How to Create a Workflow for Resource Matching

Resource matching is about understanding the people you need for a project and accurately matching them to work. And a resource matching workflow is simply the process you use to do it.

Resource matching is important because it means the right people are assigned to project tasks, which drives up quality, efficiency, and client satisfaction. 

And the reason a workflow is important is because it makes your process repeatable. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you do it. You can document what works, and share this as best practice with others in your organization. Meaning the benefits of resource matching are accessible to everyone.

Resource matching is considerably easier if you're using a resource management tool. But even if you’re using spreadsheets, Kanban boards, or some other system, you can still create a resource matching workflow for your business.

• Foundations of resource matching
• Resource matching workflow: step-by-step
• Tools and technology for resource matching

Start here: the foundations of resource matching

Before you can build your resource matching workflow, you need to understand and define the key elements that go into allocating resources in your organizational context. This will give you the tools, techniques – and even terminology – you’ll need to create a successful, repeatable process.

Resources (aka Supply)

In a professional services context, resource matching is concerned with supply and demand – understanding the demand your project or organization has for people and skills, and matching that to the best people from your available supply – your workforce. 

Before you start, you’ll need an up-to-date, comprehensive list of your supply of resources. This list is usually called a resource inventory (📌 put a pin in this for now; we'll return to resource inventories shortly). 

Project needs (aka Demand)

You’ll also need a process for identifying the tasks that require said resources. For example, in a clinical trial, the preparation phase might need data analysts and regulatory specialists, while the recruitment phase might need coordinators and field staff. But that alone isn’t enough… 

Matching criteria (putting it all together)

The final piece of the puzzle in your resource matching process is defining the criteria you’ll use to find exactly the right resources. This includes skills but that’s not the only success factor for a project. You also need to consider availability, cost, location, and more.

Step-by-step process for matching resources

Step 0 – Create your resource inventory

Before you can establish a resource matching workflow, you need to know what resources you have. That’s why this is Step 0. It’s the groundwork that makes everything else possible.

Without it, you’ll be trying to match people to projects without knowing what skills they can offer, when they’re available, or whether they’re in budget. That's both stressful AND ineffective.

That’s why you need to create a comprehensive resource inventory.

Select a platform to create your inventory

You can use whatever tool works for you. In smaller businesses, free tools like Excel or Google Docs are a good entry-level option. For larger or more complex businesses, paid tools offer more functionality, flexibility, and efficiency. 

1. Basic – Spreadsheets – Fine for small teams and startups, but lacks tools and automation to be effective at scale.
2. Better – Project management tools – Offers more structure and functionality, but not always the exact tools you need.
3. Best – Resource management system – Allows seamless resource matching, allocations, and management. We’ll explain why this is the gold standard later. 

Whatever platform you use to create your resource inventory, it needs to be:

• Centrally accessible – So that everyone using your resource matching workflow can get the information they need.
• Detailed – Containing information relevant to your matching criteria.
• Updated – Because there’s no point matching people using out-of-date info.

Catalog resources and create detailed profiles 

Once you’ve set up your resource inventory, you need to populate it with information. There are two steps to this: defining the information you need to collect, and then the process of collecting it.

To ensure the accuracy of resource matching, an inventory should contain the following as a minimum.

• Resource information – Name, job title
• Skills and expertise – Skills and skill level, certifications, industry experience
• Location and time zone – Relevant for in-person projects or remote collaboration
• Capacity – Working hours and patterns 
• Allocations – What they’ve currently got on  
• Availability  – How much time they have for additional work
• Hourly rate or billable cost – For budget-conscious matching
• Preferences or restrictions – Preferred project types, industries, or travel limitations

To collect this information, you could start with a survey of all staff, and then have their managers validate the information before it is added to your inventory.

Remember, you’ll need a process to update this too. Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Skills Tracking for best practices here. 

Congratulations! You’ve created a resource inventory. This isn’t just the foundation of resource matching but also skills management and using skills data strategically. Trust us, this is a game changer.   

Step 1 – Identify the needs of the project

This is where the resource matching process actually starts – a new project lands on your desk and it’s your job to staff it. 

You’ll need a clear understanding of what the project requires if you want to make assignments based on facts and stats, not guesswork and gut feelings. 

Failure to do this could result in mismatched skills, schedules, and costs – causing your project to falter.

If you already use a Work Breakdown Structure to define the needs of your project, this step will be easy for you. It just turns your WBS into an RBS – a Resource Breakdown Structure. 

Define task requirements

Talking to subject matter experts and looking at similar past projects, breakdown the project into its constituent parts – starting with phases, then milestones, then individual tasks. 

For each task, ask the following:

• Skills required – What competencies and expertise are needed to complete this task? Eg graphic design skills, data analysis, research.
• Complexity – Is this a basic or advanced task? This will help you choose someone at the right skill level and cost, so you don’t under or over-service the project. 
• Duration – How long will the task take to complete? 20 hours, 40 days?  
• Schedule – When will this task need completing? Are there any dependencies? 

Identify any constraints 

In an ideal world, your dream project team wouldn’t be constrained by anything as mundane as budgets or deadlines. 

But this is the real world and there’ll be constraints to keep in mind. 

Identify any factors that will influence your resource choices, such as budget, location, and deadline.

Further reading: Resource Constraints 101 ➡️

Step 2 – The matching process

Match on criteria

Now you have information on both the supply and demand side of the equation. All that’s left is to actually pair people to projects. And that uses your matching criteria. Here’s how to do it.

• Match on skills first – Finding people able to do the work – and do it well – has to be your top priority.
• Then consider availability – Of the appropriately skilled resources available, who has time when you need it?
• Check location and time zone – Will this resource be able to work with others at the right time? 
• Factor in costs – If you want to stay on budget, you need to know if you can afford the people you want.
• Consider employee preferences – If you have this data available, see if this is the sort of work the resource wants to do. That can drive up engagement and quality.

Don’t forget that some tasks will be more critical than others – whether due to dependencies, being part of the critical path, or just key to deliverables. Prioritize getting the right resources for those tasks first.

Got gaps? Use placeholders to signify that there’s a resource gap you need to fill, then initiate a resource request.

Automate for ease

Like most things, you can do matching the easy way or the hard way. 

• The harder way is manual – It involves identifying resources from your inventory and cross-referencing this against calendars and availability. This might be fine for smaller organizations but it’s not scalable. The more people and projects you have, the harder it gets.
• The easier way is automated – Appropriate tools, such as HR, PM, and resource scheduling systems, help larger organizations conduct resource matching more efficiently. Functionality varies but may include instant capacity visualization, automatic allocation recommendations, and drag-and-dropping people into project schedules. 

Step 3 – Validate and optimize

At this stage, you should have created a resource schedule for your project. Now it’s time to check if it will actually work – and tweak if not.

Validate your resource matches

• Confirm availability – Ensure resources are genuinely free for the entire duration of their assigned tasks.
• Check for conflicts – Spot double-bookings or overlapping commitments that could cause bottlenecks.
• Assess feasibility – Verify that assigned resources have the right skills, capacity, and experience to meet the project’s demands.
• Check with stakeholders – Is there something they know, that you don’t, that could undermine your plan? Validate your schedule with stakeholders to make sure (check out the benefits of interlocks here). 

Address issues and optimize

If you do discover any mismatches or conflicts, address them now. It’ll be much easier than leaving it as a Future You problem. 

• Reassign any overutilized resources – An excessive workload undermines productivity. If allocating more work to your chosen resource/s takes them over capacity, look for a similar resource with more time.  
• Balance skills and costs – Going over budget on resources? Look for win-win opportunities like assigning a less experienced resource and using the project to upskill them.  
• Use leveling techniques – Simply not got access to the resources you need? Spotted a conflict? Look into resource leveling techniques to keep the project on track. 

Again – and we really are sorry to keep saying this – but the proper software will make this easier for you. For example, showing you if an allocation takes a resource over capacity, or a project over budget. This makes it simpler to optimize your resource choices for cost, productivity, and more.

Step 4: Execute and monitor

Now it’s time to put your plan into action. That means allocating the resources, kicking off the project, and monitoring progress. 

Execute allocations

This simply means allocating project tasks to your final resource choices. Depending on your tools, this may involve:

• Spreadsheets and Kanban boards – Updating allocations manually and emailing or verbally assigning tasks to your team members (some tools may automate communication).
• RM tools like Runn – Dragging and dropping resources into your project plan, so the system automatically updates allocation records and notifies team members.

Monitor success

This means two things. Yes, you need to monitor project progress. But you also need to monitor the success of your resource matching process. Does it work? 

• Do projects get completed on time, on budget, and to a high standard?
• Are bottlenecks and delays reducing?
• Are clients and staff happy? 

If not, you may need to revisit how you match resources to projects and refine the process. 

However, we think you’re onto a winner with the steps above – using these as a template, you'll be able to create a resource matching workflow that delivers the results you need.

If you will need to change or dial-in anything over time, it’ll most likely be the tools you use.

Tools and technology for resource matching

According to the industry experts at the Resource Management Institute, effective resource matching requires the following tools and abilities: 

• To see resource and project information 
• To find people based on various criteria like skills, cost, and location
• To search and allocate in the same tool with minimal clicks
• Best-fit algorithms for allocation recommendations 

So while spreadsheets and Kanban boards CAN be used for resource matching, they’re not DESIGNED for it. 

Whereas Runn is. 

Our dedicated resource management platform provides everything you need to staff projects for success, including:

• A central resource inventory to search, filter, and find the right people fast
• Drag-and-drop allocation into project plans
• Intuitive visualization of availability, capacity, and utilization
• Data dashboards and reporting on project progress