Using Resource Optimizer

You can use Resource Optimizer to hold and assign resources to resource requests. To hold resources, ensure one or more resources have been selected after selecting Match Resources, and click Hold Selected. Resources that are held are removed from the Resource Requests grid.

In the Resource Requests grid, you can group resource requests by specific fields and sort them in either ascending or descending order based on the values of those fields. You can arrange these values further by right-clicking the field name and selecting from the multi sort options. You can also use the search box on the toolbar to refine the values in the Resource Requests grid. To navigate to related records in a new tab, click the value in the field column.

Supported Environment

We recommend running Resource Optimizer on Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (Chromium). Performance might be degraded if you use a browser we have not recommended.

The Project lookup field respects sharing rules. For more information, see Sharing a Project.

The Resource Optimizer Lightning App page respects Salesforce sharing rules. There might be additional resource request records on a project that you cannot view as you do not have permission to view. For example, you might not be able to view resource requests outside your region, and therefore you cannot optimize these records.

You can match resources to resource requests on an opportunity record. You cannot assign selected resource requests to resources on an opportunity record.

Note:

You need the PSA - Match and Assign Resources with Optimizer permission set to view the Resource Optimizer page, and the Staffing permission control to assign resources who are matched to resource requests.

Matching Resources to Resource Request Conditions

The following conditions apply when matching resources to resource requests.

• You can match resources to resource requests on an opportunity record.
• You cannot assign selected resource requests to resources on an opportunity record.
• You cannot match resources to resource requests that are not linked to a project.

Priority and Weightings

The priority order and weightings sections are accessed from the settings menu indicated by in the Resource Optimizer. The Priority section allows you to decide the order in which Resource Optimizer matches resources to your resource requests, by the fields and skills.

To amend the priority order in Resource Optimizer:

1. Click on the Resource Optimizer Panel.
2. Amend the priority order by dragging and dropping Fields or Skills.

Click Apply to save your priority order.

Note:

Availability is not listed as one of the priorities. This is because Resource Optimizer has a sophisticated availability feature which is always applied by default. The Resource Optimizer has detailed knowledge of each resource’s calendar and the variations in their workload over the period being considered.

Weightings allow you to decide how strictly Resource Optimizer matches resources to your resource requests, based on the individual weightings of your matching criteria. The weightings range on a scale from suggested to essential.

The matching criteria are comprised of the:

• Role
• Region
• Practice
• Group

Customizing the weighting given to each area allows for personalized matches. For example, if it is essential that your matched resource is located within the USA, you can adjust the Region weighting by selecting 4 (Essential) on the weightings scale, providing the region is set to USA on your resource request.

To customize the weightings of your matching criteria:

1. Click on the Resource Optimizer Panel.
2. Amend the weightings scale displayed underneath each area. The scale ranges from 1 (Suggested) to 4 (Essential.)
3. Click Match Resources.
4. Your matched resources are now updated for your resource requests to reflect the weightings.
5. To reset the weightings, click Reset.
6. Click Assign Selected to assign the updated matched resources to your resource requests.

Notes:

• To use weightings you must have the relevant custom settings assigned.

• The default value of the weightings will differ depending on how your org has been configured.

• For more information about custom settings, see the Intelligent Staffing Controls section of Intelligent Staffing for a Resource Request. Additionally, contact your administrator for more information.

Viewing a Resource's Schedule

To view details of a matched resource's schedule from the Resource Requests grid:

1. Click any resource request displayed in the Resource Request column of the Resource Request table.
2. In Resource Request Actions, click View Schedule.
3. The resource's schedule is displayed.

The default view is Weeks, however, if you amend your view to days or months, this will be reflected the next time you open the Resource Schedule. The view will also be centered on the proposed start date of the selected resource request.

If required, the resource's schedule can also be displayed using the following options:

• Days
• Months
• Quarters
• Years

You can view six months of the selected resource’s schedule either side of the start and end dates of the proposed work. Click the Recenter button to return to the selected resource request’s start date.

You can view multiple resource requests in the Resource Schedule modal. The view is centered on the resource requested selected in the resource request table, when viewing multiple resource requests.

Notes:

• The Resource Schedule modal can allow you to view dates beyond six months either side of the start and end dates of the selected resource request. However the current schedule data, or other resource requests, will not be loaded beyond six months.
• You cannot match resources to resource requests that span more than four years.

