What are the most common software project metrics for resource management?

I think there is a mistake here in a 1st claim, in this case the availability of resources is 200%, which is logical. You have twice as many resources as you need. "For example, if a resource has 40 available hours per week, and the project requires 20 hours per week, the resource availability is 50%."

This is an unending source of frustration in 90% of the projects I’ve managed. Most of the time sponsors, stakeholders, SMEs, and venders completely miss the importance of accurate resource availability. If you’re in a large organization, your PMO should be tracking every project resource across all programs, portfolios, and projects. The PMO is the equivalent of a train dispatcher, who ensures there are no collisions, and all cars connected in order in the train yard before the train ever leaves the station. I have not found a good application at tracking project, resources, and their availability. If your current system does not de-allocate corporate holidays from resource calendars, it’s a glorified spreadsheet and of a little use.

Common software project metrics for resource management: 1. Resource Utilization: Track active resource engagement. 2. Resource Allocation: Assign resources to tasks. 3. Task Completion Rate: Measure task completion within set time frames. 4. Budget Variance: Compare actual expenses to planned budgets. 5. Schedule Variance: Compare actual progress to planned timelines. 6. Resource Availability: Monitor resource availability for upcoming tasks 7. Allocation Efficiency: Measure effectiveness in achieving project goals 8. Workload Distribution: Analyze task distribution among resources 9. Resource Productivity: Measure output relative to effort 10. Resource Satisfaction: Gauge resource contentment with workload and environment

Personas - Uso de personas: ?Qué porcentaje del tiempo trabajan en el proyecto? - Costo por función: ?Cuánto cuesta desarrollar una función del software? - Producción de programadores: ?Cuánto código o funciones crean en un tiempo? - Duración del desarrollo: ?Cuánto tiempo se tarda en completar un ciclo de desarrollo? Dinero - Presupuesto del proyecto: ?Cuánto costará el proyecto en total? - Costo real del proyecto: ?Cuánto se ha gastado hasta ahora? - Retorno de la inversión (ROI): ?Cuánto dinero se gana con el proyecto? - Valor actual neto (VAN): ?Cuál es el valor actual de los beneficios del proyecto?

Agile teams have traditionally been ‘measured’ by the ‘rate’ at which they complete User Stories. ‘Utilization’ rates of individuals on an agile team are less meaningful - then ‘flow’ rates. High performing teams don’t need nor do they embrace the traditional project management concepts of being assigned work that can be measured by ‘someone’ outside the team. Why? Because self-managed teams have the capability to adapt to changes that naturally occur in developing software - more quickly and effectively than teams who are ‘managed’ by others. By de-scaling the hierarchy and allowing teams to self-govern themselves - you remove the overhead, burden and morale issues that oftentimes come from oversight of ‘utilization’ rates by others.

We use a 4 step process that works for the way we run our implementation projects: Define Unit Effort: Compare similar tasks across team members. Establish a standard unit (e.g., hours) for completing specific tasks. Track and Analyze Performance: Break down work into work packages. Compare logged effort against completed work packages. Track performance across similar projects. Establish Baselines: Set realistic timeframes based on historical data. Identify best and worst-case scenarios for efficiency. Optimize Allocation: Utilize unit efforts and baselines to assign resources effectively. Balance workload to avoid overallocation or underutilization. The more iterations you run, the better you get at resource utilization.

Tecnología - Errores: ?Cuántos errores hay por cada 1000 líneas de código? - Tiempo de reparación: ?Cuánto tiempo se tarda en corregir un error? - Disponibilidad del sistema: ?Qué porcentaje del tiempo está disponible el sistema? - Rendimiento del sistema: ?Qué tan rápido y receptivo es el sistema? Calidad - Satisfacción del cliente: ?Qué tan contentos están los clientes con el software? - Cumplimiento de requisitos: ?En qué medida el software cumple con lo que se pidió? - Nivel de servicio: ?Qué nivel de servicio se ofrece a los usuarios del software?

Most organizations try to optimize resource utilization and correlate this to efficiency. So all metrics are geared towards that. The fundamental issue with this can be demonstrated by an analogy. When there is a traffic jam on the highway, every lane and the length of the highway is fully filled with vehicles and therefore fully utilized. That’s not what we want though. We want smooth flowing traffic on all lanes. So it is throughput that we need to optimize for, be it on highways or our projects!

