Scenario planning is no longer a complex task reserved for the few. With PDWare's ResourceFirst, you can navigate the intricate world of resource planning with ease and precision. Discover how below.
By Phil WolfPublished Aug 1, 2023Updated Aug 7, 20232 min read
Welcome to the future of Resource Management!
Scenario planning is no longer a complex task reserved for the few. With PDWare's ResourceFirst, you can navigate the intricate world of resource planning with ease and precision. Discover how below.
Watch the Pipeline Scenario Planning Use Case Video Below
Unlock the Potential of Scenario Planning
https://youtu.be/aQbQiplRNvw
Explore the transformative power of scenario planning with ResourceFirst. This video provides an in-depth look at how you can leverage prioritization flexibility, risk management, and real-time insights to drive success in your projects. Watch now to see ResourceFirst in action.
PDWare ResourceFirst · Financial waterlineProduct view · sample data
Financial waterlinecommitted cost by month · 10 of 21 projects
Funded
Below the waterline
Name
PKey
Pri
Total
1/1/2025
2/1/2025
3/1/2025
4/1/2025
5/1/2025
6/1/2025
A1002 Project
250004
3
376,888.00
32,912.00
32,912.00
31,416.00
32,912.00
32,912.00
31,416.00
C1001 Project
C1001
3
72,556.00
8,602.00
7,480.00
7,854.00
16,456.00
16,456.00
15,708.00
B1001 Project
B1001
4
60,620.80
8,228.00
8,228.00
7,854.00
C1004 Project
C1004
4
194,838.48
8,946.08
7,779.20
8,168.16
16,456.00
16,456.00
15,708.00
B1002 Project
B1002
5
557,458.80
26,941.20
23,608.00
24,788.40
34,196.80
34,196.80
32,642.40
B1004 Project
B1004
5
94,222.00
8,228.00
8,228.00
7,854.00
Legacy East
LEGE
6
395,190.00
23,225.40
20,196.00
21,205.80
22,215.60
22,215.60
21,205.80
Legacy West
LEGW
7
166,827.60
10,322.40
8,976.00
9,424.80
9,873.60
9,873.60
9,424.80
A1003 Project
A1003
8
786,991.60
36,128.40
26,928.00
31,416.00
37,848.80
37,848.80
23,562.00
A1001 Project
A1001
9
761,442.16
59,400.88
51,811.20
54,401.76
56,992.32
56,992.32
54,401.76
From April, priority 5 and below falls under the waterline.
Below the line from April 6 of 10Cut at priority 5Sample portfolio in PDWare ResourceFirst
The Financial Waterline — committed cost per month for ten projects of a sample portfolio, split into what the funding envelope reaches and what falls below it. From April the cut lands at priority 5, and the red cells are the months those projects go unfunded.
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About this articleWritten by Phil Wolf. Published Aug 1, 2023; last updated Aug 7, 2023 · filed under Portfolio strategy.
Questions this article answers
+How does ResourceFirst simplify scenario planning?
With PDWare's ResourceFirst, scenario planning is no longer a complex task reserved for the few — the platform lets planners navigate the intricate world of resource planning with ease and precision. PDWare positions it as a way to leverage prioritization flexibility, risk management, and real-time insights to drive success across your projects.
+Where can I see pipeline scenario planning in action?
PDWare provides a use-case video showing pipeline scenario planning with ResourceFirst, including how prioritization flexibility, risk management, and real-time insights come together in practice. The company pairs it with a Resource Management & Portfolio Optimization whitepaper as a companion resource for teams that want to go deeper.
+What is pipeline scenario planning?
Modelling a pipeline of candidate initiatives as alternative portfolios, then comparing them against the same constraint set, so a decision to add, delay, or drop work can be made on evidence rather than optimism.
+What can you test with a pipeline scenario?
The trade-offs that decide a portfolio: which initiatives fit the available capacity, what happens when a high-priority project is introduced, and how prioritization changes ripple through the rest of the plan.
+Why compare scenarios against one constraint set?
Because a scenario is only meaningful next to its alternatives. Holding capacity, budget, and priorities constant across scenarios is what makes the differences between them attributable to the choice rather than to the assumptions.
+Where does scenario planning fit in the portfolio process?
Before commitment. Scenarios are how an organization checks that a re-prioritized roadmap is deliverable with the people it actually has, ahead of funding and staffing decisions.
+Where can I go deeper on portfolio optimization?
The Resource Management & Portfolio Optimization whitepaper linked from this article covers the underlying method, and the use-case video walks through pipeline scenario planning end to end.
Put it into practice
PDWare turns these ideas into working software: capacity, waterline, and scenario decisions on one platform.
