Analyzing Business Process Steps and Apps for SAP S/4HANA Cloud Resource Management

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to analyze the business process steps, apps, and roles of SAP S/4HANA Cloud to make strategic decisions for project resource management in a new cloud application project.

Introduction – Centralized Staffing through SAP Project and Resource Management

Centralized resource management involves a dedicated resource manager or a team of managers responsible for assigning resources from a central pool to various requests.

The main goals of this function are to

  • ensure optimal assignments based on criteria like skills, effort, and distribution,
  • fulfill resource requests promptly, and
  • maintain a balanced utilization of the team to prevent over- or under-utilization.

Similar to decentralized resource management, accurate matching requires detailed resource requests and profiles. Typically, the project manager defines the request, and the resource maintains their profile.

To enhance decision-making, collaboration between the resource manager and requester may be necessary, especially when multiple resources are suitable for a role or when there is not clear choice. The resource manager can propose options to the requester, who can then review and decide if they want to assign a particular resource to the request. If the response is positive, the resource manager can make the assignment.

In some cases, a request may not be finalized, but there's a need to start finding suitable resources. This may involve "soft booking," where a resource is earmarked for the request without marking them as unavailable or showing them as allocated to the requested role. Once the assignment is confirmed, it becomes a "hard booking," reducing the resource's availability and fulfilling the project role request.

SAP S/4HANA SAP Project and Resource Management involves request (resource creation and demand refinement), find and staff (resource search and assignment), shortlist and collaborate (candidate creation and collaboration), utilization (monitor utilization and manage gaps), and team experience (maintain profiles and view assignments). This integrates with the Professional Services Project Lifecycle, including project planning and setup, project staffing, time and expense, project economics, and billing and close. Key roles are project manager, resource manager, and team member.
RequestFind & StaffShortlist & CollaborateUtilizationTeam Experience
  • Request created from project plan
  • Define skills needed
  • Refine demand
  • See assigned team members
  • Resource Search
  • Assign resources
  • Forward request
  • Create and share a shortlist of candidates
  • Share and collaborate on options
  • Monitor Utilization
  • Manage suppy gaps and gluts
  • maintain Profile
  • See assignments

In terms of architecture the SAP Project and Resource Management is a SAP BTP application that fulfils the full, end-to-end process of centralized resource management. It can be integrated with SAP S/4HANA Cloud public edition to automatically create requests based on the roles planned in SAP S/4HANA Cloud. It can also be integrated with an HR / HCM solution (for example SAP SuccessFactors) via SAP BTP Master Data Integration to import the resource master data, skills data, and availability data.

The integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud is established/activated using scope item 6JO Resource Management for Projects.

The workflow integrates SuccessFactors, SAP Business Technology Platform, and S/4HANA Cloud for Projects and Resource Management. Employee records from SuccessFactors are integrated into the SAP Business Technology Platform. In S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, project headers lead to work packages and roles. In S/4HANA SAP Project and Resource Management involves updating and publishing resource requests, matching and assignment processes, and hard booking. Profiles are maintained, assignments are viewed, and existing assignments are balanced. Key roles include project manager, resource manager, and resource.

Business Roles

The following roles are involved in the resource management process:

  • Project team member

    Updates own profile with information about skills and previous project experience. Team member is usually identified as the "resource" and can be either an internal or external employee.

  • Requester

    Creates and manages resource requests based on project data and demands coming from the projects. Commonly the requester is the Project Manager.

  • Resource manager

    Staffs suitable resources to the resource requests and monitors the resource utilization. Resource managers centralize the management of resources and are usually responsible for a pool of resources in one or various organizational units.

This figure summarizes the resource management applications and main tasks by role:

Resource management applications and main tasks aligned to by role. Such as Project Team Member My Project Experience My Assignments, Requester Manage Resource Request, and Project Team Member Staff Resource Requests, Manage Resource Utilization, and My Resources.

Applications

My Project Experience

Maintain your project experience details and inform yourself about your current assignments and availability.

As a project team member, you can use the My Project Experience app to keep your profile up to date and ensure you can be assigned to suitable projects and other activities. The app also allows you to keep track of your current assignments and to monitor your utilization, enabling you to plan and organize your schedule accordingly.

SAP My Experience Interface that provides the user the ability to maintain their profile, ensuring they can be assigned suitable projects.

Updating Project Experience

Ensure that new assignments matching your experience can be assigned to you by keeping your project experience details up to date.

You can use the My Project Experience app to maintain your previous work experience, project roles, and qualifications. The information from the My Project Experience app is then used to assign you to ongoing projects and other activities based on your experience and availability. Resource managers can also navigate to your project experience page to see if you're a good match for the resource requests that they staff.

You can update your skills, roles, and external work experience. The information regarding your internal work experience is updated automatically based on your assignments.

Steps

  1. Open the My Project Experience app. If your profile is not valid, a pop up appears indicating that your profile cannot be edited.

  2. Add a profile picture:

    Note

    • The file format must be jpeg or png and the file size must not exceed 2 MB.
    • Metadata such as Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) associated with the image is deleted.

      In the Header click Upload file.

    • Select a file from your device and upload it.
  3. Add your skills:

    • Select a skill from the value help.
    • Select the proficiency level that best describes your level of expertise in the skill.
  4. Add your previous roles:

    • In the Previous Roles section, choose Create.
    • Select a project role from the value help.
  5. Enter your external work experience:

    • In the External Work Experience section, choose Create.
    • Enter information about your work experience. Project Name, Company, Project Role, Start Date, and End Date are mandatory fields.

      You can use the Comment section to provide more details about your role in the project.

    • Choose Apply.
  6. Add a resume:

    • In the Attachment section, choose Upload file.
    • Select a file from your device and upload it.

      Note

      • The file format must be DOCX or PDF and the file size must not exceed 2 MB.
      • The file is checked for malware before the final upload. This could cause a delay in uploading the file.
  7. (Optional): Delete items:

    Mark the checkbox next to the skill, role, or external work experience you would like to delete.

    • Choose Delete.
    • Confirm the action.

  8. Save your changes.

Viewing Current Assignments

Inform yourself about your current and upcoming assignments so that you can plan your work schedule accordingly.

Steps

  1. Open the My Project Experience app.

  2. Go to Internal Work Experience in the section Prior Experience.

    Your assignments are listed in the Assignments table. In this table, you can view the general information about each assignment, including whether an assignment is soft-booked or hard-booked.

  3. Select an assignment you want to view.

    In addition to the general information, you can view the effort (in hours) and skills required for the assignment.

Monitoring Your Utilization

View your utilization and availability for the next six months and for the current calendar year.

The My Project Experience app provides an overview of your average utilization for the current calendar year. You can also view more detailed information about your monthly utilization.

Your utilization is based on your available capacity and your capacity that is taken up by assignments, including both soft-booked and hard-booked assignments.

Note

Only the availability information related to your current primary employment is displayed in the app. If you have other employments, the availability information based on those employments is not reflected. If your primary employment changes, the availability displayed in the app also changes.

Steps

  1. Open the My Project Experience app.

  2. View your average utilization in the header.

    This percentage is the average utilization of your available capacity for the current year.

    The following thresholds determine whether you are considered to be overbooked or to have free capacity:

    ThresholdResource Utilization
    OverbookedAbove 110%
    Free capacityBelow 80%

    Colors are used to show how your utilization relates to the thresholds for overbooking and free capacity:

    ColorResource Utilization
    GreenBetween 80% and 110%
    OrangeBetween 70% and 79% or between 111% and 120%
    RedBelow 70% or above 120%
  3. Go to the Availability section.

    The chart shows the utilization of your available capacity as a percentage for each month in the next six months. You can display the value for each month by hovering over the respective data point. Note that the values in the chart have been rounded down to two decimal places.

    The table presents your availability for the next six months. For each month, you can view the following information about your availability:

    ColumnDescription
    AvailableYour total available capacity
    AssignedThe capacity taken up by your assignments
    FreeYour remaining capacity that can be used for new assignments
    UtilizationYour utilization for that month. Note that these values have been rounded down to the nearest integer.

    Your Utilization

    The utilization of your available capacity is shown as a percentage for the calendar year and for each month within the next six months.

    The average utilization percentage is calculated based on your available capacity and the capacity taken up by your assignments (assigned capacity):

    Resource Utilization (%) = (100 * Assigned Capacity / Available Capacity)

    Note

    Your assigned capacity includes both soft-booked and hard-booked assignments.

    Example

    Let's assume that you are generally available for 8 hours per day from Monday to Thursday and for 4 hours on Fridays. Your available capacity per work week is 36 hours. Next week, you are assigned to a resource request that requires 10 hours from Monday to Wednesday. So far, this is the only request to which you are assigned. The app calculates your utilization for the next work week as follows: Resource Utilization (%) = (100 * 10 / 36) = 27%. Note that decimal values are rounded down to the nearest integer value.

    Keep in mind that available capacity is the capacity that is generally available for assignments. In contrast to free capacity, available capacity does not include existing assignments.

    Available capacity is calculated as follows:

    Available Capacity = Planned Working Time per Day + Overtime per Day - Non-Working Time per Day - Time Blocked That Is Not Available for Assignments

    Note

    Non-working times per day are, for example, breaks or planned vacations.

My Assignments

Stay informed about your assignments and your work schedule.

As a project team member, you can use the My Assignments app to keep track of when you're required to work on each assignment. You can view your daily and monthly utilization, get an overview of your assignments over several months, and check which assignments are scheduled for a particular day. You can also check the details of each assignment.

SAP My Assignment interface that keep the user informed about their assignments and work schedule.

Viewing Assignments

Keep track of when you're required to work on each assignment and access the assignment details.

When resource managers create assignments for you, they specify how much of your capacity is required as well as when you're required to work on the assignment. In the My Assignments app, you can use the calendar view to check this information for all the assignments that you have in a specific time period. Soft-booked assignments are also displayed.

Steps

  1. Open the My Assignments app.

  2. Set the calendar view to show either days or months.

    If you set the calendar view to days, the calendar displays data for the current week. You can navigate backward and forward through the weeks, or you can use the calendar to select a specific week.

    If you set the calendar view to months, the calendar displays data for the current month and the following 5 months.

  3. View how your capacity is utilized in the selected time period.

    Your utilization is displayed at the top of each day or month. Colors are used to show whether you're overbooked or have free capacity:

    ColorUtilization
    GreenBetween 80% and 110%
    OrangeBetween 70% and 79% or between 111% and 120%
    RedBelow 70% or above 120%
  4. View your assignments for a particular day or month.

    For each assignment, the request name and the assigned capacity are displayed. If you've set the calendar view to days, the displayed value is the assigned capacity for that day. If you've set the calendar view to months, the displayed value is the sum of the assigned capacity for each day in that month.

  5. View the details of an assignment by doing the following:

    1. Choose the assignment you want to view. Your assignments are labelled using the request name. You can filter for a particular assignment by searching for the request name or the customer in the search bar.
    2. From the assignment popover, navigate to the details page of the assignment.

Editing Assignments

Edit your assignments to redistribute assigned hours.

When you look at your assignments over several weeks or months, you may want to review the assigned hours and how they are distributed. You may need to resolve situations where you're overbooked or where the real work happens at a later point in time. In the My Assignments app, you can use the calendar view to check this information for all the soft-booked and hard-booked assignments that you have in a specific time period.

You can edit your assigned hours only if you are authorized to do so.

Steps

  1. Open the My Assignments app.

  2. Set the calendar view to show months.

    If you set the calendar view to months, the calendar displays data for the current month and the following 5 months.

  3. View how your capacity is utilized in the selected time period.

  4. Choose the assignment that you want to edit.

  5. On the assignment popover, choose Edit.

    The popover displays the assigned hours for each month of the assignment.

  6. Edit the assigned hours by updating them in respective months.

    The assigned effort is updated as you update the hours in each month.

  7. Save your changes.

    Changes to the assigned hours are reflected in your utilization. Similarly, the staffing status and the assignment status of the corresponding resource request are also updated.

Manage Resource Requests

Prepare and publish resource requests and track their staffing status.

As a requester, you can use the Manage Resource Requests app to prepare resource requests that are based on data from a source system or to create new resource requests from scratch. By publishing them, you make them available for staffing by a resource manager while you can track the staffing status at any time.

SAP Manage Resource Request Application-Request Selection interface.

Preparing Resource Requests for Staffing

Start the process of staffing a project or other activity by enriching a resource request with additional information.

In the Manage Resource Requests app, you can find all resource requests that were created automatically based on data from a source system. For example, resource requests can be based on demands replicated from SAP S/4HANA Cloud. In this case, the system creates one resource request for each demand. Resource requests can also be created from other source systems using the Resource Request API.

The resource requests contain basic data such as the start and end date and the estimated total effort. Before you publish a resource request for staffing, you enrich it with additional information to specify your requirements. For example, based on the original estimated effort, you can set the required effort for the resource request. When you set the required effort, you can do so by specifying the total effort or by distributing effort across the days or weeks within the requested time period.

You have access to all resource requests that belong to a resource organization you have authorization for.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Requests app.

    The system displays a list of all your resource requests, sorted by the request ID in descending order.

  2. (Optional): Set the filter for the publishing status to Not Published and choose Go.

  3. (Optional): To export a list of resource requests with separate columns for each assignment status, add the Assignment Status Overview column to the table. Thereafter, choose Export As..., select a format, and mark the checkbox Split cells with multiple values to export the list.

  4. Select a resource request you want to enrich.

  5. In the details view for the resource request, choose Edit.

  6. In the Resource Request Details section, enter all required information. Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

  7. Specify any additional requirements in the Description field.

  8. In the Effort section, set the time period for the request.

  9. Under Effort Distribution, choose Edit to specify the effort distribution method. The following options are available:

    • Total effort

      Choose this option if you only want to specify the total required effort. Specify the number of hours in the Required Effort field.

    • Daily effort

      Choose this option if you want to define the required effort per day. Under Required Effort, choose Edit to maintain the daily effort. A calendar is displayed, which shows the individual days in the requested time period.

      Enter the number of hours for each day and choose OK. The values entered are added up and shown as the total required effort.

    • Weekly effort

      Choose this option if you want to define the required effort per calendar week. Under Required Effort, choose Edit to maintain the weekly effort. A calendar is displayed, which shows the individual calendar weeks for each quarter in the requested time period. Weeks that are split up between two months are displayed in the month that has more days in it. The first day of a calendar week is Monday.

      Enter the number of hours for each week and choose OK. The values entered are added up and shown as the total required effort.

