With so many resource management tools out there, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming, especially when your time is short and the stakes are high. That’s why we’ve done the hard work for you. In this guide, we break down the top ten resource management platforms professional services firms are using in 2025, so you can make a confident, informed choice.
With the professional services industry in the middle of a paradigm shift, and the pace of change accelerating, that choice matters more than ever. Client expectations are rising, competition is fierce, and firm leaders are under pressure to deliver efficiency and growth. Resource management is no longer a back-office function, it’s at the heart of performance.
The future belongs to resource managers who drive both performance and purpose. With the right platform, you can unlock profitable growth, plan with precision, and inspire your people to do their best work. This isn’t just about better scheduling, it’s about building a firm that clients trust, top talent seeks out, and leadership relies on.
From dedicated resource management platforms, such as Dayshape, to professional services automation solutions like Workday, choosing the right solution can be challenging. This guide will walk you through the top ten resource management platforms and the key features to look for, so you can find the best fit for your firm’s needs.
In a hurry? Here’s a snapshot of which tools excel in different scenarios for professional services firms, accounting practices, consultancies, and agencies with 500+ employees worldwide:
If you’re comparing different tools, here are some key things to keep in mind to make sure you pick the right one for your organization. These apply whether you’re running a large professional services firm, a multi-office accounting practice, or a fast-growing consultancy with hundreds of team members.
The ideal platform should offer firm-wide resource and capacity visibility, automated resource allocation, real-time project financials and reporting that covers past, present, and future performance. These are key to planning smarter and staying in control.
Ease of use is essential. Look for an intuitive tool that’s built with custom workflows so it fits your team’s way of working. You need a solution that’s simple to use, but rich in functionality.
Software built in collaboration with leading platforms is often more deeply integrated and better supported. Choosing a vendor with strong technology partnerships can help you maximize the return on all your connected solutions.
By selecting a vendor that specializes in your industry, you’ll benefit from features tailored to your service lines and support from experts who understand your unique business challenges.
Seamless integrations reduce manual work and improve data flow. Look for products that integrate into your tech stack, and ideally, choose software that connects with Finance, HR, and time tracking systems. While some tools focus solely on resource management, others offer broader integration, supporting your entire order-to-cash process.
Look for vendors that align their pricing with the outcomes you care about – whether that’s improved utilization, time savings, or higher margins. Also be wary of low-cost options that cut corners on support or functionality, as they often end up costing more in the long run.
Yes. Check out ratings and review sites, but remember that they’re not always the full story. It’s also worth speaking to existing customers, and attending resource management events to hear what others really think.
Best for: Professional services firms with over 500 team members, looking to optimize operations.
Dayshape
is the only platform purpose-built for professional services that brings together advanced AI, real-time project financials, and firm-wide forecasting insights, in one solution. It’s also the only provider with an AI-powered big picture scheduling engine and suitability scoring to optimize matching across thousands of projects in an instant.
Additionally, Dayshape integrates with all leading ERP, PSA, and practice management systems, and is the sole vendor selected to co-develop a native resource management solution with Workday.
Whether you’re just starting out or scaling a mature resource management function, Dayshape supports every step of your journey. It helps you to make smarter decisions, drive profitable growth, inspire teams, and delight clients, all while enabling your firm to avoid costly tech transformations further down the line. Dayshape also continues to invest heavily in AI and UI to support the future of your resource management transformation.
AI Advise: Optimize firm-wide resource scheduling across many complex projects in one click.
Gantt scheduler: Gain a simple, firm-wide view of resources and capacity with filters and heatmaps to prevent overbooking and underutilization.
Reports & dashboards: View role-specific dashboards with key past, present and future performance metrics to simplify decision-making and share dashboards with stakeholders.
Real-time project financials: See how scheduling decisions impact project financials (actuals vs forecasts) and set profitability controls and alerts to prevent overruns.
Budgeting & demand capture: Build resource plans, manage budgets, and handle approvals in one system to maximize project and portfolio profitability.
Customer support: Dayshape offers professional services expertise, close partnerships, and responsive support and guidance to ensure long-term success for its customers.
“When it comes to ROI, I think Dayshape paid for itself in the first month, if not week. In every country we operate in, we’ve improved our margins because we’ve been able to use the forward-looking data coming out of Dayshape to make decisions."
COO, Deloitte Africa
If your firm is a large professional services organization with complex, multi-project scheduling needs and you want AI-driven optimization plus deep ERP/PSA integration, Dayshape is a strong choice. However, if you require built-in timesheets, you may want to consider a PSA such as Kantata or Workday.
