Key feature
Resource allocation software for project teams
Orbit PM is the resource allocation software designed for agencies, IT services firms and consulting companies. Assign your team members to the right projects based on their real availability, visualize their daily workload and automatically detect allocation conflicts.
Resource allocation in Orbit PM consists of assigning each team member to one or more projects for a given period, with a defined engagement rate (e.g. 50% = half-day, 100% = full day). The system automatically calculates the resulting workload.
Orbit PM is useful for allocation when: your resources are shared across multiple projects · you struggle to know who is available · your Excel files are becoming unmanageable · you want to optimize the utilization rate of your profiles.
Definition
What is resource allocation?
Resource allocation refers to the process by which a manager or project manager assigns team members to specific projects or tasks, taking into account their skills, availability and the constraints of each project. In professional services organizations, this practice is also called staffing or resource assignment.
Effective resource allocation answers three questions simultaneously: Who is available and skilled for this project? When can they contribute (taking into account their other commitments)? At what rate can they be engaged without jeopardizing their overall workload?
Resource allocation is distinct from capacity planning: capacity planning evaluates the overall capacity of the team to absorb pending projects, while resource allocation is the operational act of assigning a specific person to a specific project. Both practices work in tandem in Orbit PM to give you a strategic and operational view of your resources.
Methods
The 4 resource allocation methods
There is no single way to allocate resources. The choice of method depends on team size, project type and maturity level in resource management.
Availability-based allocation
Team members with available capacity are assigned first. Simple and fast, this method is suitable for small teams with homogeneous projects. Risk: neglecting the specific skills required by each project.
Skills-based allocation
You first look for the profile with the required technical skills, then check their availability. Recommended for high-value technical projects where the right profile is critical to delivery quality.
Project priority-based allocation
Resources are allocated first to projects with high strategic value or high billing impact. In case of conflict, priority projects win. Requires a clear project classification and portfolio governance.
Optimized multi-project allocation
Each team member is assigned to multiple simultaneous projects, with a defined engagement rate for each assignment. This is the most common method in IT services firms and agencies. It maximizes utilization but requires a tool capable of automatically detecting overloads.
How it works
How does allocation work in Orbit PM?
Orbit PM models resource allocation in a simple and precise way, starting from each team member's individual capacity.
Define each team member's capacity
Each team member has a configurable daily capacity (expressed between 0 and 1 day). A full-time consultant = 1.0, an 80% profile = 0.8.
Assign team members to projects
In the allocation view, assign each team member to a project for a given period with an engagement rate. The system cumulates the assignments and calculates the total workload per day.
Detect and resolve conflicts
Orbit PM automatically displays overloads (rate > 100%) in red and under-loads in pale green. Readjust allocations in real time to optimize your planning.
Pitfalls to avoid
Common resource allocation mistakes
Most project management problems do not come from poor execution, but from a poor initial allocation. Here are the most common mistakes observed in professional services teams — and how to avoid them.
Impact: A team member already at 80% on a project ends up at 130% when assigned a new mission. The overload is only detected when they raise the alarm.
Solution: Always consult the global workload view before any new assignment. Orbit PM calculates it automatically.
Impact: The schedule counts on 5 working days, but the team member will be absent for 2 days. The sprint or delivery will be late from the start.
Solution: Integrate planned absences into the capacity calculation. Orbit PM accounts for absences entered in the leave module.
Impact: Each project manager has their own partial view. Nobody has the consolidated picture. Conflicts between projects are only discovered during crisis meetings.
Solution: Centralize all allocations in a single shared tool. See the comparison: <a href='/en/compare/orbit-vs-excel'>Orbit PM vs Excel</a>.
Impact: Meetings, pre-sales, training and management represent 15 to 25% of a consultant's time. Allocating them 100% to client projects creates structural overload.
Solution: Define a realistic capacity coefficient (e.g. 0.75 for a senior consultant who also does pre-sales) and stick to it.
Impact: The first available person is allocated rather than the most skilled. Delivery quality suffers and rare skills are never where they are truly needed.
Solution: Tag skills in team member profiles and filter by skill when searching for availability.
To go further, read our blog article: IT Services Staffing — 7 mistakes that kill your profitability.
Benefits
Why manage allocation with Orbit PM?
Real-time visibility
Who works on what, at what rate, at what time. A unified view of all your team's allocations.
Automatic conflict detection
No more manual recalculation. Orbit PM instantly flags any overload or unused availability.
Utilization rate optimization
Maximize your profiles' occupancy rate while avoiding burnout. Find the optimal balance per team member.
Single source of truth
No more scattered Excel files. All allocations are centralized in Orbit PM, accessible by the entire team.
Scenario simulation
Test different allocation configurations before validating them. Compare workloads across assignments.
Day-budget tracking
Orbit PM automatically calculates the number of days consumed vs. the budget allocated to each project.
Orbit PM
Orbit PM and real-time resource allocation
Orbit PM's differentiating characteristic on resource allocation is instant updates: as soon as an allocation is created, modified or deleted, the workload of all affected team members recalculates automatically. No "recalculate" button, no formulas to refresh.
This responsiveness concretely changes the way planning meetings work: managers can test different allocation scenarios live, immediately see the impact on each team member's workload, and make their decision in 5 minutes where it previously took an hour of Excel preparation.
Orbit PM covers the entire allocation cycle:
- Creation and management of team member profiles
- Multi-project assignment with precise engagement rates
- Automatic detection of overloads and under-loads
- Tracking of consumed days vs. the project's day-budget
- Data export for management reporting
Real-time vs Excel:
In an Excel file, workload is only recalculated if you manually update the formulas and if nobody has saved an older version. In Orbit PM, the workload of the entire team is always up to date, for all users, at the same time.
Compatible with your HR process:
Orbit PM interfaces with HR data (capacity per team member, absences, leave) so that allocations reflect field reality, not a theoretical view. See also our capacity planning page for the strategic view.
Comparison
Orbit PM vs Excel for resource allocation
| Criterion | Excel / Google Sheets | Orbit PM |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time workload view | Manual recalculation, frequent errors | ✓ Automatic and instant |
| Overload detection | Non-existent or complex formula | ✓ Automatic, color coding |
| Simultaneous multi-projects | Difficult to consolidate | ✓ Native, unified view |
| Simultaneous collaboration | Version conflict risks | ✓ Web application, real-time |
| Allocation history | Lost with every update | ✓ Kept and traceable |
| Scenario simulation | Manual file copying | ✓ Reallocation in a few clicks |
| Enterprise SSO | No | ✓ ✓ Azure AD / Okta |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about resource allocation
What is resource allocation in project management?
Resource allocation consists of assigning the right team members to the right projects, at the right time and according to their real availability. This includes defining an engagement rate, verifying that the sum of allocations does not exceed the team member's capacity, and tracking progress against the initial day-budget.
What is the difference between resource allocation and capacity planning?
Resource allocation is a tactical operation: assigning a specific team member to a specific project for a defined period. Capacity planning is a strategic approach: evaluating whether the team's total capacity can absorb the forecasted demand from projects. The two are complementary in Orbit PM.
How does Orbit PM handle allocation conflicts between projects?
As soon as an allocation is created or modified in Orbit PM, the system automatically recalculates the total workload of the team member concerned across all their active assignments. If the sum exceeds their daily capacity, Orbit PM immediately displays a visual alert. The manager can then adjust engagement rates or shift assignment periods.
From the blog
Explore the topic further
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