You can view the proposed work above the suggested resource’s schedule. This provides visibility for how the proposed work will fit into the schedule of the selected resource.

Notes:

This Resource Schedule modal is separate from the Resource Schedule component available to add to your Resource Request page, and is contained within the Resource Optimizer page.

Events on the schedule do not have any hover text available.

Resource Optimizer Filters

By default, you can filter the displayed resources using the following fields:

• Start Date
• Project
• Opportunity
• Region
• Practice
• Group

• Resource Role

  Notes:

  The Resource Role filter field's values are determined by the values of the Resource Role picklist on the Resource Request object.

Your administrator can add additional fields to the filter. For more information, see Resource Optimizer Lightning Component Properties.

Filter Behavior

You can display resource requests shared between a project and an opportunity, by specifying a project in the Project field, and an opportunity in the Opportunity field.

It is also possible to filter resource requests based on region, by specifying a region in the Region field. This filter functions as an AND filter, meaning it will display results that match all of your entered criteria, if you have specified a project and opportunity, role, practice and group additionally.

For all the lookup fields, you can also click Show All Results for “ ”. The search lookup window opens with the searched string populated in the Search field and displays all related items in the grid.

Select the item from the grid that you want and click Select. The selected item is then displayed in the lookup field. For more information, see Using Advanced Lookup.

Note:

If Shield Platform Encryption is enabled in your org, the records in the Resource, Account, and Opportunity search lookup window are filtered using only the Name field in the grid.

Notes:

• You need Read access to the Region Permissions to be able to view and use the region filter.
• You will also need the following field and object permissions to view and use the role, practice and group filters:
  • Object permission Practice__c / Grp__c
  • Field permission Resource_Request__c.Practice__c
  • Field permissionResource_Request__c.Group__c).
  • Field permission Resource_Request__c.Resource_Role__c field permission.

Tip:

To include all resources that have a start date in the future, leave the To field blank in the Start Dates section.

To display resource requests common to your selected project, opportunity, and region, click Apply. To clear your selected filter values, click Clear. To remove a source project or opportunity, click Reset.

Matching Resources to Resource Requests

To match resources to resource requests:

1. Do one of the following:

   • Navigate to the Resource Optimizer page.
   • From a project or opportunity record, click Actions | Resource Requests | Optimize Resources for Requests. The project or opportunity is pre-populated in the corresponding lookup field in the Filters panel.
2. [Optional] Click to open the Filters panel and enter the criteria you want to filter by. The From date in the Start Date section is today's date by default. You can change this to a date in the future.
3. [Optional] Click to close the Filters panel.

4. Do one of the following in the Resource Requests grid:

   • Select all records. You can select a maximum of 200 resource requests to match against resources.
   • Deselect the records you do not want to match.

5. Click Match Resources. Note that you cannot assign a resource to a resource request unless the resource request is linked to a project. If any of your selected resource requests are not linked to a project, you are presented with the option of assigning those that meet this precondition. The resource matching process starts:

   • The Matched Resource column is populated in the grid with a list of resources. Each individual resource is matched against a corresponding resource request in the grid. These are the resources deemed the best match for each resource request.
   • The Days Overrun column might also be populated in the grid. This value is the calendar days overrun beyond the request end date for the resource request.
6. Click Assign Selected to assign the matched resources to resource requests. Resources are only matched to resource requests linked with projects.
7. [Optional] Click the name of a matched resource to enable the Resource Details icon . Click to view the resource details. For more information, see Contact Card Lightning Component Fields. Dates for the resource's availability are driven by the dates of the resource request they are matched against. Click to close the Resource Details.
8. [Optional] Select or deselect resource requests in the Resource Requests grid and click Match Resources again. You might see some new results where alternative resources are matched against the selected resource requests in the grid.
9. Click Assign Selected. If you have selected resource requests for assigning that are not associated with a project, these are not assigned to resources. You are notified if you have selected any resource requests that do not meet this condition.

10. Click Assign or Cancel.

    • The selected resource requests are assigned to matched resources and are removed from the Resource Requests grid.
      
    • A maximum of 200 assignments are created. If too many resource requests are selected, you might need to deselect some and click Assign Selected again. For more information, see Assign Selected.

To view the record of the resource request, click the resource request ID in the Resource Request.

If required, you can view details of suggested and matched resources' eligibility criteria. This enables you to determine whether a resource is a whole or partial match for a resource request, based on their credentials and skills. To do this, perform one of the following actions:

• Hover over a suggested or matched resource.
• Click to view details of their matched criteria.

