Effectively Managing Part-Time Project Resources
Denise DeCarlo, PMP

If you are like most project managers around the world, many of your resources are part-time to your project. Assuming you can’t get them full time, this article with 12 tips will help you achieve efficiencies from the part-time resources you do have and assist with the delicate balance of scheduling part-time resources effectively.

Let’s go through a scenario to provide the business context of a potential situation regarding a part-time resource.  Let’s assume Sally has been assigned to your project at 25% allocation as a business subject matter expert in payroll.  This resource is critical to your project since the existing payroll system is being replaced.  Sally is the most senior payroll person in the Payroll Department.

Tip #1 – Determine how much time you need from each resource and attempt to obtain that percentage of time allocation accordingly.  If the manager of a part-time resource says you’ll get them “as much as you need them”.  Let the manager know you will schedule the resource for 25% per week for 10 hours  (or whatever you need).  The more specific you can be, the better.  Setting specific time commitments up front with the part-time resource and the manager is essential.    Ensure the start and end dates are also discussed and finalize any time off the part-time resource may have (more on time off later in this article) throughout the project lifecycle.

Tip #2 - How do you really know Sally will be available to work 25% on your project – other than Sally and her manager committing to the 25%?  Has the payroll department delegated 25% of Sally’s payroll responsibilities to someone else?  If not – this needs to go on the risk log as a potential risk since the Payroll Department is no longer staffed sufficiently (assuming Sally was busy full time within the payroll department).  Nobody likes being on a risk log and by bringing this to the attention of the payroll manager that THEY are putting the project at risk by not delegating Sally’s responsibilities to someone else – they just may find someone else to whom they can delegate some of Sally’s responsibilities.

Tip #3 – Test and baseline the “reality” of Sally being available 25%.  To do this, have Sally log (in 15-minute increments) where she is spending her time (for example, project work, payroll activities, and “other” for time off, training, etc.)  At the end of the two weeks – determine if Sally was truly available to work on the project 25%.  If not – provide this information to Sally’s manager and the project sponsor to discuss other alternatives. These alternatives include: offloading some of Sally’s payroll responsibilities; selecting a different person to be part of the project team (even though Sally may be the best person, if she’s not going to be available as needed this will be problematic); or reducing Sally’s time dedicated to the project based on Sally’s realistic availability. You can then see how these alternatives impact other critical path activities and the overall project schedule.  The goal is to create a schedule that is realistic based on the time commitment resources will be able to work on the project.

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