Resource Allocation Skill

Systematic resource planning across portfolio for optimal utilization.

Purpose

This skill provides a framework for:

• Capacity planning across projects
• Resource conflict identification
• Skills gap analysis
• Allocation optimization
• Utilization monitoring

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Prerequisites

Before resource allocation, ensure:

Prerequisite	Required For	Source
Resource inventory	Capacity baseline	HR/Resource management
Project demands	Allocation needs	Project managers
Skills matrix	Gap analysis	HR/Training
Availability calendar	Time planning	Team calendars

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Resource Allocation Gates

Gate 1: Resource Inventory

Objective: Establish baseline of available resources

Actions:

1. List all available resources (people, teams)
2. Document skills per resource
3. Capture availability (FTE, dates)
4. Note constraints (PTO, training, etc.)

Output: docs/pmo/{date}/resource-inventory.md

Inventory Template:

Resource	Role	Skills	Availability	Current Allocation
[Name]	[Role]	[Skills]	[FTE]	[Projects]

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Gate 2: Demand Analysis

Objective: Understand resource demand across portfolio

Actions:

1. Collect resource requests from projects
2. Categorize by role/skill
3. Map to timeline
4. Aggregate total demand

Demand Template:

Project	Role/Skill	FTE Needed	Start	End	Priority
[Project]	[Role]	[FTE]	[Date]	[Date]	[1-5]

Output: docs/pmo/{date}/resource-demand.md

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Gate 3: Gap Analysis

Objective: Identify mismatches between supply and demand

Actions:

1. Compare inventory to demand
2. Identify capacity gaps (over/under)
3. Identify skill gaps
4. Document timeline conflicts

Gap Types:

Gap Type	Definition	Impact
Capacity Gap	More work than people	Project delays, burnout
Skill Gap	Work requires unavailable skills	Quality issues, training need
Timeline Gap	Resources available wrong time	Schedule conflicts
Quality Gap	Available skills below required level	Supervision needed

Output: docs/pmo/{date}/resource-gaps.md

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Gate 4: Conflict Resolution

Objective: Resolve resource conflicts across projects

Actions:

1. List all conflicts
2. Analyze priority-based resolution
3. Propose alternatives (hire, defer, redistribute)
4. Document trade-offs

Resolution Options:

Option	When to Use	Trade-off
Prioritize	Clear priority difference	Lower priority project delayed
Share	Skills transferable	Context switching cost
Hire	Long-term need	Time to onboard, cost
Contract	Short-term need	Cost, knowledge transfer
Defer	Flexibility exists	Opportunity cost
Descope	Scope flexibility	Feature reduction

Output: docs/pmo/{date}/conflict-resolution.md

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Gate 5: Allocation Plan

Objective: Create optimal resource allocation plan

Actions:

1. Assign resources to projects
2. Document allocation percentages
3. Define handoff points
4. Create monitoring plan

Allocation Template:

Resource	Project	Allocation %	Start	End	Notes
[Name]	[Project]	[%]	[Date]	[Date]	[Notes]

Utilization Target: 70-85% (leaves buffer for issues)

Output: docs/pmo/{date}/allocation-plan.md

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Anti-Rationalization Table

See shared-patterns/anti-rationalization.md for universal anti-rationalizations.

Resource-Specific Anti-Rationalizations

Rationalization	Why It's WRONG	Required Action
"Team said they can handle it"	Optimism bias is real. Validate with data.	Verify against utilization data
"We'll figure it out as we go"	Resource chaos causes project failure. Plan upfront.	Complete allocation plan
"100% utilization is optimal"	100% = no buffer for issues, burnout. 70-85% is optimal.	Plan for sustainable utilization
"Sharing resources is fine"	Context switching costs 20-40% productivity. Account for it.	Include switching cost in allocation

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Pressure Resistance

See shared-patterns/pressure-resistance.md for universal pressure scenarios.