You can view whether a resource is successfully matched for the following credentials:

• Resource Role
• Region
• Group
• Practice

You can also view whether a resource is successfully matched based on skills, if required skills were included in the resource request.

Warning:

If the Region, Practice, and Group have not been allocated on your resource request, matching will fail.

Matching Process

The Matched Resource column is populated in the Resource Requests grid with a list of resources. Each individual resource is matched against a corresponding resource request in the grid. Each resource listed in this column is considered to be the best match for the corresponding resource request.

If your administrator has selected Enable Desirable Skills in the Skills Management custom setting when creating the resource request, you can see the list of matched and unmatched essential and desirable skills in the Requested Skills section on clicking .

In the Requested Skills section:

• Essential and Desirable skills that match are displayed first and are indicated by .
• Essential and Desirable skills that do not match are displayed below and are indicated by .
• The Resource Must Match field indicates whether the resource should match with all or any of the Essential skills outlined in the resource request.

The best match is decided by scoring and filtering. The scoring and filtering can be affected by duplicate skill requests and skill ratings. For more information, see Intelligent Staffing for a Resource Request.

Note:

• If Resource Optimizer is unable to match resources to resource requests, the Match column remains blank. This can happen when the availability of the resources is limited, or when no resources match the criteria of the resource request.

Exploring Matched and Suggested Resources

By hovering over a matched resource in the Matched Resource column, you can view whether the selected resource has the necessary credentials and skills outlined in the resource request. You can also view whether the resource request specified that the resource should match with all or any of the Essential skills. Note if skills were not included in the resource request, they will not appear in this section.

Credentials are displayed first. Matching criteria are displayed at the top and are indicated by .

Non-matching criteria are displayed below and are indicated by .

Skills are displayed underneath. Skills that match the required minimum rating are displayed at the top and are indicated by .

Skills that do not match the required minimum rating are displayed below and indicated by .

If no required criteria for matching are set on the resource request, then no criteria are displayed when hovering over a matched resource. A message is displayed confirming that no criteria have been matched successfully.

You can also view the profile picture of the resources who have added one to their contact in both the columns.

Note:

You can click on a suggested resource in the Suggested Resource column to open the Resource Details panel, which provides you with additional details. You can hover over the names of both Suggested Resources and Matched Resources to view the relevant information.

Resource Details

On clicking , you can view whether the selected resource has the necessary credentials and skills outlined in the resource request.

Under the Credentials or Requested Skills headings, successfully matched criteria are displayed at the top of the list of criteria and are indicated by .

Non-matched criteria are displayed at the bottom of the list of criteria by .

Skills and certifications that the resource has recorded as certified are indicated by .

Skills and certifications marked as aspirational for the resource are displayed and indicated by .

Notes:

Matched or non-matched criteria might not be displayed if you do not have the following:

• PSA - Match and Assign Resources with Optimizer permission set.
• Resource Optimizer takes the expiration date of skills into account. If a resource's skill is expired, it is displayed as a non-
  match as indicated by .

Optimization Summary

The Optimization Summary displays summary cards for Resource Optimizer. These summary cards correspond to the Resource Optimizer runs, reflecting the results for the selected group of Resource Requests.

The Optimization Summary consists of the following summary cards:

• Requests Matched: Number of requests successfully matched with a resource.
• Unique Resources: Number of unique resources across the whole Resource Optimization run.
• Requests with Overrun: Number of requests with the matched resource that run over the end date.

By default, the Optimization Summary is blank. To view the optimization summary:

1. Select the resource requests from the Resource Requests grid to run optimization for.
2. Click Match Resources. The summary cards show the results.

Thresholds and Color Coding

The summary cards are initially displayed with a gray line on the left hand side. However, these highlight lines on the side of the summary cards change according to value thresholds.

• For Requests Matched
  • Green: If the percentage of the requests matched is 90% or more.
  • Orange: If the percentage of requests matched is between 50% and 90%.
  • Red: If the percentage of requests matched is less than 50%.
• For Unique Resources
  • The summary card for Unique Resources will always be displayed in gray.
• For Requests with Overrun
  • Green: If the number of requests with overrun is 0.
  • Orange: If the number of requests with overrun is between 1-4.
  • Red: If the number of requests with overrun is 5 or more.