Choosing the right resource management software can make the difference between profitable projects and constant firefighting.
As professional services teams grow, spreadsheets and disconnected project tools make it difficult to answer critical questions:
- Do we have the capacity for new projects?
- Which teams are overbooked?
- Are we maximising billable utilisation?
Resource management software solves these challenges by helping teams plan capacity, schedule work, allocate resources effectively, forecast demand, and track utilisation across projects.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to choose the right platform and review some of the best resource management tools available today. We’ll also show how modern platforms like Forecast combine AI-driven forecasting, project management, and financial insights to help professional services teams plan resources more effectively.
What is Resource Management Software?
Resource management software helps organisations plan, allocate, and optimise the people, time, and skills required to deliver projects. Many modern resource management platforms now combine project management, resource forecasting, and financial visibility in a single professional services automation (PSA) platform.
Instead of managing staffing manually in spreadsheets, these platforms provide a centralised view of team capacity, project demand, and utilisation.
Typical capabilities include:
- Resource scheduling
- Capacity planning
- Workload balancing
- Skills matching
- Utilisation tracking
- Resource forecasting
- Project profitability insights
Consulting firms, agencies, IT services companies, and other project-based and professional services organisations widely use these tools.
"Forecast [resource management software] has given us the opportunity to get a little better in everything that we do. This combined improvement results in a great added value. We are now more efficient in staffing and have a stable utilisation rate, which was not possible before." Rabie Sukkar, Fluxym - France
When Do Teams Need Resource Planning and Resource Allocation Software?
Many organisations adopt resource planning software when spreadsheets and project tools stop scaling. As organisations grow, managing resources manually becomes increasingly difficult. Many companies adopt resource allocation software to ensure the right people are assigned to the right projects at the right time. At the same time, resource forecasting tools help teams anticipate future demand, plan hiring needs, and avoid capacity shortages before they affect project delivery.
Common signs your organisation would benefit from resource allocation software include:
- Teams are frequently overbooked or underutilised
- Managers struggle to forecast capacity for new work
- Staffing decisions are made without visibility into workloads
- Project delays occur due to resource conflicts
- Leadership lacks insight into utilisation and profitability
Resource planning software addresses these challenges by providing teams with a real-time view of availability and demand across projects. Many organisations also adopt these platforms to improve resource allocation and introduce more accurate resource forecasting.
“Forecast replaces fragmented spreadsheets for project, capacity, and time tracking with one real‑time view that flags over/under‑allocation early and auto‑builds schedules. The benefits are higher utilisation without burnout, more accurate estimates and margins, faster staffing decisions, and fewer last‑minute delays thanks to better predictability of delivery and budgets. Additionally, its AI‑driven resource planning and capacity forecasting give clear, real‑time visibility that keeps projects on time and on budget. “ - Forecast Customer Review, United Kingdom
Key Features to Look for in Resource Allocation Software
Not all resource planning software offers the same capabilities. The most effective solutions combine planning, forecasting, and reporting in a single system.
When evaluating tools, look for:
- Capacity planning: Visualise team availability and plan projects based on real capacity.
- Resource allocation: Assign the right people to the right work based on skills, availability, and project priorities.
- Utilisation tracking: Monitor billable vs non-billable time to improve profitability.
- Resource forecasting: Predict future resource demand, hiring needs, and staffing requirements.
- Project visibility: See how resource decisions impact delivery timelines.
- Financial insights: Track project margins and resource costs.
- Intelligent resourcing: AI-assisted resourcing recommendations based on skills, availability, and workload.
Modern resource management software should integrate resource allocation, project management, and financial performance to provide organisations with a complete operational view and include built-in AI capabilities.
Comparison of the Best Resource Management Software Options
The options below range from lightweight scheduling tools to full professional services automation platforms. The best choice depends on how deeply you need to plan resources, manage projects, and track financial performance.
Forecast
Forecast is a professional services automation platform designed to help consulting firms, agencies, and project-based organisations manage resources, projects, and finances in one place.
What differentiates Forecast is its AI-driven resource forecasting capability, which helps teams predict future capacity needs and optimise staffing decisions across projects.
Key capabilities include:
- AI-powered resource forecasting
- Dynamic resourcing placeholders for anticipated future work
- Capacity planning and scheduling
- Project management and collaboration
- Utilisation tracking
- Financial and profitability insights
Forecast, with a powerful AI engine, is particularly well-suited for professional services organisations seeking to combine resource management, project delivery, and financial visibility. See how Forecast helps teams plan resources more accurately—request a demo.
Accelo
Accelo is a professional services automation (PSA) platform designed to help professional services organisations manage client work from sales through project delivery and billing. The platform combines CRM, project management, time tracking, resource scheduling, and invoicing, allowing teams to manage the full client lifecycle in a single system.
Many agencies and professional services teams appreciate Accelo’s ability to centralise client communication, project tracking, and billing workflows. Its automation features can also help teams reduce manual administrative work and improve visibility into ongoing client engagements.