  10. When you have already entered some effort and then switch the effort distribution method, the following applies:

    • When you switch to a less granular distribution method, the effort already entered is aggregated. For example, when you switch from daily effort to weekly effort, the effort maintained for the individual days in a calendar week is summed up to give the weekly effort for that week.
    • When you switch to a more granular distribution method, all effort already maintained is deleted. For example, when you switch from total effort to weekly effort, the initial required effort is not distributed automatically, but it is set to 0 and you have to maintain the required effort for the individual calendar weeks.
  11. In the Required Skills section, choose Create to add a line for each skill you want to add.

  12. Select a skill from the value help. Then select the required proficiency level for this skill and indicate whether the skill is mandatory.

    The skills listed in the value help and their proficiency levels are preconfigured. You can only add these preconfigured skills and choose from the proficiency levels available for them.

  13. Save your changes.

    You can only save the resource request if all mandatory fields are filled.

    SAP Resource Request interface with Effort Distribution overlay displaying data for month and weekly data for a specific time period.

Creating Resource Requests

Start the process of staffing a project or other activity by creating a resource request.

Using the Manage Resource Requests app, you can create resource requests manually without first replicating any project data or other information from a source system.

You can create resource requests for all resource organizations you have authorization for. Authorization for a resource organization is determined based on the cost centers assigned under

Prerequisites

Basic attributes of reference objects are available in SAP Project and Resource Management. This information can be created using the Resource Request API.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Requests app.

  2. Choose Create.

  3. (Optional): In the Reference Type section, choose the type of reference object for the resource request and then in the Reference Object section, select an object.

    Details such as the name, the start date, and end date of the reference object are displayed.

  4. In the Resource Request Details section, enter all required information. Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

  5. Specify any additional requirements in the Description field.

  6. In the Effort section, set the time period for the request.

  7. Under Effort Distribution, choose Edit to specify the effort distribution method. The following options are available:

    • Total effort

      Choose this option if you only want to specify the total required effort. Specify the number of hours in the Required Effort field.

    • Daily effort

      Choose this option if you want to define the required effort per day. Under Required Effort, choose Edit to maintain the daily effort. A calendar is displayed, which shows the individual days in the requested time period.

      Enter the number of hours for each day and choose OK. The values entered are added up and shown as the total required effort.

    • Weekly effort

      Choose this option if you want to define the required effort per calendar week. Under Required Effort, choose Edit to maintain the weekly effort. A calendar is displayed, which shows the individual calendar weeks for each quarter in the requested time period. Weeks that are split up between two months are displayed in the month that has more days in it. The first day of a calendar week is Monday.

      Enter the number of hours for each week and choose OK. The values entered are added up and shown as the total required effort.

  8. When you have already entered some effort and then switch the effort distribution method, the following applies:

    • When you switch to a less granular distribution method, the effort already entered is aggregated. For example, when you switch from daily effort to weekly effort, the effort maintained for the individual days in a calendar week is summed up to give the weekly effort for that week.
    • When you switch to a more granular distribution method, all effort already maintained is deleted. For example, when you switch from total effort to weekly effort, the initial required effort is not distributed automatically, but it is set to 0 and you have to maintain the required effort for the individual calendar weeks.
  9. In the Required Skills section, choose Create to add a line for each skill you want to add.

  10. Select a skill from the value help. Then select the required proficiency level for this skill and indicate whether the skill is mandatory.

    The skills listed in the value help and their proficiency levels are preconfigured. You can only add these preconfigured skills and choose from the proficiency levels available for them.

  11. In the footer toolbar, choose Create.

    You can only create the resource request if all mandatory fields are filled. The resource request is now visible to other project managers.

Editing Resource Requests

Change or adjust the details of a resource request by editing it.

You can fully edit saved resource requests that are not yet published or that have been withdrawn from the staffing process. You can, for example, add more skills, change the required effort, or adjust the requested start date or end date.

You can also partially edit the details of a published resource request, by changing the request duration or the effort required. Ensure that the start and the end dates of the changed request duration fall beyond the assignment durations, if they exist.

You have access to all resource requests that belong to a resource organization you have authorization for.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Requests app.

    The system displays a list of all your resource requests, sorted by the request ID in descending order.

  2. Select a resource request you want to edit.

  3. In the details view for the resource request, choose Edit.

    You can now edit the resource request details.

  4. Save your changes.

Publishing Resource Requests

Make a resource request available for staffing by publishing it.

You must publish your resource requests so that they are visible for resource managers. As long as the publishing status of a resource request is Not Published, it's only visible in the Manage Resource Requests app for you and other project managers. Once the resource request is published, the resource manager can start the staffing process.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Requests app.

    The system displays a list of all your resource requests, sorted by the request ID in descending order.

  2. (Optional): Set the filter for the editing status to Unchanged to find saved resource requests that no one is working on. Set the filter for the publishing status to Not Published and choose Go.

  3. Select a resource request you want to publish.

  4. In the details view for the resource request, choose Publish.

    The publishing status of the resource request is set to Published. The resource request is now visible for the resource manager, who can start the staffing process. If you have authorization for the Staff Resource Requests app, you can open the resource request in that app and start staffing it yourself, for example, using the Open In option.

    SAP Service Request interface displaying Blueprint data such as Resource Request Details, Effort, Required Skills. Highlighting the Publish Button.

Withdrawing Resource Requests

Recall an unstaffed resource request from the staffing process by withdrawing it. The resource request can then be edited or deleted.

If you want to edit or delete a resource request that has already been published, you must first withdraw it. This recalls the resource request from the staffing process so that you can resume editing it. When you’re done, you can publish it again.

Note

You cannot withdraw a resource request that is already staffed. If you still want to withdraw the resource request, the resource manager must first remove the assigned resources. If you have authorization for the Staff Resource Requests app, you can open the resource request in that app and remove the assigned resources yourself, for example, using the Open In option.

Prerequisites

One or more resource requests with status Published but that are not yet staffed exist in the system.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Requests app.

    The system displays a list of all your resource requests, sorted by the request ID in descending order.

  2. (Optional): Set the filter for the publishing status to Published and choose Go.

  3. Select a resource request you want to edit or delete.

  4. In the details view for the resource request, choose Withdraw.

    The publishing status of the resource request is set back to Not Published. You can now edit or delete it.

Tracking the Staffing Status

View the progress of a published resource request by tracking the staffing status.

Once you have published a resource request, you can monitor the progress of the staffing process. You can, for example, see how many hours are already staffed and who is processing the resource request. You can also easily find unpublished resource requests so that you can edit and publish them. In the resource request details, you can also find the resources that are assigned to the resource request.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Requests app.

    The system displays a list of all your resource requests, sorted by the request ID in descending order.

  2. (Optional): Set the filter for the publishing status to Published and choose Go. You can also filter, for example, by customer or priority.

  3. View the list of resource requests to get an overview.

    You can check how many hours are staffed for each request in the Staffing Status column. If you want to check whether the assignments for a resource request are soft-booked or hard-booked or only a proposal, you can add the Assignment Status Overview column by adjusting the table settings. You can also filter based on the assignment status by adding the Assignment Status filter to the filter bar.

  4. Select a resource request to access more details, for example, the resources that are assigned to this resource request, the worker type of each resource, and the assignment status of each assignment.

    To view details about a resource, click the resource name. A popover opens, showing contact and organizational information.

  5. If there are proposed assignments, you may select them and either accept or reject the proposals by choosing Accept or Reject.

    The assignment status is updated based on your decision. This is also reflected in the Staff Resource Requests app.

Deleting Resource Requests

Delete resource requests that are no longer needed.

