Services Resource Planning—Changing the Game for Service-Driven Organizations

Game-Changing Services Resource Planning In my previous blog, Blindsided: Why Service-Driven Organizations are Unprepared for Swings in Demand, I discussed some of the pain project-based service organizations are currently facing. To summarize, virtually every organization experiences the following challenges: Unreliable forecasting means incoming demand is always a surprise Poor visibility of resource utilization; to find the...

In R&D Portoflio Management, Failure is an Option – Enrich Consulting

Innovation is inherently risky. By definition, you’re doing something that you haven’t done before so there are no guarantees it will work. The mindset in many organizations is to “minimize” risk as if it were a disease, but it isn’t that simple. The best companies face risk head-on and manage it both systematically and transparently....

The Role of Spreadsheets in a Long-Range Planning Process—Part 2

Part one of this series notes that 1) there are appropriate uses for spreadsheets in the planning process, 2) there is a key point at which spreadsheets fall short (alignment), and 3) an appropriate planning tool is one that makes the most of the strengths of spreadsheets in the data gathering process. In this blog,...

Managing Project-Based Businesses in Turbulent Times

No one will argue that the economy is creating many business challenges for project based businesses. Thinner margins, slowing revenue growth, fewer projects, lower bill rates, changing customer and employee expectations, and new technology trends including the consumerization of IT are daily topics for many executives. In these rough waters, how does the successful executive...

iPad Tools for Project Mangers

The iPad has been a revolutionary device, bringing tablet computers from relative obscurity into the mainstream. What makes the iPad so compelling “its easily portable size and weight, fast booting, and diverse selection of applications” also makes it a great tool for project managers. Most of us are rarely chained to a desk, and fast,...

The Role of Spreadsheets in a Long-Range Planning Process—Part 1

On a recent Webcast, a finance professional asked me about the use of spreadsheets in the planning process. Because this is such a common theme, (over 70% of respondents said they use spreadsheets for their planning process) I decided to add my observations to the conversation. Telling a finance person that they should not use...

Blindsided: Why Service-Driven Organizations are Unprepared for Swings in Demand

In my last blog post, SRP and PSA — There IS a Difference, I discussed the major differences between Services Resource Planning (SRP) and Professional Services Automation (PSA). In short, SRP addresses the capacity and demand issues that drive resource decisions and revenue forecasting, whereas PSA focuses more on the mechanics that drive the quote...