Best for: Firms seeking a traditional, long-standing scheduling tool.
Retain has a long-standing presence in the resource management industry, providing both on-premises and cloud software to multi-sector firms. Often viewed as a legacy solution, the company has recently relaunched its cloud offering to support the migration of existing on-premises customers. While the cloud version is evolving, it has yet to match the pace of innovation investment seen across the broader market.
Retain continues to offer its on-premises solution for large enterprises and positions its cloud version for smaller firms. Key features include suitability matching to align the best-fit resource to each project, and near real-time analytics.
Suitability scoring: Find best fit resources for projects based on skills, certifications, experience, and availability, as well as history of previous project work.
Behavioral profiling: Gain insights into employee strengths and communication preferences to improve teamwork.
Integrations and APIs: Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, Aderant, Workday, Elite 3, and Open HR.
"Retain has completely changed how we plan and manage our resources. We now have visibility into workloads, ensuring our teams aren’t overworked. The time we’ve saved and the improved accuracy in scheduling means we can focus more on delivering value to our clients."
Senior Manager, De Hooge Waerder
If your firm values on-premises or hybrid deployment, has established scheduling processes, and prefers a tool with a long market history, Retain can be a solid option. However, if you need bulk AI scheduling, faster reporting, or deeper professional services-specific features, you may want to consider a platform with those capabilities, such as Certinia or Dayshape.
Best for: Simple, low complexity workload planning.
Beeye is a collaborative, cloud-based platform well-suited for smaller or less mature firms transitioning from spreadsheets to structured planning. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Montréal, Beeye is particularly appealing to French-speaking teams and firms seeking a straightforward, cost-effective solution.
Its pre-configured feature set focuses on core planning, task tracking, and time management. This makes it less suitable for large or enterprise customers handling complexity, but serves as an easy-to-use tool for teams needing a quick, simple solution.
User interface: Visualize resources, projects, and tasks effectively with a simple view.
Task management: Modify the time spent on each task and monitor task progress daily to ensure tasks are on track.
Time tracking: Automate time entry based on scheduled work to avoid end-of-week timesheet delays and enhance data accuracy.
Integrations and APIs: IRIS Star Practice Management, Sage, PowerBI, Inqom, ACD GROUPE, Cegid, AgirisPower, Automate, Azure Service, My Unisoft, RCA, Devis, Office365, Dynamics 365, Lucca, and Toucan Toco.
"We were looking for a tool that could meet the daily needs of clients with a user-friendly interface, simple for all employees, and that would bring us into the modern world."
Sofia Béthencourt, DBA
If your firm is small to mid-sized, transitioning from spreadsheets, and needs simple, low-complexity planning at a low cost, Beeye is worth considering. However, if you require robust Gantt visibility, real-time financials, or large-scale automation, you may want to look at platforms with richer scheduling and financial capabilities, such as Float, Dayshape, or Workday.
Best for: Skills-based workforce optimization and employee experience.
ProFinda is a cloud-based, enterprise-grade platform that combines resource, workforce, and experience optimization in one solution. Built to help firms improve project resourcing, retain talent, and support reskilling, it excels in areas including skills mapping, employee profiling, and internal mobility.
ProFinda’s strength lies in talent matching and skills development rather than specialist resource management features such as AI-powered Gantt scheduling, budgeting or reporting. It serves a wide range of industries – from professional services and civil engineering to defense and government – and is built to handle firms of any size.
User interface: Use an up-to-date, continuously evolving skills library for accurate talent matching.
Task management: Staff can automate CV creation, upskill, reskill and access stretch projects in a marketplace.
Time tracking: See which staff could work on a project with training or on-the-job learning.
Integrations and APIs: SAP, Unanet, Twenty5, ATS, VMS, LinkedIn, Workday, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Salesforce, MS Dynamics, Jira, and Smartsheet.
"ProFinda is the best Workforce Management software. It helps me manage employee data and their information."
HR Analyst
If your firm’s focus is on skills mapping, internal mobility, and talent development, ProFinda is a strong contender. However, if you need AI-powered scheduling, automated suitability scoring, or firm-wide capacity planning, tools like Kantata, Certinia, or Dayshape offer those capabilities.
Best for: Skills-based workforce optimization and employee experience.
Eightfold AI’s resource management functionality is part of its broader Talent Intelligence Platform, which is best known for AI-powered talent acquisition, development, and retention.
