Resource Planning Software
Rillsoft Cloud is the hosted operation mode of the Rillsoft Integration Server and brings multi-project resource planning for mid-sized industrial companies with 20 to 200 employees onto a shared platform with a German server location. The planning interface remains the Rillsoft Project desktop client; the central resource pool, employee master data, multi-user operation and cross-project matching of demand against availability run through the Rillsoft Integration Server operated by Rillsoft.
Unlike pure project planning, resource planning in Rillsoft Cloud does not answer the question “What and when?”, but “With which available people, qualifications and machines?”. It turns a wish-list schedule into a feasible plan.
Resource Management and Allocation
The heart of any resource planning software is resource management. Rillsoft Cloud enables companies to efficiently manage their internal and external resources. This includes personnel, equipment, materials, and budgets. By providing a comprehensive overview of available resources, companies can ensure that they approach projects with the right resources and avoid bottlenecks. The central resource pool on the Rillsoft Integration Server ensures that all projects draw from the same data base — double bookings and conflicts become visible across projects.
Resource allocation is a crucial step in project planning. It involves assigning available resources to projects. This requires a precise understanding of the skills and availabilities of personnel and the required resources for each project. In Rillsoft Cloud, demand is first expressed via roles and qualifications — the actual person assignment comes afterwards.
Project Planning and Scheduling
Project planning is the process of defining the goals, tasks, and milestones of a project. Rillsoft Cloud supports this process by allowing the creation of Gantt charts, network diagrams, and resource utilization views. These visual representations show the timeline of tasks and projects, making planning and monitoring easier.
Scheduling is another critical aspect. It involves determining when specific tasks need to be completed. Rillsoft Cloud assists in creating realistic schedules that take resource availability into account.
Task Management and Resource Allocation
Task management is closely related to project planning. It allows teams to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. Rillsoft Cloud provides a central platform for managing all tasks and assignments, enhancing team communication and collaboration.
Resource allocation is the process of assigning resources to specific tasks or projects. Rillsoft Cloud automates this process, considering factors like availability, skills, and priorities.
Workload and Project Resources
Workload is a critical factor to ensure that employees are not overwhelmed. Rillsoft Cloud helps monitor the workload of employees and ensures they are not overbooked — also when they are scheduled in several projects in parallel.
The management of project resources involves the procurement and management of all the necessary resources for a project, including personnel, materials, and budgets. Rillsoft Cloud enables efficient management and monitoring of these resources.
Skill Management and Project Time Tracking
Skill management is particularly important to ensure that the right employees are assigned to the right tasks. Rillsoft Cloud helps track the skills and qualifications of employees to ensure they are optimally utilized. This qualification base is also the foundation of capacity planning — who can fill which role, long before any specific person is assigned.
Project time tracking is an essential part of resource planning. It allows for accurate recording of working hours, which is essential for billing, cost control, and analysis.
Project Portfolio Management and Multi-Project Management
Project portfolio management involves the management of a portfolio of projects. Companies often have multiple projects running simultaneously, and Rillsoft Cloud offers a holistic view of all projects. This facilitates prioritization and resource allocation — especially in mid-sized industrial companies with 20 to 200 employees that run five to fifty projects in parallel.
Multi-project management allows the management of multiple projects simultaneously. Rillsoft Cloud supports the coordination and monitoring of all projects to ensure they align with the company’s objectives.
Resource Optimization and Budget Management
Resource optimization is a key element for efficiency. Rillsoft Cloud helps identify bottlenecks and reallocates resources to maximize performance.
Budget management is closely related to resource planning. Rillsoft Cloud enables the monitoring of budgets for individual projects and the entire portfolio. This helps ensure cost control and that projects stay within budget.
Reporting and Analysis, Real-time Dashboard
Rillsoft Cloud offers powerful analysis tools and reporting features. Companies can create custom reports to track key performance indicators and make informed decisions. The real-time dashboard provides a quick overview of the status of all projects and resources.
Project Collaboration and Cloud-Based Resource Planning
Project collaboration is critical for project success. Rillsoft Cloud allows seamless collaboration among teams, regardless of their location. This promotes efficiency and the quality of work.
Cloud-based resource planning with a German server location allows access to the platform from anywhere, without your company having to build or operate its own server infrastructure. This is particularly important for distributed teams and sites.
Conflict Management and Workflow Automation
Conflicts can arise in any project. Rillsoft Cloud helps detect and resolve conflicts early to avoid disruptions in project progress. Because all projects draw from the same resource pool on the Rillsoft Integration Server, conflicts between projects become visible automatically — not only when a deadline is already at risk.
Workflow automation enables the automation of routine tasks and processes, saving time and reducing human errors.
Integration with Other Tools and Team Communication
Integration with other tools such as MS Project and MS Excel is crucial for efficiency. Data can be exchanged seamlessly between different systems.
Team communication is another important aspect. Rillsoft Cloud typically offers integrated communication tools to promote team collaboration.
