Most people don’t become resource managers because they love updating spreadsheets or chasing timesheets. And yet, the perception in many firms is that resource management is mostly about scheduling, tracking hours, and keeping the wheels turning.
It’s not that those things don’t matter. But when the business relies on the strategic deployment of its people, it feels like a missed opportunity. Because when done well, resource management is tied to profitability, delivery confidence, employee development, and even client satisfaction.
According to Linked Workforce’s workforce planning consultant Kathleen Fitzgerald, this way of thinking starts with how firms talk about RM. What they reward. Who gets invited into which conversations. And whether RMs are empowered to speak up as strategic contributors or expected to stay in the background.
Let’s get into it.
What trusted business advisor status looks like in resource management
Ask around what makes a good resource manager, and you’ll hear things like: organised, on top of the schedule, good with spreadsheets. And yes, those are useful skills. But if that’s where it ends, resource management will always be seen as operational support.
Trusted business advisors operate differently. They understand what the business is trying to achieve, they connect resource planning to commercial outcomes, and they flag risks before they materialise.
As Kathleen points out, trusted resource managers “understand the ‘why’ behind business goals, proactively plan for future resource needs, and align resource allocation with overarching strategic objectives.” That means thinking beyond tasks and headcount and stepping into the wider business conversation.
According to Kathleen, the best resource managers tend to bring:
● Strategic thinking and a forward view
They align resource planning with broader business objectives, not just immediate needs.
● Deep knowledge of their people
Not just job titles or availability, but skills, aspirations, development gaps, and where someone can add the most value.
● Strong communication and influence
They don’t wait to be asked. They step into conversations with delivery leads, finance, HR, and senior stakeholders, and they hold their own.
● Confidence with data and insight
They interpret the numbers. They ask better questions. And they use data to support decisions that go beyond gut feel.
● Credibility and trust
Quietly important. People listen to them because they’ve earned it, through consistency, candour, and sound judgement.
It’s a different mindset and a different way of working. But it’s also something you can support and scale. With the right conditions in place, this kind of resource manager doesn’t have to be rare.
What gets in the way
Most firms want resource managers to be more strategic. You’ll hear it in meetings, in offsites, in the occasional rallying cry from leadership. But day to day? The conditions often tell a different story.
As Kathleen puts it, there’s a lot of cultural resistance, and it tends to show up in familiar ways.
There’s often confusion about where resource management sits in the business and how to get the most from it. Project leads might assume it’s handled by HR. Department heads may be unsure when or how to involve the resource team. That lack of clarity makes it harder for resource management to be used strategically and easier for it to be treated as an administrative function rather than a driver of business-critical planning.
Then there’s the fear of transparency. “Leaders and managers may resist a centralised, transparent system because it reveals how resources are truly being utilised (or underutilised),” Kathleen explains. When visibility increases, so does accountability. And not everyone’s ready for that.
She also talks about inertia. Not in a dramatic way, just the quiet tendency to stick to what’s familiar. “If resource management has traditionally been done through ad-hoc conversations and spreadsheets, introducing a structured, system-driven approach can be met with pushback.”
Similarly, if previous systems didn’t deliver, or if the data was patchy, people get burned. Understandably. “Leaders may dismiss the insights if they don't believe the underlying data.”
None of this means change is impossible, firms need to approach it like any other strategic change, with clarity, honesty, and the patience to bring people with them.
The leadership change that unlocks strategic RM
If resource managers are going to operate like trusted business advisors, then leaders need to treat them like that. This sounds obvious. But in practice, it’s often the biggest blocker.
As Kathleen puts it, “leaders must actively and consistently communicate that resource management is a strategic imperative” — not a support function to be delegated. That’s the first change. This is key because the tone from the top dictates what gets airtime, who’s in the room, and what decisions are made with resourcing in mind.
Kathleen breaks it down clearly:
● Tone: Resource planning needs to be talked about in strategic terms, in board meetings, leadership updates, and planning sessions, and not buried in delivery reviews.
● Ownership: Too often, it’s left to HR or the resource management team to make things work. But as Kathleen says, “business leaders must be held accountable for the health and optimal utilisation of their team’s resources, not just their output.”
