Resource Management: Dynamics 365 Project Operations vs. PlanAutomate

For project businesses, staffing projects for optimal performance and cost is key. Oftentimes there can be multiple organizations with overlapping resource skills, available at different times. Project businesses need a solution that can help them optimize resources, efficiently navigate complex structures and drive efficiency across multiple entities.

[This is the seventh blog in a series that provides a comprehensive high-level overview of the project business functionality found in Dynamics 365 Project Operations and PlanAutomate.]

This blog discusses the resource management functionality in Dynamics 365 Project Operations (D365PO) and PlanAutomate.

Download this Quick Guide: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Project Operations vs PlanAutomate to gain a detailed understanding of the capabilities of both systems and when to use each.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Project Operations

The original D365PO (Finance) provides a simple framework for basic staffing, meaning assigning resources to project roles manually with limited functionality.

However, D365PO (Finance + Customer Engagement) resource management functionality offers more features. Basically, it utilizes the D365 Field Service module to provide a unified resource pool that makes it easier to find the right resource, see availability and capacity, and assign resources to tasks quickly. The updated graphical interface makes scheduling simpler as well as the ability to report and see progress on tasks more easily.

D365PO does lack some key features such as inter-company resource lending. This enhanced resource management functionality demonstrates Microsoft’s move toward supporting project businesses that are primarily labor-resource intensive, such as ad agencies and consulting firms.

PlanAutomate Resource Management

PlanAutomate as part of Dynamics 365 Finance supports three main approaches to staffing projects.

1. Project manager staffs each project individually from the planning form
2. Department head or resource manager staff multiple projects via the resource dispatch board
3. Team members assign themselves to projects via the self-staffing board

To provide project business governance to resource sharing between legal entities and between departments within a legal entity, PlanAutomate introduces the concept of resource departments, resource loan rules and resource loan requests.

To simplify maintenance of labor rates, two additional rate attributes, grade and service line, are introduced. This provides accurate costing of labor without compromising employee salary confidentiality.

PlanAutomate provides easy time keeping and reduces erroneous time registration by having resource assignments listed in the timesheet to generate timesheet lines with no manual entry of data beyond time spent. The team member workspace provides employees an easy overview of pending work, utilization and assigned issues. All resource conflicts and utilization degrees are monitored in real time and visualized through Sensor Points^TM, Power BI reports and various dashboards, as well as automatically sent to relevant stakeholders through Project Autopilot.

Above and beyond D365PO, PlanAutomate adds the following capabilities (and more) to project staffing:

• Resource conflict detection
• Grade & service line specific cost and sales rates
• Inter-company and inter-department resource loan management
• Auto-assign resources to tasks based on role criteria and availability
• Self-staffing
• Resource dispatch board
• Graphical representation of staffing status in the Gantt chart
• Capacity management workspace
• Team member workspace

Optimize Resources Across Your Portfolio

Whether you leverage resources for projects from different departments within the same company or across different companies, PlanAutomate allows you to efficiently leverage those resources through a centrally managed resource sharing tool. Learn more about PlanAutomate project resource management.

Download the Project Automation Quick Guide to learn how Project Automation creates a streamlined, comprehensive system for project-driven companies.