Resource-Specific Pressures

Pressure Type	Request	Agent Response
"Just assign everyone to both projects"	"100% allocation to multiple projects is impossible. Creating realistic allocation plan."
"We don't have time to document skills"	"Skills documentation prevents misallocation. Completing skills inventory."
"The team lead said resources are available"	"Trust and verify. Confirming with actual utilization data before committing."

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Blocker Criteria - STOP and Report

ALWAYS pause and report blocker for:

Situation	Required Action
Demand exceeds capacity by >20%	STOP. Report gap. Wait for prioritization or hiring decision.
Critical skill unavailable	STOP. Report skill gap. Wait for training/hiring decision.
Key person single point of failure	STOP. Report risk. Wait for mitigation decision.
Conflicting executive commitments	STOP. Escalate conflict. Wait for resolution.

Cannot Be Overridden

The following requirements are NON-NEGOTIABLE:

Requirement	Cannot Override Because
Utilization limits (≤95%)	>95% sustained causes burnout and quality issues
Conflict documentation	Unresolved conflicts cause project failures
Skills verification	Assumed skills lead to delivery problems
Availability confirmation	Committed resources must be verified before allocation
Context switching accounting	Multi-project allocation must account for overhead

If user insists on violating these:

1. Escalate to orchestrator
2. Do NOT proceed with unrealistic allocation
3. Document the request and your refusal

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Severity Calibration

When reporting resource issues:

Severity	Criteria	Examples
CRITICAL	Delivery at risk, burnout imminent	>110% sustained utilization, critical skill gap, key person leaving
HIGH	Significant risk if not addressed	>100% temporary utilization, conflict between priority projects
MEDIUM	Optimization opportunity	Suboptimal allocation, minor skill gaps, unbalanced teams
LOW	Minor improvements possible	Process refinements, training opportunities

Report ALL severities. Escalate CRITICAL immediately. Address HIGH this week.

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Output Format

Resource Allocation Summary

# Resource Allocation Summary - [Date]

## Capacity Overview

| Metric | Value | Status |
|--------|-------|--------|
| Total FTE Available | X | - |
| Total FTE Demanded | X | - |
| Utilization Rate | X% | Green/Yellow/Red |
| Open Positions | N | - |

## Allocation by Project

| Project | FTE Allocated | Utilization | Status |
|---------|--------------|-------------|--------|
| [Project] | X | X% | Green/Yellow/Red |

## Gaps Identified

| Gap Type | Description | Impact | Resolution |
|----------|-------------|--------|------------|
| [Type] | [Description] | [Impact] | [Proposed] |

## Conflicts

| Conflict | Projects | Resource | Proposed Resolution |
|----------|----------|----------|---------------------|
| [ID] | [Projects] | [Resource] | [Resolution] |

## Recommendations

1. [Recommendation with rationale]
2. [Recommendation with rationale]

## Decisions Required

1. [Decision needed with options]

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Execution Report

Base metrics per shared-patterns/execution-report.md:

Metric	Value
Analysis Date	YYYY-MM-DD
Scope	[Portfolio/Projects]
Duration	Xh Ym
Result	COMPLETE/PARTIAL/BLOCKED

Resource-Specific Details

Metric	Value
roles_analyzed	N
allocation_conflicts	N
utilization_average	X%
gap_count	N

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When Resource Allocation Is Not Needed

<MANDATORY> MUST: Resource allocation is minimal only when ALL conditions are met: </MANDATORY>

Condition	Verification
Recent allocation exists (<14 days)	Reference existing allocation plan
No new projects started	Verify no new resource demands
No resource changes	Confirm no departures, hires, or availability changes
Utilization within targets (70-85%)	Verify no over/under allocation

MUST: Full resource allocation REQUIRED for the following conditions:

Condition	Why Required
New project starting	Resource demand must be planned
Resource conflict identified	Resolution needed before escalation
Team member departure/arrival	Reallocation required
Utilization outside targets	Optimization or intervention needed
Quarterly planning cycle	Regular capacity review required

MUST: When in doubt, refresh the allocation plan. Stale resource data causes delivery failures.