Portfolio Toolkit

Resource Management

Resource Management

Resource Management

Managing people, skills, capacity, and utilisation across the portfolio to ensure resources are allocated effectively to priority investments.

Portfolio Resource Management

Portfolio resource management ensures the right people with the right skills are allocated to the highest priority work, maximising delivery capacity and capability across the portfolio.

Resource Management Objectives

Objective Description
Optimise allocation Assign resources to highest value work
Balance capacity Match demand to available capacity
Develop capability Build skills for future needs
Improve utilisation Maximise productive use of resources
Reduce conflicts Minimise resource contention
Enable planning Inform prioritisation decisions

Resource Management Cycle

flowchart LR A[Demand
Forecast] --> B[Capacity
Assessment] B --> C[Gap
Analysis] C --> D[Resource
Allocation] D --> E[Monitor &
Adjust] E --> A classDef blue fill:#108BB9,stroke:none,color:#fff class A,B,C,D,E blue
Phase Activities
Demand Forecast Collect resource requirements from investments
Capacity Assessment Understand available capacity by skill
Gap Analysis Identify shortfalls and surplus
Allocation Assign resources to investments
Monitor Track utilisation, adjust as needed

Capacity Planning

Capacity Model

Element Description
Gross capacity Total available hours/days
Productive capacity Less holidays, training, admin
Committed capacity Allocated to approved work
Available capacity Remaining for new work

Capacity Calculation

Gross Capacity: 220 days/year per FTE
Less:
  - Annual leave: 25 days
  - Public holidays: 8 days
  - Training/development: 5 days
  - Admin/meetings: 10 days
  - Sick leave (avg): 5 days
  - Buffer: 7 days
= Productive Capacity: 160 days/year (73%)

Capacity Dashboard

Resource Pool Headcount Productive Days Committed Available Utilisation
Project Managers 8 1,280 1,100 180 86%
Business Analysts 12 1,920 1,750 170 91%
Developers 20 3,200 2,800 400 88%
Testers 10 1,600 1,400 200 88%
Total 50 8,000 7,050 950 88%

Demand Management

Demand Sources

Source Timing Certainty
In-flight projects Now High
Approved pipeline 0-3 months High
Business cases in progress 3-6 months Medium
Strategic initiatives 6-12 months Low
BAU/support Ongoing Medium

Demand vs Capacity View

Period Demand (Days) Capacity (Days) Gap Status
Q1 2,100 2,000 -100 Over
Q2 1,900 2,000 +100 OK
Q3 2,200 1,800 -400 Over
Q4 1,700 2,000 +300 OK

Managing Over-Demand

Option Description Considerations
Prioritise Defer lower priority work Stakeholder impact
Contractors Bring in temporary resource Cost, onboarding
Overtime Increase hours Sustainability, quality
Efficiency Reduce effort per deliverable Feasibility
Descope Reduce scope of work Business impact

Skills Management

Skills Inventory

Skill Required Current Gap Actions
Cloud architecture 5 3 2 Hire, train
Agile delivery 15 12 3 Training
Data analytics 8 5 3 Hire
Change management 4 4 0 Maintain
Legacy systems 3 6 +3 Transition

Skills Matrix

Person PM BA Dev Test Agile Cloud
Alice Expert Competent - - Expert Competent
Bob - Expert Competent - Competent -
Carol - - Expert Competent Expert Expert
David Competent - - Expert Competent -

Skill Levels

Level Description
Expert Can lead and coach others
Competent Works independently
Developing Needs supervision
Awareness Basic understanding only

Resource Allocation

Allocation Principles

Principle Application
Priority-based Higher priority work gets first call
Skill match Right skills for the work
Continuity Avoid unnecessary churn
Development Include stretch opportunities
Balance Spread load across team
Buffer Reserve capacity for urgent needs

