving this, regular on-the-job or
off-the-job training sessions can be organized for employees to
make the most out of their time. Eventually, this training will
be beneficial to the overall organizational objectives.

h. Support valuable feedback

Feedbacks are an integral part of any work environment. As a

project manager, you should nurture a culture where feedback
is welcomed. This should work both ways, that is, if a task is
being done successfully, don’t hesitate to appreciate your team
members publicly, and if there are some shortcomings, team
members should expect constructive criticism from you.On the
flip side, your employees should not be reluctant to share their
feedback regarding work with you. It’s highly significant that
you get the right type of feedback, at the right time, from your
team members so that you can plan and act accordingly.Even
if there are no feedbacks to give or take, grab opportunities to
check in with the team members and take regular feedback.
This informal feedbacks are a great way to get a heads-up on
the progress of all the tasks and can also act as a valuable
resource for gathering information from the team
members.Regular feedback from your end can also act as a
great learning tool for your team to develop professionally as
well as personally. In non-hierarchal organizations, it can
become difficult to take regular feedback, but for effective
team management techniques to pay off, it’s paramount that
feedback is taken seriously.

h. Promote Open Communication

Promoting open communication is a crucial team management
technique for any successful organization. Open
communication encourages employees to speak up and share
information that could be beneficial to the company. It also
allows for an environment of trust, respect, and collaboration
between co-workers which leads to increased job satisfaction.
Open communication can be promoted through regular staff
meetings, one-on-one conversations, peer feedback sessions,
and by implementing channels such as email or messaging
systems that allow for direct dialogue with your team
members. Additionally, it’s important to foster a culture of
listening within the work environment; providing opportunities
for people to express their ideas freely and openly will lead to
better decision-making in the long run. Ultimately, when open
communication exists within a team, it helps increase
productivity levels while eliminating potential
misunderstandings between co-workers.

i. Celebrate Small Wins

Celebrate Small Wins is an effective team management

technique as it encourages employees to recognize their
successes and builds morale. It helps foster collaboration,
reinforces positive behavior, and promotes teamwork.
Celebrating small wins can take many forms such as throwing
a party or hosting a lunch event. However, smaller gestures
like congratulating each other on a job well done or
recognizing accomplishments in front of the team are also
effective ways of celebrating success. This technique can help
reduce stress by giving people something to strive for and
something to feel good about when they achieve it. Team
members may then be more likely to think positively about
future tasks since they will have experienced success in the
past. Celebrating small wins keeps teams motivated and
energized while also promoting better communication between
them which ultimately leads to greater overall results for your
organization.