Allocating resource placeholders to projects

Effectively, managing resource allocations is a critical aspect of project management that directly impacts project success. One key component of resource management is the use of resource placeholders or unnamed resources. Placeholders represent the required skills, roles, or headcounts needed for a project when specific individuals have not yet been identified or hired. These can include new hires, replacements for departing team members, or a pool of resources with specific skill sets.

Resource placeholders play a vital role in several key areas of project management, such as:

• Project Financial Forecasting: By allocating placeholders with associated rate cards to projects, project costs can be estimated more accurately, allowing for better budget management and control.

• Resource Capacity Planning: Incorporating placeholders into capacity planning helps project managers anticipate future resource needs, enabling them to make informed decisions about hiring and resource allocation.

• Proactive Placeholder Management: Ensuring that placeholders are replaced with named resources before they are needed for project tasks is essential to minimize the risk of project delays and maintain project momentum.

By understanding and effectively managing resource placeholders, project and portfolio managers can optimize resource management, improve project success rates, and drive strategic objectives within their organizations.

Note: placeholders are set and managed by User administrators, to learn more please refer to the Placeholder Management article. 

This article will cover the steps on how project managers can allocate resource placeholders to projects.

Assigning Placeholders to Projects

Once the required resource pools or 'to be hired' resources have been created, you can allocate them to your projects in the same way you would assign named resources. 

Step 1. Add the placeholder as a resource to your project

• Navigate to the Community section on the project workspace, click on the Edit Allocation option to access the resource allocation page, and select the Add Resource option.

• Once the dialog opens, select the Filter Resources option to expand the list of options. Turn the Placeholder Unnamed toggle on, and search for the placeholder using the Select the Resource field at the top of the dialog. 

• Once you have selected the placeholder, choose which role the placeholder will be filling, then click Save to add the placeholder to the project. In this example, the placeholder will be fulfilling the role of a 'Tester' for the new product release.

To learn more on the additional filters on the resource dialog, click here 

Step 2. Set the placeholder's allocation

Once the resources have been added on the resource allocation page, proceed with allocating the resources.

• Enter all allocations per month and click Save to save your changes. 

Step 3. Understanding placeholder allocation financial implications

When you allocate placeholders to projects, a resource financial forecast is automatically generated in the financials section of your project workspace. This feature facilitates a comprehensive understanding of your project's expenses, offering a powerful tool for confidently managing your project budget. Notably, if a placeholder remains assigned to a project in the current month, no actuals will be incorporated into the resource costs, as it represents an unnamed resource allocation.

NOTE: The resource financial forecast value is dependent on the rate card associated with that particular placeholder pool, this is set by your User Administrator.