How do you review resources for your program?

1 Identify your resource needs

Before you can review your resources, you need to have a clear understanding of what your program requires to achieve its outcomes. This means defining the scope, deliverables, milestones, and quality standards of your program, as well as the risks and dependencies involved. You also need to identify the stakeholder expectations and requirements, and how they might affect your resource allocation. Based on this information, you can estimate the amount and type of resources you need for each project and activity in your program.

2 Assess your resource availability

Once you have defined your resource needs, you need to compare them with the resources you have at your disposal. This involves assessing the current and future availability of your resources, as well as their suitability and performance. You can use various tools and methods to conduct a resource availability assessment, such as resource calendars, resource breakdown structures, resource histograms, and resource leveling techniques. The goal is to identify any gaps, constraints, or conflicts in your resource supply and demand, and to plan accordingly.

3 Optimize your resource utilization

After you have assessed your resource availability, you need to optimize how you use your resources to maximize their efficiency and effectiveness. This means allocating and assigning your resources to the most critical and valuable tasks and projects in your program, while minimizing waste and redundancy. You can use various techniques to optimize your resource utilization, such as prioritization, scheduling, balancing, and contingency planning. The goal is to ensure that your resources are aligned with your program objectives and deliver the best possible results.

4 Monitor and control your resource consumption

Finally, you need to monitor and control how your resources are consumed throughout the execution of your program. This means tracking and measuring the actual usage and performance of your resources, and comparing them with the planned and expected levels. You can use various tools and methods to monitor and control your resource consumption, such as dashboards, reports, variance analysis, and earned value management. The goal is to identify any deviations, issues, or changes in your resource consumption, and to take corrective actions if needed.

Reviewing resources for your program is a vital part of program management, as it helps you ensure that your program is feasible, efficient, and effective. By following these best practices and tips, you can conduct a comprehensive and systematic resource review that will improve your program performance and outcomes.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?