Designed with HR teams in mind, it offers a light-touch way to align project staffing with internal skills data. While resource management is not sold as a standalone module, it can be a useful starting point for organizations already using Eightfold that are looking to add basic resourcing capabilities. It’s most suitable for firms with early-stage resource management needs and a strong HR-led approach to workforce planning.
Skills engine: Infer skills from internal and external market data to provide insights on skill availability and gaps, staff potential to acquire adjacent skills, and dynamic role definitions.
Project pipeline visibility: Forecast resource needs, develop hiring plans and allocate resources.
Project marketplace: Enable employees to see available projects and take control of their careers.
Integrations and APIs: Lever, Greenhouse, iCIMS Talent Cloud, Workday HCM, Checkr, Jobvite, CodeSignal, Degreed, 5app, and TechWolf.
"EY is committed to bringing best-in-class people solutions to our teams. Working with Eightfold has allowed us to transform our approach to skills for careers and experiences in GDS. Our new AI capability will provide a foundation to drive further value across our Talent functions from learning to recruitment and resourcing."
Sreekanth Arimanithaya, Talent Leader, EY Global Delivery Services
If you’re already using Eightfold’s Talent Intelligence Platform and want to layer in basic resource management capabilities, it’s a natural choice. However, if you need a dedicated, feature-rich resource management tool with advanced Gantt and financial controls, solutions such as Certinia, Kantata, or Dayshape could be more effective.
Best for: An all-in-one PSA.
Kantata is an end-to-end PSA solution designed to manage projects, resources, time, and billing within a single platform. It offers versions for both enterprise firms (SX, built on Salesforce) and mid-market firms (OX), making it ideal for businesses seeking an all-in-one operational system. Kantata also embeds Agentforce AI to automate scheduling and deliver insights into financial performance trends and project status reporting, and although it includes resourcing features, its core strength lies in project management.
Resource management is a key feature, but not the main focus, so firms that need advanced scheduling or workflow configurability may find it less suitable than dedicated tools. Kantata works well for firms running long-term projects such as ad agencies or IT consulting firms, but it may feel overly complex for teams focused on high-volume projects such as accounting or specialized resourcing, like tax.
Project management scheduler: Create task dependencies in a Gantt chart for easy project management.
Agentforce AI: Read insights on the logic behind suitability scoring decisions to optimize resource allocation.
Out-of-the-box and customized dashboards: Surface key project and portfolio insights and predictive analytics.
Integrations and APIs: Kantata Connect, M-Bridge, Salesforce, Hubspot, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Pardot, Sage, NetSuite, QuickBooks, Xero, Expensify, SAP Concur, Zapier, Boomi, Slack, Jira, MuleSoft, and Google Workspace.
"Kantata helps us assign our resources in a way that plays to their strengths and improves morale. Ultimately, that leads to better client outcomes."
Sara Giuffrida, Senior Vice President of Delivery, POP
If your business needs an all-in-one PSA to manage projects, resources, time, and billing—especially if you’re in marketing, IT consulting, or similar industries—Kantata is a strong choice. However, if advanced scheduling, bulk automation, or custom workflows are your top priorities, you may want to consider a specialist scheduling solution such as Dayshape, or another PSA with stronger automation features like Certinia.
Best for: Enterprises using Salesforce that want an integrated PSA and ERP solution.
Certinia uniquely combines PSA capabilities with a full ERP suite, enabling streamlined management of core financials, revenue recognition, billing, inventory, and supply chain operations within the Salesforce ecosystem.
While resource planning is included, the platform is designed to support a broad range of business functions. This breadth brings a more standardized approach to workflows, which can be beneficial for firms with consistent processes, though may offer less flexibility for those with more tailored or complex needs.
Best suited for large enterprise firms already embedded in the Salesforce ecosystem and looking to consolidate PSA and ERP into one system.
Automated scheduling: Match, assign, hold or shortlist up to 1,000 resource requests at one time.
Flexible project structure: Create a Work Breakdown Structure with as much detail as needed.
Smart rescheduling: View scenarios of how scheduling changes can impact margins and budgets.
Document management: Manage, share and collaborate on documents relating to projects.
Integrations and APIs: SAP, Concur, ADP, DocuSign, Conga, Scribe, Xactly, XCD, AccessPay, and Jira.
"With 2,500 active users since 2022, the system has become a cornerstone of our project management, education team scheduling, and resourcing processes. We appreciate Certinia’s commitment to innovation and their responsiveness to our needs."