You can delete resource requests that are not yet published or that have been withdrawn from the staffing process. You have access to all resource requests that belong to a resource organization you have authorization for.

Note

You cannot delete a resource request that is already staffed. If you still want to delete the resource request, the resource manager must first remove the assigned resources. Only then can you withdraw the resource request and delete it.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Requests app.

    The system displays a list of all your resource requests, sorted by the request ID in descending order.

  2. (Optional): Set the filter for the publishing status to Not Published and choose Go.

  3. Delete the resource request in one of the following ways:

    • In the list of resource requests, select the checkbox for the one you want to delete and choose Delete.
    • Navigate to the details view for the resource request and choose Delete there.

Authorization for Managing Resource Requests

The authorization concept determines which resource requests a requester has access to.

Requesters are responsible for one or more resource organizations. Cost centers are grouped into resource organizations. Each requester has access to all resource requests that belong to a resource organization they have authorization for. For the requester, the requested resource organization is relevant for determining the authorization to manage resource requests.

SAP Staff Resource Request Application-Select Request Interface.

Staff Resource Requests

Complete the staffing process or delegate the task of staffing a resource request to another resource manager.

As a resource manager, you can use the Staff Resource Requests app to find suitable candidates and assign them to a resource request. You can also distribute the workload between several resource managers or resource organizations.

Setting Responsibilities for Resource Requests

SAP Resource Request interface displaying matching resources.

To provide transparency about who is responsible for a resource request, you can indicate that you take on responsibility in one of the following ways:

  • As resource manager

    As the resource manager, you ensure that the resource request is staffed in time. To do so, you ensure that the resource request has all necessary information and you find the appropriate resource organization and processor.

  • As processor

    As the processor, you are responsible for staffing the resource request with suitable resources.

  • As both resource manager and processor

If you can't find suitable resources in the current resource organization or if you want a processor from a different resource organization to take care of the staffing, you can also forward a resource request to another resource organization you are authorized for. If you have authorization for the Manage Resource Requests app, you can also open the resource request in that app and add more information to the resource request yourself, for example, using the Open In option.

Note

For some resource requests, you can only forward the request if there are no resources assigned to it, for example, resource requests from SAP S/4HANA Cloud. You have access to all resource requests that belong to a resource organization you have authorization for.

Steps

  1. Open the Staff Resource Requests app.

    The system displays a list of all your resource requests.

  2. (Optional): Set filters and choose Go.

    You can filter the list of resource requests, for example, by customer, by request priority, or by request status.

  3. Select a resource request you want to take on or forward.

  4. In the details view of the resource request, choose Set My Responsibilities if you want to take on a resource request.

  5. In the Processor and Resource Manager fields, select Yes or No as required to indicate the responsibility you want to take on. Confirm the action.

  6. Choose Forward if you want to change the resource organization.

  7. Select a new resource organization and confirm the action.

Staffing Resource Requests

To staff a resource request, assign one or more resources to the request.

The Staff Resource Requests app shows resources that are a good match for the requirements specified in the request. You can compare one or more resources with the request requirements to find the best match for the request. These resources can be assigned to the request.

You can also propose resources for assignment, for example, if the requester needs to check and accept the proposed resource before it can be assigned to a resource request. Proposed assignments are not taken into account when calculating the resource's availability or utilization or the overall staffing status of the resource request.

In the Manage Resource Requests app, a requester can accept or reject a proposed assignment. Later on, you can use the Staff Resource Requests app to turn accepted assignments into soft-booked or hard-booked assignments.

Prerequisites

  • The requester has published the resource request.
  • The request status is Open.
  • The availability data of your resources has been maintained for the entire assignment time period.

Steps

  1. Open the Staff Resource Requests app.

  2. Find the request that you want to staff. You can, for example, use filters to find high-priority requests that have not yet been staffed.

  3. (Optional): To export a list of resource requests with separate columns for each assignment status, add the Assignment Status Overview column to the table. Thereafter, choose Export As... and select a format, and mark the checkbox Split cells with multiple values to export the list.

  4. (Optional): In the Request Details section, you can check the required effort. If the requester has used daily or weekly effort distribution, the number of hours provides a link to a calendar that shows how the effort is distributed across the days or weeks within the requested time period. This information is useful if you use the Quick Assign option when assigning a resource to the request.

  5. Go to Matching Resources.

    The app lists those resources whose cost center belongs to the processing resource organization of the resource request only if you are authorized to staff resources that belong to the resource organization. It already provides a ranking based on the total match percentage.

    You will see all the project roles assigned to a resource. For example, if a resource has the project roles Senior Developer and Business Consultant, the list of matching resources displays this information in one entry for this resource. You will also see the worker type of each resource.

    To view details about a resource, click the resource name. A popover opens, showing contact and organizational information. To view the resource's project experience, click the resource name in the popover.

  6. (Optional): Filter and sort the list of matching resources or use the search bar. You can access the filters and sorting options by doing one of the following:

    • Choose the column header of a column.
    • Choose Settings.
  7. (Optional): Compare one or more resources with the resource request by doing the following:

    Select the check box of the resources you want to compare.

    • Choose Compare.
    • In the comparison page, go to the Skills Comparison section to get detailed information about how well the skills of each resource match the skills required in the resource request.
    • Go to the Availability Comparison section to view the free capacity of a resource compared to the remaining effort in the resource request.
    SAP Staff Resource Request interface displaying Resource Comparison.

  8. Find the resource who you want to assign. To assign the resource, use one of the following options:

    OptionWhen to use this option
    Assign

    You specify when the assignment starts and ends and for how many hours the resource is assigned to the request.

    Use this option, for example, if you want to assign a resource during specific periods within the requested time period or for a specific number of hours. Also use this option if you want to assign multiple resources to the same request.

    If you want to propose a resource instead of immediately assigning it or create a soft-booked assignment, you can also indicate this here. The default assignment status is hard-booked.

    Quick Assign

    The app creates the assignment as requested, that is, using the requested start and end date, effort distribution method, and number of required hours specified in the resource request.

    Use this option, for example, if you want to assign only one resource to the request using the effort distribution specified by the requester. Assignments that are created using this option are hard-booked.

  9. The assignment appears in the Assigned Resources section.

  10. If the assignment dates in this section differ from the dates you selected, it is due to one or more of the following reasons:

    • The selected assignment start or end date falls on a non-working day, such as a weekend or vacation day.
    • The number of hours assigned is less than the number of days of the assignment. The app distributes one hour per day until all hours are distributed. The assignment duration is shortened according to the number of days required by this distribution.
  11. If necessary, assign more resources to the request.

    Note

    To delete an assignment, go to the Assigned Resources section and unassign the resource from the request.

Result

The request is staffed with the assigned resources. The staffing status of the resource request and the utilization of the assigned resources change accordingly.

If the resource request was based on project data replicated from SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the staffing information for hard-booked assignments is also immediately updated in SAP S/4HANA Cloud.

If you've proposed a resource, then the assignment status is also reflected in the Manage Resource Requests app, where a requester can either accept or reject the proposal.

If necessary, you can edit the assignments later on. You can adjust the time period of the assignment as well as the assigned hours. You can also turn an accepted assignment into a soft-booked or hard-booked assignment, or a soft-booked assignment into a hard-booked assignment. Once an assignment is hard-booked, it cannot be turned into a soft-booked assignment, but it can still be deleted.

Matching Score

The matching score determines how well a resource matches the requirements specified in the resource request.