Resource Utilization is the most important metric that will keep Project Managers informed of the overall resource allocation and distribution across projects. The metric comes in handy in the monitoring and control of the existing projects and planning of the future projects. Resource Utilization is also an important tool to keep the overall Utilization of resources at the level of organization at an optimum. For example, an organization may aim to keep overall Utilization of resources at 85%. To achieve this, resource utilization at the level of individual projects should be maintained 85% or higher.

Resource utilization rate: Measures the percentage of time resources are actively engaged in project tasks compared to their total availability. Task allocation ratio: Evaluates the distribution of tasks among team members to ensure equitable workload distribution and prevent resource bottlenecks. Resource capacity: Assesses the maximum workload a resource can handle within a given timeframe, guiding resource allocation decisions. Resource burn rate: Tracks the rate at which resources are consumed over time, helping to manage resource budgets and forecast future resource needs.

Metodologías ágiles - Velocidad: ?Cuánto trabajo puede completar un equipo en un periodo corto? - Tiempo de entrega: ?Cuánto tiempo se tarda en entregar una nueva versión del software? - Gráfico de avance: Muestra cuánto trabajo se ha completado en comparación con el tiempo. - Gráfico de reducción: Muestra cuánto trabajo queda por hacer en comparación con el tiempo. Elige las métricas que mejor se adapten a tu proyecto y úsalas para mejorar la gestión de tus recursos.

Budget variance: Measures the variance between actual and planned expenditure on resources, indicating financial efficiency. Schedule variance: Compares actual project progress to the scheduled timeline, highlighting delays or advancements in resource utilization. Effort variance: Evaluates the variance in actual effort expended on tasks compared to the estimated effort, reflecting workforce productivity. Task completion variance: Tracks the variance between planned and actual completion of individual tasks, pinpointing areas of resource overuse or underutilization. Resource utilization rate: Calculates the proportion of available resource capacity utilized, guiding optimization of resource allocation.

This isn't just a number. It helps identify issues and smooth project workflow. Think of it like this: the difference between your plan and reality reveals hidden problems like unexpected tasks, underestimated effort, or project changes. This lets you make informed decisions, like adjusting plans, reassigning resources, or lightening workloads based on the variance cause. Even better, investigating and addressing variances helps prevent delays, budget overruns, and quality issues. It's like learning from experience, making future projects more predictable and successful. So, next time you see a resource variance, don't panic – it's just a heads-up that can save your project!

1. In my experience, tracking resource variance helps in identifying deviations from the planned resource allocation. It allows for adjustments to be made to keep the project on track. 2. An example of this is when we realized that a project was falling behind schedule due to a shortage of resources in a particular area. By reallocating resources from less critical areas, we were able to mitigate the variance and get the project back on track. 3. Calculation: Resource Variance = (Actual Resource Usage - Planned Resource Usage) / Planned Resource Usage * 100 4. Project Management Tools : Microsoft Project or Asana

This is a key metric about company ambience and people satisfaction. There is a normal turnover by country and industry, that′s the indicator to compare

Turnover rate: Measures the frequency at which team members leave or are replaced within a given period, reflecting the project's stability and potential disruptions. Retention rate: Calculates the percentage of team members retained over a specific timeframe, indicating the project's ability to retain talent and maintain continuity. Average tenure: Determines the average length of time team members stay with the project, providing insights into workforce stability and potential turnover risks. Reasons for turnover: Analyzes the reasons behind team members' departures, such as better opportunities or dissatisfaction, enabling proactive measures to address issues and improve retention.

Apart from tracking efficiency, it's crucial to consider the human aspect. Resource well-being metrics including turnover provide valuable insights. High turnover can signal dissatisfaction hindering project continuity and knowledge transfer. Low turnover indicates a positive work environment fostering engagement and retention. By monitoring resource well-being alongside traditional metrics, you can proactively address issues contributing to turnover like workload imbalance or lack of growth opportunities. Create a supportive environment that retains talent fostering innovation and project success. Remember, people are the heart of successful projects. Invest in their well-being and watch your projects thrive.

