A comparison of resource planning software: 12 selection criteria

The right resource planning software should not be chosen solely on the basis of its range of functions or price. The decisive factor is how well a solution fits in with the actual planning processes, the existing systems and the users’ requirements.

This decision-making guide sets out twelve criteria that companies can use to systematically compare resource planning software. It helps to identify when a simple solution is sufficient, when specialised planning software becomes necessary, and which questions should be clarified before making a decision.

What should resource planning software be capable of?

Resource planning means different things depending on the company. Whilst one organisation may mainly plan staff and their availability, other companies need to coordinate machinery, vehicles, premises, projects, orders or external service providers at the same time.

That is why there is no single resource planning software that is equally suitable for every business. Making a sensible choice starts with your own processes, rather than with the longest possible list of features.

Before comparing different solutions, companies should first clarify:

• Which resources should be scheduled?
• How many people are involved in the planning process?
• How often do appointments, orders and capacities change?
• What information needs to be visible during the planning process?
• Which existing systems provide data?
• Which results need to be returned to other systems?

1. Which resources need to be planned?

The most important selection criterion is the type of resources. Software designed purely for staff deployment planning has different requirements to a solution used to plan staff, machinery, vehicles and orders together.

Typical resources include, for example:

• Staff and Teams
• Machinery and plant
• Vehicles
• Tools and equipment
• Rooms and workstations
• Projects and contracts
• Service calls
• external service providers

The more varied the resources are, the more important a flexible data structure becomes. Companies should check whether their own resource types, properties and planning rules can be mapped.

2. How complex is day-to-day planning?

For simple planning tasks, Excel, a calendar or shared spreadsheets may be sufficient. This is particularly true when only a few resources need to be planned and changes are rare.

Specialised resource planning software becomes more useful when several planners are working simultaneously, dependencies need to be taken into account, or deadlines and capacities change frequently.

A simple solution may be sufficient if:

• only a few resources are managed,
• one person is responsible for planning,
• there are hardly any last-minute changes,
• no automated interfaces are required,
• Planning conflicts can be identified manually.

A specialised solution makes more sense when:

• where many resources can be planned simultaneously,
• schedule several people,
• Orders are frequently rescheduled,
• Capacity bottlenecks must be identified quickly,
• There are dependencies between resources,
• Data from ERP, CRM or other systems is required.

3. How clear is the graphical planning?

Resource planning must not only store data, but also highlight interrelationships. This is why graphical representation is an essential selection criterion, particularly when there are many concurrent processes.

Companies should check whether users can immediately recognise, for example, on a planning board:

• which resources are available or already fully utilised,
• which orders are running in parallel,
• where scheduling conflicts arise,
• which tasks can be rescheduled,
• which resources are allocated to a job.

Colours, symbols and different views can help users find their way around. However, it is crucial that the display remains clear even when there is a large number of resources.

4. How flexible is the software in terms of customisation?

Planning processes vary considerably from one company to another. A rigid, one-size-fits-all solution can therefore quickly reach its limits.

When comparing options, it should be assessed which adjustments can be made without the need for bespoke software development.

Relevant points include, amongst others:

• custom fields and data structures,
• custom views,
• Filters and groupings,
• Colour coding and status indicators,
• Planning rules,
• User roles and permissions,
• Workflows and approvals.

The more specialised the operational processes are, the more important this flexibility becomes.

5. Which interfaces are required?

In many companies, resource planning is not an isolated process. Orders, customers, staff or machine data are already available in other applications.

Typical integrated systems include:

• ERP systems,
• PPS systems,
• CRM systems,
• Time and attendance,
• HR software,
• Service management systems,
• Project management software,
• Business intelligence applications.

Before making a selection, it is therefore important to define which system takes precedence for which data.

One important question, for example, is: Is a job created in the resource planning system or imported from the ERP system?

The reverse process is equally important. Do planning data, deadlines or status information subsequently need to be transferred back to other systems?

If an ERP or PPS system is already in place, it should also be checked whether, whether its planning functions are sufficient or whether an additional digital planning board would be useful.

6. How are capacities and availability taken into account?

A simple schedule overview is often not enough for proper resource planning. Companies should check whether the software can take actual capacities and availability into account.

This may include:

• Working hours,
• Shift models,
• Holidays and absences,
• Machine running times,
• Maintenance periods,
• varying utilisation rates,
• Staff qualifications,
• Locations or areas of operation.

Particularly when resources are scarce, the quality of capacity planning can have a greater impact on the benefits than the sheer number of available functions.

7. How are planning conflicts identified?

As the number of resources and orders increases, so does the risk of double bookings and conflicting schedules.

Resource planning software should therefore make it clear when, for example:

• a resource is assigned to several jobs at the same time,
• if a required resource is unavailable,
• if capacity limits are exceeded,
• Appointments are interdependent,
• The necessary qualifications are missing.

The extent to which such checks need to be automated depends on the specific area of application. Not every company requires a complex set of rules.

8. How easy is it for planners and staff to use?

Powerful software is of little use if, in day-to-day operations, it is understood only by a handful of specialists.

That is why it is not enough simply to check the list of functions. What matters is how typical tasks are actually carried out.

During a product demonstration, for example, users should try out:

• to schedule a new order,
• to reschedule an appointment,
• to swap a resource,
• to recognise a conflict,
• to search for available capacity,
• To view information about a task.

Software should not only appeal to the project team that selects it, but above all to the staff who will later be using it on a daily basis.

9. Cloud, hosting or on-premises?

The desired type of business is also one of the fundamental selection criteria.

Depending on the provider and product, various models may be suitable:

• Cloud or Software as a Service,
• Hosting in an external data centre,
• Operation on the company’s own IT infrastructure.

Which option is suitable depends, amongst other things, on IT strategy, data protection requirements, existing infrastructure, integrations and internal guidelines.

Companies should therefore not wait until after selecting a product to check whether the desired operating mode is supported.

Companies should therefore not wait until after selecting a product to check whether the desired operating mode is supported. Our comparison Cloud, hosting or on-premises shows the differences between the three operating models in detail.

10. How much does it cost to set up?

Software licensing is only one part of the project. The actual effort often arises from adapting the software to business processes and integrating existing data.

Typical implementation tasks include:

• Include the requirements,
• Define planning processes,
• Set up data structures,
• Import resources,
• Create users and permissions,
• Configure interfaces,
• Customise views and rules,
• Train users,
• Carry out a trial run.

A simple, standard application can therefore be implemented more quickly than a highly integrated solution with bespoke processes.

When comparing different quotes, you should therefore not only ask about the licence price, but also about the expected project effort.

11. What are the total costs involved?

To make a realistic comparison, companies should consider the total costs. Otherwise, it is difficult to compare different pricing models with one another.

Possible cost components include:

• Licences or usage fees,
• Set-up and configuration,
• Consultancy,
• Interfaces,
• Data migration,
• Training,
• Hosting,
• Maintenance and support,
• future enhancements.

A more affordable standard solution may be more cost-effective for simple requirements. In the case of complex planning processes, however, additional automation, greater transparency and reduced manual effort may justify a higher implementation cost.

For a detailed quote, please find an overview here, What are the costs involved in implementing resource planning software?.

12. Can the solution grow with the business?

Today’s planning task should not be the only criterion. Companies should also take into account how requirements may evolve in the coming years.

For example, the following should be checked:

• Can additional users be added?
• Can further departments be integrated?
• Can new resource types be added?
• Are further interfaces possible?
• Can additional sites be integrated?
• Can processes be expanded at a later date?

At the same time, scalability should not be confused with unnecessary complexity. A company should not pay for or implement features that are unlikely to be needed.

An overview of the 12 selection criteria

When is Excel or a simple planning solution sufficient?

Not every company needs specialised resource planning software straight away.

Excel or simple calendar solutions can be useful when there are only a few resources to plan, just one person is responsible for scheduling, and there are hardly any dependencies or automated interfaces.

However, as complexity increases, additional manual steps are often required. Information has to be maintained multiple times, planning statuses can diverge and conflicts are only identified at a late stage.

The right time to make a change therefore depends less on the size of the company than on the complexity of the planning process.

If you are currently using Excel for planning, you can check this in more detail here, When Excel is sufficient and when it is worth switching to Visual Planning.

When is specialised resource planning software a good idea?

A specialised solution may be worthwhile when resource planning becomes a key operational process.

Typical signs of this include:

• frequent double bookings,
• a high level of manual coordination,
• several parallel planning lists,
• a lack of transparency regarding available capacity,
• frequent changes to appointments,
• many people involved in planning,
• Repeated transfer of data between different systems.

In these situations, it is worth considering whether a centralised planning system could simplify processes and provide information more consistently.

How would you categorise Visual Planning?

Visual Planning is a configurable software solution for graphical planning and resource management. It is particularly suitable for situations where different resources, deadlines and operational information need to be displayed and edited together.

This solution may be of interest, for example, if a company wishes to adapt its planning to its own processes, manage multiple resource types or exchange data with other business systems.

However, such flexibility is not required in every scenario. For very small or simple planning tasks, a spreadsheet, a calendar solution or an existing function within the ERP system may be sufficient.

Whether Visual Planning or another solution is suitable should therefore be assessed on the basis of the specific requirements and the twelve selection criteria mentioned.

What information should be clarified before selecting software?

The more precisely the requirements are defined prior to a product demonstration, the more meaningfully the software can be compared.

Good preparation should include at least the following:

• Number and type of resources to be scheduled,
• Number of planners and users,
• typical number of concurrent processes,
• existing data sources,
• required interfaces,
• key planning rules,
• necessary reports and analyses,
• preferred business structure,
• Requirements for roles and permissions.

With this information, a product presentation can be carried out using specific use cases, rather than simply demonstrating general functions.

A handy tip for comparing software

Where possible, ask different providers to demonstrate the same real-life planning scenario.

For example:

1. A new order has been accepted.
2. A suitable resource must be found.
3. An appointment is being scheduled.
4. A resource is unavailable at short notice.
5. The order needs to be rescheduled.
6. The change should be visible to all parties involved.

A test like this often demonstrates more quickly than a long list of features just how well a piece of software fits in with day-to-day working life.

Conclusion: The right resource planning software depends on the process

Resource planning software should not be chosen simply on the basis of which product offers the most features. The key factor is which solution supports your own planning processes with a reasonable amount of effort.

For simple requirements, Excel, a calendar or existing ERP functions may be perfectly adequate. However, if resource planning, capacity management and short-term rescheduling become increasingly complex, a specialised solution can offer significant advantages.

The twelve selection criteria help you to compare different solutions in a structured way and to identify at an early stage which requirements are actually crucial.

Frequently asked questions about choosing resource planning software

Which resource planning software is the best?

There is no single ‘best’ resource planning software. The most suitable solution depends on the resources to be planned, the number of users, the complexity of the processes, the required integrations and the desired level of implementation effort.

When is it worth switching from Excel to resource planning software?

A change may be advisable if several people are planning simultaneously, information is being maintained in multiple places, planning errors occur more frequently, or available capacity can only be determined with considerable effort.

Does resource planning software need an ERP interface?

Not essential. However, if order, customer or resource data is already maintained in the ERP system, an interface can prevent duplicate data entry. The key factor is which system should be the primary source for the relevant data.

How long does it take to implement resource planning software?

This depends very much on the scope of the project. A standardised solution with few users can be implemented much more quickly than a company-wide planning system involving bespoke processes, data migration and multiple interfaces.

What costs should be taken into account when comparing options?

In addition to licence or usage fees, costs for configuration, consultancy, interfaces, data migration, training, hosting, support and future enhancements should also be taken into account.

Is Visual Planning suitable for every business?

No. Visual Planning is particularly suitable for companies that require flexible, graphical resource planning and wish to tailor their planning processes to their specific needs. For very simple planning tasks, a less comprehensive solution may be sufficient.