The resources that are a good match for the requirements specified in the request are listed in the Matching Resources section of the Staff Resource Requests app. They are ranked based on the total match percentage. This matching score is calculated as follows:

Total Match Percentage

The total match percentage is the average of the availability match percentage and the skills match percentage.

Availability Match Percentage

This is the percentage of the required effort for which the candidate is available within the requested time period.

Depending on the effort distribution method, the availability match percentage is calculated using one of the following formulas:

Effort Distribution MethodFormula
Total effort

Availability Match (%) = (Matched Resource Availability / Required Effort) * 100

Matched resource availability = availability of a resource in the requested time period

Daily effort

Availability Match (%) = (Sum(Daily Matched Resource Availability) / Sum(Daily Required Effort)) * 100

Daily matched resource availability = availability of a resource on a particular day; can only be equal to or less than the required effort per day

Weekly effort

Availability Match (%) = (Sum(Weekly Matched Resource Availability) / Sum(Weekly Required Effort)) * 100

Weekly matched resource availability = availability of a resource in a particular calendar week; can only be equal to or less than the required effort per week

Assignments of the resource to other projects are already subtracted from the resource's total availability. If the resource's availability is higher than the required effort, the matched resource availability is assumed to be equal to the required effort for the calculation, that is, the availability match cannot be higher than 100%. If an assignment already exists for the resource request, this is subtracted from the original required effort and the result goes into the calculation as the remaining required effort.

In the case of daily or weekly effort distribution, availability and required effort are considered for each individual day or calendar week within the requested time period.

Skills Match Percentage

This is the percentage to which the resource's skills match the required skills specified in the resource request. It also takes into account the level of expertise the resource has in the skill.

The skills match percentage is calculated using the following formula:

Skills Match (%) = (Resource’s Matching Score for all Skills / Total Number of Mandatory Skills) * 100

The resource's matching score for all skills is the sum of the matching scores for each individual skill. For one skill, the matching score is calculated using the following formula:

Resource’s Matching Score for a Skill = MIN (1, Normalized Proficiency Level of the Resource / Normalized Required Proficiency Level)

The following applies for these formulas:

  • Only mandatory skills are considered when calculating the skills match.
  • The normalized proficiency level of the resource is calculated by dividing the actual level of expertise the resource has in a skill by the total number of proficiency levels available in that skill.
  • The normalized required proficiency level is calculated by dividing the proficiency level for a skill specified in the resource request by the total number of proficiency levels available in that skill.
  • For each individual skill, the matching score cannot be higher than 1 (100%). Therefore, if a resource has a higher proficiency level in a skill than is required for this resource request, the matching score is considered to be 1 (100%) for that skill. This is expressed by the function MIN(1,(Normalized Proficiency Level of the Resource / Normalized Required Proficiency Level)), which returns either 1 or the value for (Normalized Proficiency Level of the Resource / Normalized Required Proficiency Level), whichever is the smaller number.
  • If a resource does not have a required skill, the matching score for that skill is 0.

A resource request has the following mandatory skills, each with a proficiency set consisting of three proficiency levels:

SkillProficiency LevelNormalized Proficiency Level
Project management22 / 3 = 0.66
Java programming33 / 3 = 1
Product testing11 / 3 = 0.33

Consultant A has the following levels of expertise in those skills:

SkillProficiency LevelNormalized Proficiency Level
Project management11 / 3 = 0.33
Java programming33 / 3 = 1
Product testing22 / 3 = 0.66

Matching score for the individual skills:

SkillMatching Score
Project management0.33 / 0.66 = 0.5
Java programming1 / 1 = 1
Product testing0.66 / 0.33 = 2

considered as 1 for the calculation

Matching score for all skills: 0.5 + 1 + 1 = 2.5

Overall skills match: (2.5 / 3) * 100 = 83 %

Distribution of Assigned Hours

When you create an assignment, the app distributes the assigned hours depending on the option used to create the assignment. If you use the quick assignment option, the app considers the effort distribution method specified in the request.

Assignment Creation Options and Effort Distribution

How the number of assigned hours is distributed depends on the option you use to create the assignment. The following options are available:

Assignment Creation OptionResult
Custom assignment

You as the resource manager specify when the assignment starts and ends within the requested time period. You also specify for how many hours the resource is assigned to the request.

The app considers the total number of hours to be assigned and distributes them equally to the days on which the resource has available capacity.

Quick assignment

The assignment is created as requested, based on the requested start and end date and the effort distribution specified in the resource request.

How many hours are assigned per day depends on whether the requester only specified the total effort or used another effort distribution method (such as daily or weekly effort) when creating the request.

Distribution Using Total Hours

How the total number of assigned hours is distributed depends on whether the number of assigned hours is smaller or larger than the number of days on which the resource has available capacity. The following applies:

Number of Hours and DaysDistribution over Assignment Time Period
Number of hours is smaller than the number of days with available capacity1 hour per day is distributed to all days on which the resource has available capacity until all hours are distributed.
Number of hours is larger than the number of days with available capacityThe number of hours is divided by the number of days with available capacity. The resulting integer quotient is the number of hours to be distributed to the individual days. The remainder is distributed evenly (1 hour per day) until no hours are left, starting on the first day of the assignment.

If the resource has no available capacity at all in the assignment time period (available capacity = 0), the app distributes the specified number of hours evenly to all days in the assignment time period.

Note

Keep in mind that available capacity is the capacity that is generally available for assignments. In contrast to free capacity, available capacity does not include existing assignments.

Example 1:

Request A requires a total of 4 hours. Julie Armstrong has available capacity on all days of the week. The app distributes 1 hour to each day, starting on the first day of the assignment, until all hours are distributed. This means that 1 hour is distributed to each of the first 4 days in the assignment time period.

 MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridayTotal Assigned Hours
Assigned Hours per Day111104
Example 2:

Request B requires a total of 18 hours. You want to assign Julie Armstrong for a total of 13 hours and John Miller for a total of 5 hours.

For Julie Armstrong, the assigned hours are distributed as follows: Assigned Hours per Day = 13 / 5 = 2, remainder 3

That is, the app distributes 3 hours to each of the first 3 days in the assignment time period (2+1) and 2 hours to each of the last 2 days in the assignment time period.

For John Miller, the assigned hours are distributed as follows: Assigned Hours per Day = 5 / 5 = 1

That is, the app distributes 1 hour to each day in the assignment time period.

 MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridayTotal Assigned Hours
Assigned Hours per Day - Julie Armstrong3332213
Assigned Hours per Day - John Miller111115
Total Assigned Hours per Day4443318
Distribution Using Daily or Weekly Effort

If the requester used another effort distribution method when creating the resource request, and you use the quick assignment option, the assigned hours are distributed according to the specified distribution. Please note that the app assigns the specified number of hours exactly as requested, even if the resource has no available capacity on a certain day.

Note

If you change the assignment at a later point in time using the Update option, the number of assigned hours is redistributed using the total hours distribution.

Assignment Status

The assignment status indicates whether an assignment is a proposal, or soft-booked, or hard-booked.

When a resource is assigned to a resource request, the resource manager can set the assignment status to proposed, soft-booked, or hard-booked. The default assignment status is hard-booked.

Assignment StatusExplanation
Proposed

The assignment is only a proposal, and is not taken into account when calculating the resource's availability or utilization.

Assignments with this status are only displayed in the Staff Resource Requests and Manage Resource Requests apps.

Accepted

The proposed resource is accepted.

A resource manager can change the assignment to either soft-booked or hard-booked.

