Resource management involves efficient resource planning, allocating, and optimising to achieve project goals. Without a great resource management tool, organisations are left with unreliable resource data that a business is unable to make good decisions from. Ineffective resource management has a knock-on effect for so many other areas of a business; hiring is left too late; projects are severely delayed, and operational efficiency goes down the drain.  

So we know you’re in the market for project management software with dynamic resource management capabilities, let’s take a look at the resource management of Smartsheet vs Fluid. 

Resource management at a glance: Smartsheet vs Fluid 

Standout capabilities: Smartsheet vs Fluid 

The maturity levels of software can vary so let’s take a closer look at the standout capabilities of Smartsheet and Fluid.  

Fluid 

Fluid offers an all-encompassing, comprehensive approach to resourcing, equipping project managers with advanced tools for efficient and effective planning. The resource management capabilities lend themselves well to projects, business as usual and adhoc use cases.   

Visual Gantt charts:  

Fluid provides interactive and visually appealing Gantt charts. These charts allow project managers to create detailed project schedules while seamlessly allocating resources. With a simple drag-and-drop interface, you can adjust task assignments and dependencies directly on the Gantt chart. 

Real-time resource visibility:  

Real-time visibility into resource allocation ensures that you can easily monitor resource workloads, track utilisation rates, and identify potential over-allocations or under-allocations. Real-time data empowers you to make quick and informed decisions to optimise resource usage. 

Customised resource calendars:  

Fluid supports customised resource calendars. This means you can define working hours, non-working days, and individual resource availability. By tailoring calendars, you achieve highly accurate resource scheduling based on the unique needs of your projects and team members. 

Resource availability management:  

Fluid provides tools for managing resource availability. This means that you can easily assess which team members are available for new assignments and distribute workloads accordingly. This approach minimises resource conflicts and maximises productivity. 

Resource optimisation: 

Fluid's resource allocation tools are built for optimisation. It helps you prevent bottlenecks and resource overloads. It ensures that your projects are staffed adequately to meet deadlines and achieve project objectives. 

Resource forecasting: 

When resource forecasting with Fluid, you are able to toggle between forecasting resources in headcount terms, to forecasting in terms of hours, this promotes a dynamic understanding of resource allocation, workload distribution and more accurate cost estimation. 

Capacity planning:  

Fluid includes comprehensive capacity planning features that align resource availability with project demands. These capabilities help ensure that resources are allocated efficiently to maximise team productivity and project success. Fluid also allows you to consider the capacity a resource has after accounting for business as usual and ad hoc tasks.  

Fluid's resource management capabilities are particularly impressive in terms of resource scheduling, allocation, and optimisation. The Gantt charts, real-time visibility, role-based assignments, and customised calendars facilitate efficient and accurate resource scheduling. Automation features, including resource forecasting and smart scheduling, make resource allocation more precise and reduce manual efforts. Resource optimisation is at the core of Fluid's capabilities, with what-if scenarios and capacity planning tools that enable data-driven decisions to enhance project success and overall efficiency. 

Smartsheet  

Smartsheet offers an array of robust resource management capabilities that provides efficient resource allocation and optimisation.  

Resource allocation and assignment:  

Smartsheet offers a detailed resource allocation system. You can assign specific tasks, sub-tasks, or activities to individual team members, clearly defining who is responsible for what. This detail ensures that work is evenly distributed among your team members, avoiding resource overallocation or underutilisation.  

Resource planning and scheduling:  

The Gantt chart view offered is helpful for resource planning and scheduling. With this visual display, you can see resource allocation over time. This allows users to identify when team members are booked and when they are available.  

Resource workflows:  

Smartsheet allows you to create custom workflows tailored to your organisation's specific resource management processes. You can define workflows for resource allocation, approval processes, and notifications.  

Interactive dashboards:  

The dashboards provide real-time insights into your resource allocation and utilisation. You can create custom dashboards that showcase the allocation of resources across multiple projects and teams.   

Customisation:  

You can tailor resource allocation templates and workflows to suit your organisation's needs. This adaptability makes Smartsheet beneficial for a wide range of industries, from marketing to software development. 

Resource reporting:  

Smartsheet offers a comprehensive set of reporting features for resource management. You can generate custom reports to analyse resource usage and allocation patterns. This data can be used for identifying resource bottlenecks, resolving conflicts, and optimising allocation.  

Resource workflows:  

Smartsheet allows you to build automated workflows that guide the allocation of resources. For example, you can set up a workflow where resource allocation requests are automatically routed to a project manager for approval.  

Smartsheet's resource management capabilities offer a comprehensive solution for planning, allocating, and optimising resources. It’s a versatile tool for organisations seeking efficient resource management across various projects and portfolios.  

Pricing plans: Smartsheet vs Fluid 

It’s always helpful for your chosen resource management software to be able to provide overall slick project portfolio management capabilities. This means you can avoid having multiple software solutions to effectively manage your projects. But we all know that the price matters too! Let’s take a brief look at the pricing plans available for Smartsheet and Fluid.  

Smartsheet pricing plans  

Fluid pricing plans  

Who to choose for resource management: Smartsheet vs Fluid  

Selecting the right resource management software is crucial for organisational success. So how can organisations make the right choice between Smartsheet and Fluid? We’ve got you covered with three steps you can take to find the right solution for your organisation.  

1. Define your needs and objectives: 

The first step in choosing the right resource management software is to clearly define your organisation's needs and objectives. This includes understanding your project requirements, resource allocation challenges, and long-term goals. Consider the following:  

• Project complexity: Evaluate the complexity of your projects. Are you managing a diverse portfolio of projects with varying resource requirements? Ensure that the software you choose can handle your project diversity. 
• Resource scalability: Consider your organisation's size and growth prospects. Can the software accommodate an increase in projects and resources as your business expands? 
• Resource visibility: Assess how much visibility you need into your resource allocation processes. Do you require real-time resource tracking, workload visibility, and forecasting? ‍
• Integration needs: Determine the software's compatibility with your existing tools, such as communication apps, document management systems, or CRM software. 

2. Evaluate features and functionality: 

The next step is to evaluate the features and functionality of platforms. Consider the following: 

• Resource scheduling: Compare the resource scheduling capabilities of both platforms. Look for features like Gantt charts, drag-and-drop functionality, customisable calendars, and real-time resource tracking. Determine which software aligns better with your resource scheduling requirements. 
• Resource allocation: Examine how both platforms handle resource allocation. Assess the flexibility of role-based assignments, resource availability management, and the ability to prevent over-allocations or under-allocations. 
• Resource management automation: Evaluate the automation features. Look for resource forecasting, smart scheduling, and automated resource rebalancing capabilities. 
• Resource optimisation: Assess how both Smartsheet and Fluid support resource optimisation. Features like what-if scenario simulation, capacity planning, and project forecasting can make a significant difference in resource management effectiveness. 

3. Seek user feedback and vendor support: 

Gather feedback from potential end-users within your organisation to understand their preferences and needs. Additionally, investigate the support provided by both Smartsheet and Fluid. Factors to consider include:  

• Customer support: Evaluate the quality and responsiveness of customer support services. Ensure that you have access to reliable technical support and assistance. 
• Training and resources: Investigate the availability of training resources, user guides, and online materials to help your team learn and make the most of the software. 

By following these steps, you can make an informed decision and choose the resource management software that best aligns with your organisation's specific needs and objectives.