Allocation Process

flowchart LR A[Request
Received] --> B[Assess
Requirements] B --> C[Check
Availability] C --> D{Available?} D -->|Yes| E[Allocate] D -->|No| F[Negotiate/
Escalate] E --> G[Confirm &
Track] F --> G classDef blue fill:#108BB9,stroke:none,color:#fff class A,B,C,D,E,F,G blue

Resource Request Template

Field Content
Project/Programme Name of investment
Role required Job role/skill needed
Effort Days/weeks/FTE
Start date When needed
Duration How long for
Skills required Specific skills
Location On-site/remote
Priority Portfolio priority

Utilisation Management

Utilisation Targets

Role Target Acceptable Range
Project Managers 85% 80-90%
Delivery resources 80% 75-85%
Specialists 70% 65-80%
Managers 60% 50-70%

Utilisation Monitoring

Person Planned Actual Variance Action
Alice 85% 95% +10% Review load
Bob 80% 75% -5% OK
Carol 80% 60% -20% Reallocate
David 85% 85% 0% OK

Addressing Issues

Issue Response
Over-utilisation Review priorities, add support, defer work
Under-utilisation Reallocate, bring forward work, training
Skill mismatch Training, reassignment, hiring
Conflicts Prioritisation, negotiation, escalation

Resource Forecasting

Rolling Forecast

Resource Pool M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6
Demand 100 110 120 115 105 100
Capacity 100 100 100 105 105 105
Gap 0 -10 -20 -10 0 +5

Scenario Planning

Scenario Assumption Impact
Base case Current demand and capacity Manageable
High demand +20% new work approved Shortfall Q2-Q3
Attrition 10% turnover Skills gaps
Delayed hiring 3-month recruitment delay Extended pressure

Resource Conflicts

Conflict Resolution

Priority Criteria
1 Strategic priority of investment
2 Contractual/regulatory deadlines
3 Financial impact of delay
4 Dependencies on other work
5 First-come first-served

Escalation Path

Level Decision Maker Criteria
1 Resource Manager Same priority, same programme
2 Programme Manager Cross-project within programme
3 PMO Lead Cross-programme
4 Portfolio Board Strategic/significant impact

Workforce Planning

Strategic Workforce Plan

Capability Current Future Need Gap Strategy
Digital skills 20 35 15 Hire + train
Legacy systems 15 8 -7 Transition
Data/Analytics 5 12 7 Hire
Agile delivery 10 25 15 Train

Sourcing Options

Option Best For Lead Time Cost
Permanent hire Core, long-term skills 3-6 months Medium
Contract Specialist, temporary 2-4 weeks High
Outsource Non-core, commodity 1-3 months Variable
Train existing Future capability 3-12 months Low
Graduate/intern Future pipeline 6-12 months Low

Reporting

Resource Reports

Report Audience Frequency
Capacity dashboard PMO, Managers Weekly
Utilisation report PMO, HR Monthly
Skills gap analysis Leadership Quarterly
Forecast Portfolio Board Monthly
Conflict log PMO Weekly

Key Metrics

Metric Target Current Status
Overall utilisation 80-85% 87% Amber
Skills coverage >90% 85% Amber
Forecast accuracy >85% 82% Amber
Conflict resolution <5 days 4 days Green
Time to fill <30 days 28 days Green

Common Challenges

Challenge Mitigation
Invisible demand Centralised demand capture
Hero culture Enforce sustainable utilisation
Skills silos Cross-training, rotation
Last-minute requests Advance planning process
Poor data Time recording, regular updates
Political allocation Priority-based process

Resource Management Checklist

Setup

  • Resource pools defined?
  • Skills inventory created?
  • Capacity model established?
  • Allocation process documented?
  • Tools/systems in place?
  • Roles and responsibilities clear?

Ongoing

  • Demand regularly captured?
  • Capacity kept current?
  • Allocation decisions timely?
  • Utilisation monitored?
  • Conflicts resolved promptly?
  • Skills gaps addressed?
  • Forecasting accurate?
Last updated: 13 January 2026