Rejected

The proposed resource is rejected.

A resource manager can no longer process rejected assignments, and can delete them.

Soft-booked

The assignment is tentative, however, it is still taken into account when calculating the resource's utilization.

If the resource request was based on project data replicated from SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the staffing information is not updated there until the resource manager changes the assignment status to hard-booked.

Hard-booked

The assignment is confirmed. Once an assignment is hard-booked, the resource manager can't change the status to soft-booked, but the assignment can still be deleted.

If the resource request was based on project data replicated from SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the staffing information is updated there immediately.

Resolving Resource Requests

End the process of staffing a project by resolving the resource request.

Once your resource request is fully staffed, you can set the processing status to Resolved. You can also resolve resource requests that are not yet staffed or only partially staffed, for example, if the resource request is no longer required.

Steps

  1. Open the Staff Resource Requests app.

  2. (Optional): Set the filter for the request status to Open. You can also filter by the staffing status, for example, to find all resource requests that are fully staffed. Choose Go.

  3. Select a resource request you want to resolve.

    Caution

    This step is irreversible. You cannot reopen a resolved resource request. In the details view for the resource request, choose Resolve.

    The request status of the resource request is set to Resolved. The resource request cannot be edited anymore, not even by the requester who requested the resource.

Authorization for Staffing Resource Requests

The authorization concept determines which resource requests and resources a resource manager has access to. Resource managers are responsible for a set of resource organizations. Cost centers are grouped into resource organizations. Authorization for a resource organization is determined based on the cost centers in this resource organization. For the resource manager, authorization is determined based on the processing resource organization. Each resource manager has access to all resource requests that belong to a resource organization they have authorization for.

Matching Resources

The list of matching resources shows only those resources that a resource manager is authorized for. This is the case if the resource is assigned to a cost center of the resource organization that the resource manager is authorized for.

Temporal Data

Resources can move between different cost centers over time. Therefore, it is possible that a resource is assigned to different cost centers within the duration of a resource request. The cost center data for this resource is then split up into separate time slices. When the system determines whether a particular resource is listed in the list of matching candidates, the system considers only the first time slice that overlaps with the requested time period of the resource request. When the resource manager assigns the resource, the system considers the first time slice that overlaps with the time period of the assignment.

Example

The resource manager is responsible for resource organization IN2 and processes a resource request with the following duration: Jul 01 - Dec 31.

A resource is assigned to the following cost centers during this period:

  • Cost center CC1: Jul 01 - Oct 31
  • Cost center CC4: Nov 01 - Dec 31

CC1 and CC4 belong to resource organization IN2 and IN3 respectively.

Result

  • The system considers the first time slice, which has cost center CC1. Since the resource manager is authorized for this time slice, the resource is listed in the list of matching candidates.
  • The resource manager can staff the resource only within the time period Jul 01 - Oct 31. The resource manager can't staff the resource if the assignment start date is after Oct 31. It's also not possible to staff the resource for a time period that stretches over more than one time slice, for example, Jul 01 - Nov 30.

Manage Resource Utilization

Edit assignments and monitor the utilization of all your resources.

As a resource manager, you can use the Manage Resource Utilization app to manage and monitor the utilization of individual resources and keep track of the workload distribution among all your resources.

SAP Manage Resource Utilization - Apply Filters Interface

Monitoring Resource Utilization

View the average utilization of all your resources and more detailed information for each individual resource.

Steps

  1. Adjust the time period as necessary and set how the data is displayed. You can display the data by day, week, or month.

  2. Open the Manage Resource Utilization app.

  3. Set filters to filter the list of resources and choose Go. You can do the following:

    • Enter the name of one or more specific resources
    • Specify one or more resource organizations or cost centers
    • Specify the worker type (exernal worker or employee)
    • Set the average utilization or the minimum number free hours that a resource must have in the specified time period
    • Specify resource requests, projects, customers, or project roles to find resources that have assignments related to these entries
  4. Adjust the table layout as necessary. You can do the following:

    • Adjust the width of columns
    • Sort the entries in a column
    • Hide or rearrange columns

    For more detailed information, see the help available in the app.

    Note

    To open the in-app help, choose the question mark in the upper right corner of the screen.
  5. To gain extra screen space and to focus on staffing and assignment data, you can hide some of the leading columns by choosing Hide Columns. The Name and Staffing Summary columns remain visible all the time.

  6. Review the information you're interested in.

    • The KPIs in the header area show average values for the specified time period, for example, how many resources are, on average, overbooked and how many have free capacity. The following thresholds determine whether a resource is considered as overbooked or as having free capacity:
      ThresholdResource Utilization
      OverbookedAbove 110%
      Free capacityBelow 80%
    • The Resources table shows the utilization as well as the free and available capacity for each resource. Depending on how you've displayed the data, monthly, weekly or daily values are shown. Colors are used to show how resource utilization relates to the thresholds for overbooking and free capacity:
      ColorResource Utilization
      GreenBetween 80% and 110%
      OrangeBetween 70% and 79% or between 111% and 120%
      RedBelow 70% or above 120%
      SAP Manage Resource Utilization interface -Edit and Manage Assignments.
  7. View more information about your resources. You've the following options:

    • To view details about a resource, choose the resource name. A popover opens, showing the profile picture and contact and organizational information. To view the resource's project experience, choose the resource name in the popover.

      Note

      Profile pictures are loaded when you launch the Manage Resource Utilization app, and cached on the browser for a period of 24 hours. Hence, any change to the profile picture is updated only when the cache is refreshed.
    • To view the resource requests to which a resource is assigned in the specified time period, expand the resource row.
    • To view details about a resource request, choose the request name.

      A popover opens. To open the resource request, for example, to change an assignment, choose the request name in the popover.

    • For each resource request, you can see whether the assignment is soft-booked or hard-booked. You can also immediately change the status of soft-booked assignments to hard-booked. Proposed assignments are not displayed here because they are not taken into account when calculating a resource's utilization or the staffing status of the resource request.

Resource Utilization

The resource utilization percentage shows you how much of a resource's total capacity is being used at a certain time.

Resource utilization is calculated based on the resource's capacity that is currently assigned to resource requests and the resource's overall capacity that is available for assignments.

Resource Utilization (%) = (100 * Assigned Capacity / Available Capacity)

Assigned capacity includes both hard-booked and soft-booked assignments. It does not include proposed assignments.

Available capacity is the capacity that is generally available for assignments. In contrast to free capacity, available capacity does not include existing assignments.

Available capacity is calculated as follows:

Available Capacity = Planned Working Time per Day + Overtime per Day - Non-Working Time per Day - Time Blocked That Is Not Available for Assignments

Note

Non-working times per day are, for example, breaks or planned vacations.

Example

Let's assume that Resource A is generally available for 8 hours per day from Monday to Thursday and for 4 hours on Fridays. The available capacity per work week is 36 hours. Next week, the resource is assigned to a resource request that requires 10 hours from Monday to Wednesday. So far, this is the only request to which the resource is assigned.

The app calculates the resource's utilization for the next work week as follows:

Resource Utilization (%) = (100 * 10 / 36) = 27%

Note

The decimal values are rounded down to the nearest integer value.

Editing Assignments

Edit existing assignments to ensure efficient utilization of your resources.

In the Manage Resource Utilization app, you can edit assignments within the table of resources and make adjustments to improve the utilization of your resources. This can be necessary, for example, if the availability of a resource changes or if project requirements change.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Utilization app.