However, organisations seeking deeper resource forecasting or advanced capacity planning may find that Accelo’s resource management tools are more focused on scheduling and operational coordination than on long-term forecasting and predictive planning. Organisations that need deeper resource forecasting or predictive planning often turn to Accelo’s sister platform, Forecast.
Kantata (formerly Mavenlink)
Kantata is an enterprise-focused professional services automation platform designed for organisations that need advanced project management, resource planning, and financial oversight. Many larger services firms appreciate its depth of functionality and ability to support complex operational workflows. However, its extensive feature set can make the platform more complex to implement and manage compared with more streamlined resource management tools.
Scoro
Scoro is a business management platform that combines project management, CRM, quoting, billing, and reporting in one system. Users often value the ability to manage multiple operational processes from a single platform rather than switching between tools. At the same time, teams looking specifically for advanced resource planning or forecasting capabilities may find that other platforms offer more specialised functionality in those areas.
Float
Float is a resource scheduling tool designed to help teams plan workloads using a simple visual interface. Users appreciate its drag-and-drop scheduling and the ability to quickly adjust resource assignments as project needs change. Because it focuses primarily on scheduling, teams that need deeper project management, forecasting, or financial tracking often supplement Float with additional tools.
Resource Guru
Resource Guru is a lightweight scheduling tool that helps teams manage availability, avoid conflicts, and assign resources to projects. Its simplicity and ease of use make it popular with smaller teams that want quick visibility into who is working on what. However, organisations with more complex project planning or forecasting needs may eventually require a more comprehensive resource management platform.
BigTime
BigTime is a professional services platform focused on time tracking, project budgeting, and billing. Many consulting and accounting firms appreciate its financial tracking and invoicing capabilities, which help teams monitor project profitability. However, companies seeking more advanced resource forecasting or capacity planning features may find that other platforms offer deeper planning tools.
Runn
Runn is a resource management platform focused on capacity planning and forecasting. Teams often use it to model staffing scenarios, plan future workloads, and visualise resource demand across projects. While it provides strong planning capabilities, organisations that want integrated project management or broader professional services automation may need additional tools alongside it.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a flexible work management platform that allows teams to organise projects, automate workflows, and collaborate across departments. Its spreadsheet-like interface makes it easy for teams to build customised workflows and dashboards. However, because it is a general work management platform, resource planning capabilities typically require additional configuration or templates.
How to Choose the Right Resource Management Software
The best solution depends on your organisation’s needs and level of operational complexity.
Ask these questions when evaluating platforms:
Do you only need scheduling, or full project visibility?
Some tools focus solely on scheduling, while others combine resource planning, project management, and financial tracking.
Do you need resource forecasting capabilities?
Resource forecasting and scenario modeling help organisations predict future capacity needs and plan hiring or project pipelines.
How complex are your projects?
Professional services organisations often benefit from platforms that integrate resource planning with delivery and profitability tracking.
How large is your team?
Smaller teams may prefer lightweight scheduling tools, while growing companies often require more robust planning and forecasting capabilities.
When Forecast is the Best Resource Management Software Solution
Forecast is particularly well-suited for organisations that need more than basic scheduling.
It is a strong fit for:
- Consulting firms managing multiple client projects
- Agencies balancing creative resources across a vast client portfolio
- IT services organisations delivering complex projects
- Growing professional services teams seeking to improve utilisation, margins, and overall profitability
Teams that want a unified platform for resource allocation, resource forecasting, project delivery, and financial insights often benefit most from Forecast’s approach. See how Forecast helps teams plan resource allocation more accurately; request a demo.
FAQ: Resource Management Software
What is the best resource management software?
The best resource management software depends on your organisation's needs. Some tools focus primarily on scheduling and availability management, while others combine resource planning with project management, forecasting, and financial tracking. Professional services teams often benefit from platforms like Forecast PSA, which provide a complete view of resources, project delivery, and profitability in a single system.
What is the difference between resource planning and resource scheduling?
Resource scheduling focuses on assigning people to specific tasks or projects based on availability. Resource planning is broader and includes forecasting demand, balancing workloads, and ensuring teams have the right capacity to meet future project needs. Many modern resource management platforms combine both capabilities to provide better visibility into staffing and project delivery.
What is resource allocation software?
Resource allocation software helps organisations assign the right people, skills, and time to projects based on availability and priorities. These tools provide visibility into team workloads and project requirements, allowing managers to balance resources across multiple initiatives and avoid overbooking or underutilisation. Forecast PSA leverages AI to recommend the best resources based on skills, availability, workload, project needs, and past performance, quickly assigning the right resource and ensuring project success.
What is resource forecasting?
Resource forecasting is the process of predicting future staffing needs based on upcoming projects, sales pipelines, and current capacity. Forecasting helps organisations plan hiring, allocate resources more effectively, and avoid delivery delays caused by resource shortages. Many modern resource management platforms, such as Forecast PSA, include forecasting tools and dynamic placeholders to help teams plan for anticipated work.
This blog was originally published on 2/7/2025 and was updated on 3/13/26 for accuracy and relevancy.