Risk Management and Agile Project Management
Risk management is important to prevent unexpected issues or respond appropriately to them. Rillsoft Cloud helps identify and assess risks.
Agile project management is a flexible approach that emphasizes quick adjustments and iterative development. Rillsoft Cloud can support agile processes and facilitate the implementation of agile methods.
In summary, Rillsoft Cloud offers a comprehensive solution for multi-project resource planning — specifically designed for mid-sized industrial companies with 20 to 200 employees in the DACH region that need to plan their resources reliably across multiple projects.
Operation modes: Rillsoft Project, Rillsoft Integration Server and Rillsoft Cloud
Rillsoft’s resource planning works through three components designed to work together:
- Rillsoft Project (desktop client) – the central planning interface for project leads and resource planners. This is where activities, roles, qualifications and efforts are entered and resource utilisation is analysed.
- Rillsoft Integration Server – the central platform component for the shared resource pool, employee master data, multi-user operation and cross-project demand matching. Suitable for companies that want to run the server in their own infrastructure.
- Rillsoft Cloud – the hosted operation mode of the Integration Server with a German server location, operated by Rillsoft. Suitable for mid-sized industrial companies with 20 to 200 employees that do not want to run their own server infrastructure and are looking for a fast entry point into multi-tenant resource planning.
FAQ
What is the difference between project planning, resource planning and capacity planning in Rillsoft Cloud?
The three terms answer different planning questions. Project planning answers “What and when?” — activities, deadlines, dependencies. Resource planning answers “With which available people, qualifications and machines?” — it turns a wish-list schedule into a feasible plan. Capacity planning answers the higher-level question “Are the available capacities — roles, qualifications, working time models — sufficient at all for the planned projects?”. In Rillsoft Cloud these three planning layers work on the same data on the Rillsoft Integration Server.
When does Excel or a simple task tool like Asana or Jira stop being enough for resource planning?
As soon as several projects run in parallel and share the same workforce, the same qualifications or the same machines, Excel and pure task management tools reach their limits. Typical triggers: the same person is scheduled in two projects at once, bottlenecks in a qualification are detected too late, deadlines slip without an obvious reason, or it is unclear whether a new project is feasible at all with the current workforce. Rillsoft Cloud answers these questions across projects on the basis of a central resource pool.
How does Rillsoft Cloud use qualifications for resource planning?
In Rillsoft Cloud, roles and professional qualifications are stored for each employee. During resource planning, the demand of an activity is first expressed in terms of roles and qualifications — long before any specific person is assigned. This way you can already check during the early planning phase whether a project portfolio is feasible with the available qualification mix; specific people are then assigned only when the plan is workable at the role level.
Which companies is resource planning with Rillsoft Cloud suitable for?
Rillsoft Cloud is aimed at project-oriented mid-sized companies with 20 to 200 employees, primarily industrial companies in the DACH region that typically run several projects in parallel and deploy their staff across multiple projects. The platform is particularly suitable for companies that do not want to operate their own server infrastructure and value a German server location together with a multi-tenant solution hosted by Rillsoft.
Which platform components do I need for resource planning with Rillsoft Cloud?
You need Rillsoft Project as the desktop client — it remains the central planning interface and provides Gantt charts, network diagrams and resource utilisation views. The central resource pool, employee master data, multi-user operation and cross-project demand matching run through the Rillsoft Integration Server. Rillsoft Cloud is the hosted variant of the Integration Server, operated by Rillsoft with a German server location, so you don't have to build your own server and can start immediately with multiple planners and multiple projects.
How does the cross-project resource matching work in Rillsoft Cloud?
A central resource pool is maintained on the Rillsoft Integration Server: all employees with their roles, qualifications, working time models and planned absences. Every new or changed project plan in the Rillsoft Project desktop client checks against this pool. Double bookings, qualification bottlenecks and overload become visible immediately – regardless of whether the conflicts occur between two projects on the same site or across multiple sites and business units. In Rillsoft Cloud this matching runs in a multi-tenant manner in German data centres.
Where is my employee and resource data stored in Rillsoft Cloud, and how is GDPR compliance handled?
All employee master data, qualification and availability data is stored and operated in Rillsoft Cloud exclusively in German data centres. Rillsoft operates the cloud platform itself and signs a data processing agreement (DPA / 'AVV') in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR with every customer; access rights, transmission paths, retention periods as well as technical and organisational measures (TOMs) are documented in the DPA. The multi-tenant architecture of the Rillsoft Integration Server ensures strict separation of the resource data of different customers.
How does Rillsoft Cloud resource planning differ from HR tools such as Personio or Workday?
HR tools like Personio or Workday optimise administrative HR processes: master data, contracts, absences, payroll. They are not designed to model project-driven demand and capacity planning on a qualifications basis. Rillsoft Cloud sets the opposite priority: employees are modelled as planning-relevant resources with roles and professional qualifications, their availability feeds directly into the project and capacity planning in the Rillsoft Project desktop client, and the cross-project matching runs through the Rillsoft Integration Server. The two tool classes do not exclude each other – they solve different problems.