Small business employees often “wear many hats,” as having a smaller team requires a need for more cost-effective and flexible strategies due to a resource-constrained environment. For example, at a small digital marketing agency, you might have one person who manages social media, blog writing, video content, and more.
However, putting too much on an employee’s plate can significantly increase their risk of burnout. Using technology that allows you to see what’s on everyone’s calendars and to-do lists can make it easier to allocate your resources properly in a way that’s balanced and cost-efficient.
This article discusses steps you can take to maximize the resources of a small team and how implementing software solutions, such as coAmplifi’s workforce management software, can further streamline the process.
4 Ways to Maximize Small Team Resources
Effective resource allocation means matching the right skills to the right tasks and making sure every team member has the tools they need to be productive and to succeed. It also means keeping team members aligned toward a shared goal.
Here are a few practical steps you can take to better allocate your resources.
1. Understand Your Resources
To maximize your resources, you need to know exactly what resources are at your disposal. This includes identifying:
Individual skill sets: Recognize and understand the strengths of each team member and the expertise they bring.
Resource availability: Assess individual workloads to make sure no one is feeling overworked or underutilized.
Project scopes: When allocating resources to a specific project, consider budget constraints and timelines to determine what’s needed.
2. Prioritize and Plan
Once you’ve identified your resources, you’ll need to prioritize projects and develop a plan that clearly states how resources will be used, particularly across your most high-impact projects. This step should begin immediately after you define a project’s scope so you can avoid any last-minute problems at the start of the project.
Be sure to set realistic timelines when developing project plans to avoid overcommitting resources and to help the project stay on track.
3. Communicate and Collaborate
Research consistently shows that employee engagement rises when team members feel that their thoughts, ideas, and perspectives are being heard. It’s important to solicit employee input and feedback on resource allocation to improve its efficiency.
Create an environment that welcomes honest perspectives and raised hands when someone needs help. This way, problems can be identified and resources can be reallocated faster when needed.
4. Empower Your Employees
Give your team members the ability to take ownership of their work and see exactly how it contributes to moving the company’s mission forward. The more connected they feel to their work, the more engaged they’ll be, leading to increased productivity.
You can empower employees by recognizing and rewarding their performance, delegating tasks based on their interests and strengths, and investing in their training and development.
How Technology Can Help with Resource Allocation in Smaller Teams
While there are ways for you to improve your resource allocation through operational changes and initiatives, there are also tools and software that can help ease the burden with features like automation, data intelligence, and forecasting.
Here are a few key features offered by coAmplifi, a modern workforce management software, that can significantly improve your resource allocation efforts.
Get Full Transparency Into Resource Availability
You can quickly get a bird’s-eye view of what your team members are working on and what they have planned for the day with coAmplifi’s scheduling feature. Because you can see both current and future resource availability, you can forecast projects knowing this availability in advance.
Utilize Resources Based on Job Descriptions
coAmplifi lets you ensure the right person is assigned to the right tasks based on their individual job description, role, and availability. This can help you save time and increase profitability by placing the right skill levels where needed.
Make Decisions Based on Business Analytics
Use real, historical data – not guesswork or assumptions – to make smarter resource decisions based on metrics like current productivity cost, the time team members are spending on certain tasks, and any trends impacting your business. Tapping into this data can help you make more informed decisions that improve efficiency.
Stay on Top of Project Plans With Project Management Software
coAmplifi comes with built-in project management software that automatically tracks deadlines, key milestones, and budgets. It also alerts you of any missed due dates and shows real-time progress toward key performance indicators (KPIs), both for the project and the company.
Improve Communication
Whether your team is on-site, remote, or hybrid, coAmplifi’s software includes communication tools that make it easier to stay connected, including shared message boards, instant messaging, employee social networks, and more. These features can help keep employees engaged and informed.
Improve Resource Allocation in Small Teams With the Right Tools
Effective resource allocation can significantly impact your company’s profitability and retention. By using tools like coAmplifi’s business analytics, collaboration hubs, and project planning software, maximizing your resources is easier – and quicker – than ever.
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