  2. Adjust the time period as necessary and set how the data is displayed. You can display the data by day, week, or month.

  3. Set filters to filter the list of resources and choose Go. You can do the following:

    • Enter the name of one or more specific resources
    • Specify one or more resource organizations or cost centers
    • Specify the worker type (external worker or employee)
    • Set the average utilization or the minimum number free hours that a resource must have in the specified time period
    • Specify resource requests, projects, customers, or project roles to find resources that have assignments related to these entries

    Note

    You cannot change the filters, the time period, or how the data is displayed once the table is in edit mode.
  4. To gain extra screen space and to focus on staffing and assignment data, you can hide some of the leading columns by choosing Hide Columns. The Name and Staffing Summary columns remain visible all the time.

  5. Choose Edit, either in the menu bar or from the context menu.

  6. Expand the row of a resource to show the individual assignments.

  7. Make your changes. You can, for instance, adjust the number of assigned hours, or turn a soft-booked assignment into a hard-booked assignment. As you make changes to an assignment, the resource's utilization and the staffed hours of the corresponding resource request are simulated. Any other assignments from the same resource request also show the simulated staffed hours. The values are only updated in the system when you save your changes. If you make changes to weekly or monthly values, the total effort for a single week or month is distributed according to the resource's available capacity for that week or month. The new distribution overwrites any values that have been previously maintained on a more granular level, for example, daily values. For more details, see Distribution of Assigned Hours.

  8. Use the Editing Status filter to switch between displaying all assignments or only the assignments that were changed.

  9. (Optional): You can discard changes for a specific assignment by doing the following:

    • Mark the checkbox next to the assignment.
    • Choose Discard Changes, either in the menu bar or from the context menu.
    • Confirm the action.
  10. Once you’re done, save your changes.

    The system saves changes to assignments by grouping them into their respective projects. However, if an assignment has an error, then none of the assignments for the project are saved. You can view the assignments that have errors, make relevant corrections, and save them at a later point in time.

Creating Assignments

Create assignments to optimize the utilization of your resources.

In the Manage Resource Utilization app, you can create assignments within the table of resources. This can be helpful, for example, if you want to solve utilization issues for your resources or if you know exactly which resource request you want to assign a particular resource to without the need of checking the request requirements and the matching score.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Utilization app.

  2. Adjust the time period as necessary and set how the data is displayed. You can display the data by day, week, or month.

  3. Set filters to filter the list of resources and choose Go. You can do the following:

    • Enter the name of one or more specific resources
    • Specify one or more resource organizations or cost centers
    • Specify the worker type (external worker or employee)
    • Set the average utilization or the minimum number free hours that a resource must have in the specified time period
    • Specify resource requests, projects, customers, or project roles to find resources that have assignments related to these entries

    Note

    You cannot change the filters, the time period, or how the data is displayed once the table is in edit mode.
  4. Choose Edit, either in the menu bar or from the context menu.

  5. Mark the checkbox next to the resource or open the context menu and choose Add.

  6. Specify a resource request. You can enter the request name or use the value help.

    The app takes over the assignment data as requested, that is, using the requested start and end date, effort distribution method, and number of required hours specified in the resource request. You can edit the data as required, for example, change the number of hours or indicate that you want to create a soft-booked assignment.

    As you make changes to an assignment, the resource's utilization and the staffed hours of the corresponding resource request are simulated. Any other assignments from the same resource request also show the simulated staffed hours. The values are only updated in the system when you save your changes.

    Note

    If you don't see the entire assignment in the table, the start date or end date is outside the selected time period. You can adjust the time period to display the entire assignment.

  7. (Optional): If you need more information about the resource request, you can choose View Details from the context menu.

  8. (Optional): You can discard changes for the assignment by doing the following:

    • Mark the checkbox next to the assignment or open the context menu and choose Discard Changes.
    • Confirm the action.
  9. Once you’re done, save your changes.

Copying Assignments

Manage the utilization of resources by copying and pasting assignments.

In the Manage Resource Utilization app, you can cut or copy assignment from one resource and paste it to another resource. Similarly, assignments can also be moved by dragging and dropping them.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Utilization app.

  2. Adjust the time period as necessary and set how the data is displayed. You can display the data by day, week, or month.

  3. Set filters to filter the list of resources and choose Go. You can do the following:

    • Enter the name of one or more specific resources
    • Specify one or more resource organizations or cost centers
    • Specify the worker type (external worker or employee)
    • Set the average utilization or the minimum number free hours that a resource must have in the specified time period
    • Specify resource requests, projects, customers, or project roles to find resources that have assignments related to these entries

    Note

    You cannot change the filters, the time period, or how the data is displayed once the table is in edit mode.
  4. Choose Edit, either in the menu bar or from the context menu.

  5. Expand the node for a resource or the nodes for several resources.

  6. Mark the checkbox next to an assignment and choose Copy or Cut from the context menu or from the toolbar.

    A label is displayed next to the assignment, to indicate the action that was performed. You can also drag the selected assignment and drop it to any other selected resource.

  7. Unmark the assignment that you selected.

  8. Mark the checkbox next to a resource, and choose Paste from the context menu or from the toolbar.

    If there are no errors, the following happens:

    • The assignment that you paste is an exact replica of the assignment that you cut, copied, or dragged and dropped..
    • If you copied an assignment, then a new assignment is created for the selected resource.
    • If you cut or drag and drop an assignment, then it is deleted from the first resource and assigned to the second resource.

    Note

    • You can copy or drag an assignment only from an open resource request.
    • You can paste or drop an assignment only to a resource that belongs to the same resource organization as the resource request.
    • While you may copy several assignments from a resource, you can paste them all to only one resource.
  9. (Optional): If you need more information about the resource request, you can choose View Details from the context menu.

  10. (Optional): Choose Cancel to discard any actions on assignments within the table of resources.

  11. Once you're done, save your changes.

Deleting Assignments

Delete assignments to optimize the utilization of your resources.

In the Manage Resource Utilization app, you can delete assignments within the table of resources. This can be helpful, for example, if you want to solve utilization issues for resources who are assigned beyond their available capacity.

Steps

  1. Open the Manage Resource Utilization app.

  2. Adjust the time period as necessary and set how the data is displayed. You can display the data by day, week, or month.

  3. Set filters to filter the list of resources and choose Go. You can do the following:

    • Enter the name of one or more specific resources
    • Specify one or more resource organizations or cost centers
    • Specify the worker type (external worker or employee)
    • Set the average utilization or the minimum number free hours that a resource must have in the specified time period
    • Specify resource requests, projects, customers, or project roles to find resources that have assignments related to these entries

    Note

    You cannot change the filters, the time period, or how the data is displayed once the table is in edit mode.
  4. Choose Edit, either in the menu bar or from the context menu.

  5. Expand the row of a resource to show the individual assignments.

  6. Mark the checkbox next to the assignment or open the context menu and choose Delete.

    The assignment is initially marked for deletion, and data such as effort distribution is hidden.

  7. (Optional): If you need more information about the resource request, you can choose View Details from the context menu.

  8. (Optional): You can discard deletion of the assignment by doing the following:

    • Mark the checkbox next to the assignment or open the context menu and choose Discard Changes.
    • Confirm the action.
  9. Once you’re done, save your changes.

    SAP Manage Resource Utilization interface-Other Functions in the Manage Resource Utilization Application.

Authorization for Managing Resource Utilization

The authorization concept determines for which resources you as a resource manager are responsible.