For calculating resource turnover, you can use the following formula: Resource Turnover Rate = (Number of Resources Leaving / Average Number of Resources) * 100 Here’s how you can calculate resource turnover using this formula: Example Calculation: Let’s say you had 50 resources at the beginning of the year, 60 at the end of the year, and 5 resources left during the year. The resource turnover rate would be calculated as follows: Average Number of Resources = (50 + 60) / 2 Average Number of Resources = 110 / 2 Average Number of Resources = 55 Resource Turnover Rate = (5 / 55) * 100 Resource Turnover Rate = 0.0909 * 100 Resource Turnover Rate = 9.09% This means that the resource turnover rate for the year was 9.09%.

This metric calculates the cost associated with employing resources on a project, including salaries, benefits, training, and overhead. It helps project managers monitor project expenses and make budgetary decisions

Resource cost is the cost to company CTC +plus any additional costs incurred during project delivery any reimbursements like internet, phone bills, travel, food etc +plus costs of software licenses required during project execution

1. In my experience, managing resource costs is critical for staying within budget. It involves tracking both direct and indirect costs associated with each resource. 2. Example: When we realised that a project was exceeding its budget due to higher than expected resource costs. 3. Example Calculation: Let’s say you have two resources working on a project. Resource A has an hourly rate of $50 and worked 40 hours, while Resource B has an hourly rate of $60 and worked 50 hours. The total resource cost would be calculated as follows: Total Resource Cost = (50 * 40) + (60 * 50) Total Resource Cost = (2000) + (3000) Total Resource Cost = 5000 So, the total resource cost for both resources would be $5000.

While there are other extremely useful metrics, in my experience, "resource value" or “resource quality” is probably the most overlooked, yet the most important metric in resource management - especially in budget-constrained scenarios. It's not an exact science and it goes far beyond gauging the skill sets and expertise of individuals. E.g., the value of a resource may vary even across projects involving similar technologies. Naturally, this is where the expertise of the management team becomes indispensable. It involves ascertaining individual motivation levels, personal preferences, teamwork dynamics, ability to collaborate, and other intangibles. But most importantly - the team’s shared vision and commitment to the project's outcome.

Resource skill set and skill level affects the time of project or task completion and it affect expense and quality of the output.

Resource value principally depends on his productivity irrespective of the cost. For example, one Resource of the same cost may be more productive than the other. The value of that Resource can't be same as that who is less productive. So, it should be derived from productivity percentage multiplied by Resource cost.

Resource Skill Matrix. Resource Allocation Efficiency. Project Resource Forecasting. Resource Satisfaction and Engagement. Resource Performance and Productivity. Resource Dependency and Risk. Resource Training and Development. Communication and Collaboration Efficiency. Resource Flexibility and Adaptability. Cultural Fit and Team Dynamics.

In my experience, in addition to the metrics identified in earlier sections, following ones could be useful. 1. Resource skill index - measures the actual skills of the invidual vs. the desired baselined skills required on the project. The delta could be used to upskill. It would be even more effective to measure the skill index at team level to derive the desired project outcomes. 2. Another very important aspect now a days is to consider AI/GenAI as your additional resource wherever applicable. It enhances the productivity, reduces rework and in cases can be also be seen bridging the skill gaps within the team. Need to plan using this resource effectively.

I wish there was an objective and effective way to measure the motivation levels and attitude of the team members. These two aspects can overshadow everything else that’s being discussed in this thread.

Resource Dependencies Resource Productivity Resource Capacity Resource Skills and Competencies Resource Efficiency Ratio Resource Ramp-up Time

Beyond resource management metrics like resource utilization rate and task completion rate, other crucial metrics include schedule performance index and cost performance index for tracking project progress and budget adherence, defect density for assessing software quality, and customer satisfaction scores and net promoter scores for gauging stakeholder satisfaction. Lead time and cycle time provide insights into workflow efficiency, while test coverage and code churn indicate the effectiveness of testing and code stability. These metrics collectively inform decision-making processes, enabling project managers to optimize resources, mitigate risks, and deliver high-quality software products on time and within budget.