Beth Carroll, SVP Services, Dayforce
If your enterprise runs on Salesforce and you want to unify PSA, ERP, and resource planning in one system, Certinia is a logical fit. However, if you want more flexible customization options or faster implementations, Kantata, Workday, or Dayshape could be better alternatives.
Best for: Firms seeking a robust HCM, PSA and Financials platform with simple in-built resource planning.
Workday PSA delivers world-class workforce management across the full project lifecycle, from staffing and project execution to billing and financial reporting. Natively integrated into Workday’s broader ERP and HCM platform, PSA connects project financials, resourcing, and billing with HR and finance data, providing a unified view across operations.
Workday’s built-in resource planning is well-suited to firms with smaller to mid-size resource pools and long-term assignments. For larger, scaling professional services firms dealing with complexity, the co-developed Dayshape Intelligent Staffing solution brings a deep integration with real-time two-way syncing, bulk AI-powered staffing, and advanced forecasting to help firms uncover firm-wide insights, plan reliably, optimize margin and delight clients.
Unified platform: Integrate PSA, HCM, and financials in one system, connecting seamlessly with Workday tools such as Adaptive.
Embedded HCM access: View schedules, access HR details, and submit time, all within the same platform.
Project and resource planning: Manage long-term, stable assignments with built-in project and resourcing tools.
Integrated financial scheduling: Schedule work directly on project pages to instantly see the impact on project economics.
Integrations and APIs: Salesforce, Skillsoft Percipio, and Shopify.
"Workday PSA is helping us eliminate manual processes, staff projects as soon as they’re proposed, and increase visibility into project financials and resource demands…project teams and lines of business are more connected than ever!"
Bobby Riggs, CFO, Collaborative Solutions
If your firm already uses Workday for HCM or financials and you manage long-term, stable project assignments, Workday PSA is a strong choice—especially when paired with advanced scheduling tools. However, if you need native large-scale automation or highly customizable workflows, consider another PSA with those capabilities, such as Kantata or Certinia, or a specialist scheduling tool like Dayshape.
Best for: Practice management with ERP.
IRIS Firm Management is the practice management solution replacing both Star and Practice Engine, purpose-built for accounting and CPA firms. It brings together integrated tools to manage client data, monitor project progress, automate billing, and support compliance with accounting standards.
The Star Practice Management element has a scheduling module and integrates with EmpireSuite – a sector-agnostic resource management tool – as well as other dedicated RM vendors, offering flexibility for firms with more complex resourcing needs.
Task management: Assign tasks and set task-driven milestones to manage projects.
Automated workflows: Set up recurring tasks and automate routine processes to save time.
Time tracking and expenses: Track time, book time off, and bill clients easily.
Skills database and tracking: Quickly match candidates manually.
Dynamic reporting: Make data-driven decisions with unlimited, real-time, fully customizable charts and interactive analytics dashboards.
"IRIS Firm Management will drastically change our firm operations and bring more detailed information to our leaders across all our service lines from a financial performance perspective but also streamline our overall billing process."
Michael Cereste, CFO, LerroSarbey PLLC
If you’re an accounting or CPA firm looking for practice management with integrated ERP capabilities, Iris Software is a good option. However, if you need advanced resource scheduling, real-time financials, or automated suitability scoring, Beeye, Float, or Dayshape could be a better fit.
Best for: Small to mid-sized professional services firms and internal departments seeking simple, spreadsheet-free project management.
Float is a user-friendly, project-based resourcing tool designed for smaller professional services firms – particularly marketing agencies and internal departments within larger organizations. Its clean, visual interface makes it easy to move away from spreadsheets and improve short-term planning and team visibility.
Ideal for straightforward, project-by-project scheduling, Float helps teams allocate resources efficiently. While it’s not built for highly complex or large-scale operations, it offers a practical, approachable option for teams seeking a lightweight solution.
Intuitive and simple platform: Easy to adopt and navigate.
Time tracking and desktop timer: Time tracking pre-fills from scheduled work, automates time log submissions for recurring work and use timer app to get total hours.
Project templates: Save and reuse common project setups.
Granular project planning: Create project phases, milestones and tasks.
Budgeting: Plan and estimate projects with more precision by adding budgets at a task level.
"One of the most appealing aspects of Float is its intuitive interface. The platform is visually clean and organized, making it easy to navigate and understand, even for those new to resource management software."
Digital Brand Manager
If you’re a small to mid-sized agency or internal department looking for an easy, visual scheduling tool to replace spreadsheets, Float is a great fit. However, if you require automated scheduling, in-depth financial visibility, or large-scale project management, Kantata, Dayshape, or Certinia might be more suitable.
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