As a resource manager, you're responsible for a set of resource organizations. You're authorized for the resources whose cost center is assigned to one of the resource organizations that you are responsible for. Therefore, you're responsible for a resource if its cost center is assigned to one of your resource organizations.

Temporal Data

Resources can move between different cost centers over time. When this happens, the cost center data for a resource is split up into separate time slices. When the Manage Resource Utilization app determines whether you're authorized to view a resource's utilization, it checks whether at least one of the relevant time slices has a cost center that is assigned to one of your resource organizations. The relevant time slices are the ones that overlap with the time period you specify in the app.

The app shows all resources that are assigned to one of your resource organizations at any point during the specified time period. This means that the app also shows resources, for example, who will be joining your team at a later point during the specified time period. For those resources, the app shows assignments that you can't edit, because you can only edit a resource's assignment if the assignment starts while the resource is part of your team.

You want to check the utilization of your resources for the next 7 months. In 6 months, Julie Armstrong, who's currently in another team, will be assigned to a cost center that is assigned to one of your resource organizations. In the app, you can see Julie's utilization as well as her assignments for the entire 7 months, but because your responsibility for her starts only in the last month of the specified time period, you can only edit her assignments for that last month.

My Resources

Get an overview of all your resources.

As a resource manager, you can use the My Resources app to access the details of all your resources so that you can manage your team efficiently. You can access information such as contact details, qualifications, and experience. You can also review and edit the information that your resources maintain about their own qualifications and experience.

SAP My Resources-Employee Selection Interface. Providing detail of all resources to manage teams efficiently, such as contact information, qualifications, and experience.

Viewing Resource Details

Check the basic data of your resources and access their profiles.

In the My Resources app, you can view the contact details of each resource and get familiar with their qualifications and experience.

Steps

  1. Open the My Resources app.

    All the resources that you're authorized to manage are listed.

  2. (Optional): Filter and sort the list of resources. You have the following options:

    • In the filter bar, set filters and choose Go.
    • In the table, sort a particular column by choosing the column header.
    • In the table, access sorting for the entire table by choosing Settings.
  3. To view the contact details of a resource, choose the resource name.

    A popover opens, showing the resource's contact information.

  4. To access the resource's project experience and other details, choose the resource row.

    Employee Details information within the My Resources Application-Employee Details interface.

Editing Resource Profiles

Ensure that the qualifications and previous experience of your resources are accurately maintained.

Resources maintain their own profiles with their qualifications and previous experience. As a resource manager, you can review these details and make changes as necessary.

Steps

  1. Open the My Resources app.

    All the resources that you're authorized to manage are listed.

  2. (Optional): Filter and sort the list of resources. You have the following options:

    • In the filter bar, set filters and choose Go.
    • In the table, sort a particular column by choosing the column header.
    • In the table, access sorting for the entire table by choosing Settings.
  3. Choose the row of the resource whose project experience you want to update. If the resource is not valid, then a pop up appears indicating that the profile cannot be edited.

  4. Choose Edit.

  5. Add or edit skills:

    • In the Skills section, choose Create.
    • Select a skill from the value help.
    • Select the proficiency level that best describes the level of expertise that the resource has in the skill.

      You can also edit existing skills by changing the proficiency level, selecting a different skill, or deleting the entry.

  6. Add or edit previous roles:

    • In the Previous Roles section, choose Create.
    • Select a project role from the value help.
  7. Add or edit external work experience:

    In the External Work Experience section, choose Create.

    You can also edit an existing entry by choosing the assignment row.

    • § Enter information about the resource's work experience. Project Name, Company, Project Role, Start Date, and End Date are mandatory fields.

      You can use the Comment section to provide more details about the resource's role in the project.

    • Choose Apply.
  8. (Optional): Delete items:

    • Mark the checkbox next to the skill or role you would like to delete.
    • Choose Delete.
    • Confirm the action.
  9. Save your changes.

Authorization for Viewing Resource Details

The authorization concept determines which resources are listed in the My Resources app.

As a resource manager, you're responsible for a resource organization. Cost centers are grouped into a resource organization. Therefore, you're responsible for a resource if it's assigned to one of the cost centers in a resource organization.

In the My Resources app, the list reflects your responsibilities at the point in time at which you access the app. For example, if one of your resources moves to a cost center in a resource organization for which you aren't responsible, you're no longer responsible for that resource and the resource is no longer listed in the app. New resources joining your team are only listed in the app from the point when they move to one of the cost centers in your resource organization.

Note

A person can have more than one employment and, therefore, can belong to different cost centers. Only persons who have their primary employment from one of the cost centers in your resource organization are listed here as a resource.

Conclusion

Personal Reflection

Reflect on a time when you were involved in a project, either professionally or personally, where effective resource management played a crucial role. How were resources (people, time, skills) allocated and managed? What challenges did you face, and how were they addressed? How can the principles and tools discussed in this unit, such as decentralized or centralized staffing in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, enhance the resource management in your future projects?

Expert Response

Reflecting on my experience managing a large-scale training project, effective resource management was vital. We had a diverse team, including content developers, graphic designers, and subject matter experts. Initially, we faced challenges in matching the right people to the right tasks, leading to delays and quality issues.

To address this, we implemented a centralized resource management approach, similar to what is discussed in this unit with SAP S/4HANA Cloud. A dedicated resource manager coordinated efforts, ensuring that each team member's skills and availability were aligned with project needs. Tools like the Plan Customer Projects app helped us streamline role assignments and track progress.

One significant challenge was balancing workloads to prevent burnout. By using the Manage Resource Utilization app, we monitored each team member's capacity and adjusted assignments accordingly. This proactive approach not only improved efficiency but also boosted team morale.

Applying the principles from this unit, such as detailed resource profiling and structured staffing methods, can significantly enhance the management of future projects. Using SAP S/4HANA Cloud’s decentralized or centralized staffing tools can ensure that resources are optimally utilized, reducing risks of delays and improving overall project outcomes.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, we focused on developing expertise in project resource management using the business process steps, apps, and roles of SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Let's recap the most important elements.

First, we covered the essentials of resource requests and profiles, which are crucial for introducing resource management in professional services. Resource requests contain key details like project data, resource type, effort, distribution, and required skills. Matching these requests with detailed resource profiles—comprising master data, availability, skills, and experience—is fundamental for effective project staffing.

Next, we delved into decentralized staffing, a method managed within the Plan Customer Projects app. This process involves planning roles, searching for resources, selecting candidates, and confirming assignments. Key features of this app include managing project tasks, analyzing financial performance, and handling billing processes. Understanding and applying these steps and tools will enhance your proficiency in resource management within SAP S/4HANA Cloud.

We also explored centralized resource management, managed by resource managers using SAP S/4HANA Cloud for projects. This method focuses on optimal assignments, timely fulfillment of requests, and balanced team utilization. The My Project Experience app is vital here, allowing you to update project experience, monitor assignments, and manage your utilization effectively.

Throughout the lesson, we emphasized the importance of key applications such as Plan Customer Projects, Manage Team Resources, My Project Experience, and Manage Resource Utilization. These tools help manage project tasks, plan and assign team roles, update skills, monitor assignments, and track resource workloads, ensuring efficient utilization and balanced workloads.

By understanding and applying these principles and tools, you are now better equipped to manage resources effectively in SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Remember, introducing resource management, comprehending and applying the roles and apps, and gaining expertise in SAP S/4HANA Cloud are essential steps to optimize resource utilization and ensure project success.

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