● Sponsorship: Endorsement is one thing. Active advocacy is another. That means clearing roadblocks, allocating budget, and visibly supporting the resource team when tough trade-offs need to be made.
● Visibility: If resource data is still buried in spreadsheets or disconnected systems, it’s going to stay in the background. “Resource management data and insights need to be elevated to a prominent position in strategic discussions,” Kathleen explains. Not just when something’s gone wrong, but as part of how the business plans and makes decisions.
And here’s the thing: this doesn’t require a huge reorganisation or a big internal campaign. Most of it starts with how leadership behaves. Do they ask the right questions? Do they use the data? Do they treat resource planning as a real lever or just something to get sorted?
That tone sets the expectation for everyone else.
The role systems play in making it stick
Cultural change doesn’t come from a new resource management platform. But it’s very hard to sustain without one.
You can have all the right intent, such as strong messaging, better behaviours, more collaboration and still fall apart when the spreadsheet crashes or no one’s quite sure which version of the plan is the real one.
As Kathleen puts it, “systems play an absolutely critical role in reinforcing the cultural shift required for resource management to be seen as a strategic partner.” They make the insight visible. They make the process consistent. And they give leaders something solid to act on.
She outlines four ways systems help:
● Centralised, real-time data
When everyone’s working from the same picture of skills, capacity, certifications, demand, there’s less confusion and more confidence. “This eliminates disparate spreadsheets and siloed information,” says Kathleen, “creating a culture of transparency.”
● Executive-level dashboards
It’s hard for resource management to be taken seriously if its data never makes it to leadership. Good systems push it there. “Dashboards that show utilisation, skill gaps, or upcoming constraints elevate resource planning from a tactical function to a strategic one.”
● Scenario planning and alignment
Kathleen talks about leaders being able to ask, *“What happens if we launch this?” or “Can we absorb this client?” and actually see the answer. That’s where systems start supporting strategy, not just scheduling.
● Standardised workflows
Maybe not the sexiest point, but a real one. “Consistency helps embed the desired cultural behaviours,” she says. When people know how and where to engage with resource planning — and can trust the process — it becomes part of how work gets done.
That doesn’t mean tech solves everything. But it removes excuses. It creates visibility. And it helps reinforce the idea that resource planning isn’t just an admin task, but a business-critical infrastructure.
What success looks like when it works
You can tell when a firm has made these changes. Resource managers aren’t on the sidelines. They’re in the conversation early to help shape how work gets delivered and who should do it.
As Kathleen puts it, in those environments, “resource managers act as internal talent agents.” They know their people. They understand the commercial levers. And they’re trusted to make decisions that align with the firm’s bigger goals.
Everything around them supports that way of working. Processes are structured but flexible. Systems are genuinely embedded. And decisions are made using insight that reflects real conditions, not wishful thinking.
Kathleen describes three elements that make it work:
People
“They are proactive business partners with deep market and financial acumen… able to translate complex resource insights into actionable strategies for all stakeholders.” It’s a shift in mindset and expectations. Success also comes from building strong relationships, staying in regular contact with stakeholders and delivery teams, and having your ear to the ground to catch what’s not being said.
Processes
Everything from supply and demand planning to allocation and optimisation is tied to strategy. “Standardised workflows guarantee predictable outcomes… while ongoing feedback loops refine planning and encourage collaboration.”
Tools
The system isn’t an afterthought. “It acts as the single source of truth for all talent data,” Kathleen explains. That includes scenario modelling, predictive analytics, and intuitive dashboards that different teams actually use.
When those pieces are in place, instead of being a back-office function, resource management becomes one of the ways the business stays agile, grows capability, and delivers consistently.
The opportunity firms can’t afford to overlook
If firms want resource managers to act like trusted business advisors, they need to make space for that role to exist.
That means leadership buy-in, visible data, better tools, and the expectation that resource planning is part of the business strategy, not just delivery logistics. It’s a shift in language, in mindset, in process. But it’s not hypothetical.
As Kathleen says, the firms getting this right are already seeing the difference: more confident decisions, clearer trade-offs, stronger teams, better outcomes. And resource managers who don’t just track what’s happening — they shape what happens next.
It takes work. But once that shift clicks into place, the value becomes very hard to ignore.
Looking to support resource managers with the right systems and structure? We can help. Book a demo or get in touch to find out more.
