Learn how to submit a resource request, follow it through review and approval, and understand how resources are ultimately assigned. This guide highlights key roles, statuses and notifications so you can easily track progress and ensure the right resources are allocated at the right time.
💡In this guide, “Project Manager,” “Resource Manager,” and “Hiring Manager” refer to a designated individual within your organization. Your organization must designate this person.
Check out this article here to learn more about adding Users to your Runn account.
What are resourcing requests?
Using placeholders, resourcing requests allow you to stay on top of your resourcing processes and ensure that all stakeholders are informed every step of the way.
This feature supports the communications between Project Managers, Resource Managers and Hiring Managers, streamlining the process of making resourcing decisions.
➡️ Project Managers: Setting placeholders as resourcing requests
With the resourcing request feature, Project Managers can:
Specify the skills and the work schedule required
Suggest people you think would be suitable for the job
Set the placeholder as a resourcing request so the resourcing team can be aware of your project needs
Exchange comments with other stakeholders regarding the requests
1. Create Placeholder2. Click into Request
3. Select Request or Propose to Hire
3. Add any relevant notes or comments
Example:
⭐️ Click HERE for a more detailed guide about how Project Managers use resourcing requests.
You can restrict Project Managers to raising resource requests only, preventing them from directly adding named resources to their projects. Refer to this help article to learn about the permission settings.
➡️ Resource Managers: Review all Raised resource requests at a glance
As a Resource Manager, you may receive a lot of resource requests daily and need to liaise with each of the requesters to discuss their resourcing needs.
With the resourcing request feature, Resource Managers can:
⭐️ Click HERE to learn more about how Resource Managers use resourcing requests.
➡️ Hiring Managers: Review all Hiring proposals at a glance
Similar to Resourcing Managers, Hiring Managers can also easily:
Filter for a list of positions that are proposed to hire
Respond to the hiring request
⭐️ Click HERE to learn more about how Hiring Managers use resourcing requests.
🚀 Staying on top of the latest status of the Request
The different status of the Resource Request is represented by various icons.
The statuses are:
Request Raised → Request Responded → Hire Proposed
✋ Request Raised (yellow right-pointing arrow icon)
When someone needs the placeholder to be filled and the work transferred to a real person, they will set the status as Request Raised:
👋 Request Responded (yellow left-pointing arrow icon)
If someone has responded to the request, the status will become Request Responder:
👍 Hire Proposed (yellow flag icon)
If someone decides that a new hire is needed for this job, they can set the request status as Hire Proposed:
🚫 No Request (default status)
If no one has made a resourcing request for the placeholder, the default status is No Request (no icon):
All placeholders have a No Request status by default. When a request is cancelled, it will be set to No Request Status.
📝 Adding and tracking comments
You can use the Notes section to add any relevant comments on the resourcing decision. Available notes can be reviewed by hovering over the yellow status icon.
🚨All notes/comments are visible to any user with access to the Planner in Runn.
📈 Reporting
Project Totals
All placeholders with future hours scheduled, regardless of their status, will be included in project totals.
When a placeholder's status changes, the cost, charge and workload for that project are assumed to remain unchanged. This is because placeholders take the cost and charge from the role's default rate and cost.
Business Costs (or business capacity)
As placeholders are only attached to projects, they do not add to Business Costs (or overall business capacity), regardless of their status. The business cost for all placeholders is $0.
The total business costs will only increase when you hire a new person to do the placeholder work and create a contract for them. In this case, the added business cost will come from the new person's contract.
💫 How to Use Resourcing Requests – Example
Project Manager:
The Project Manager has planned a project in Runn but doesn’t have a designer assigned. They click “Request Designer” on the designer placeholder and leave a comment with details about the type of person they need.
Resource Manager:
The Resource Manager filters the planner using the “Request Raised” filter. They can:Click “Transfer” to assign an existing person to do the work.
If no suitable person is available, click “Propose to Hire”.
Alternatively, click “Respond to Request” to leave a comment for the Project Manager about adjusting the schedule, project scope or changing requirements.
Hiring Manager:
The Hiring Manager filters the planner by the “Hire Proposed” filter. They review the comments from the Project Manager and/or Resource Manager and begin the hiring process.
If more information is needed, they can click “Respond to Request” to ask questions. Once the new hire is onboarded into Runn, they add the person to the project and inform the Resource Manager to transfer the placeholder work to the new hire.
Example Workflow: