If you’re looking for an easily digestible comparison between resource management modules within a PSA tool and dedicated resource management software, you’re in the right place. Let’s start with some definitions.
What is professional services automation software?
PSA software is designed to assist organizations that deliver billable projects to their clients. The broad goal of a PSA system is to provide a tool that helps to connect, manage, and streamline the organization’s day-to-day projects and operations.
What is dedicated resource management software?
Resource management software focuses solely on optimizing planning, scheduling, and allocating organizational resources to maximize their value and potential. It’s a specialized tool that manages complex staffing needs and ensures optimized utilization, process efficiency and profitability. It offers deeper insights and flexibility, enabling more strategic decision-making than generalist solutions.
What are the differences between PSA software and dedicated resource management software?
While PSA software can be a solid solution for smaller or mid-market enterprises by offering an all-in-one approach to project management, it often lacks the depth required for specialized functions like resource management (RM). PSA systems cover many areas – like CRM, billing, and HR – but rarely excel in any one function. This makes them a better fit for less complex organizations that don’t need highly customized tools.
In professional service firms, resources are the ultimate revenue engine and greatest cost, so dedicated resource management software focuses on optimizing the most powerful lever and revolutionizing staffing to drive growth.
For firms requiring more robust, scalable RM capabilities, a dedicated solution is a better choice. PSA systems may also have limited integration and configuration options, which can make it difficult to fully optimize resource management performance at scale.
How effective is your current approach to resource management?
Take quizLet’s compare the key differences
| Offering | Description | Typical PSA RM | Dayshape dedicated RM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for enterprise firms | A solution for mid to large enterprises | ✅ | ✅ |
| Scalable | Seamlessly scales with expanding teams, locations, and business units while maintaining fast load times and high performance | ❌ | ✅ |
| Custom-fit | Tailored to address unique and complex firm-specific needs like specialized resources and multi-level reporting structures | ❌ | ✅ |
| Future-proof | Seamlessly adapts to match long-term strategic growth, giving you the flexibility to pivot as your enterprise evolves | ❌ | ✅ |
| Process improvement | Designed exclusively to elevate resource management and operations performance, ensuring smooth, optimized workflows at scale | ❌ | ✅ |
| Performance-driven | Laser-focused on the critical priorities of strategic resource management and operations leaders: manage and grow revenue, drive firm-wide operational transparency, future-proof talent plans, optimize the workforce and enhance client satisfaction | ❌ | ✅ |
| All-in-one powerhouse | A single platform for optimizing planning, scheduling, allocating, and forecasting – built to maximize every resource across your firm | ❌ | ✅ |
| Next-level scheduling | Automatically bulk match the best people for the job, factoring in skills, availability, location, and more across many engagements. Streamline scheduling processes, cut admin time, and focus on strategic decisions. | ❌ | ✅ |
| Live engagement economics | Instantly see the impact of resource changes on engagement financials during planning and delivery. Use best-practice budgeting and monitor actuals in real-time to prevent reduced margins and potential overruns. | ❌ | ✅ |
| Configurable reports | In-depth reporting capabilities track capacity, utilization, future talent supply and demand, skills, qualifications, and experience required and acquired over time, and more. | ✅ | ✅ |
| Automated project controls | Automated project and profitability controls and alerts reduce the risk of clashes, delays, over-utilization and disruptions, ensuring smooth project delivery. | ❌ | ✅ |
| Customizable workflows | Tailor and automate simple engagement workflows to your firm’s needs and ensure engagements are reviewed by the right people, at the right time, and remain on track. | ❌ | ✅ |
| Breadth and ease of integration | Extensive, hassle-free integrations and strong Workday partnership to meet evolving resource management requirements. | ❌ | ✅ |
| Dedicated expert support | Dedicated customer experience and support teams focused entirely on seamlessly integrating your systems and maximizing your resource management ROI. | ❌ | ✅ |
Get a glimpse of Dayshape
WATCH PRODUCT VIDEOSSo, why choose dedicated resource management software when you already have PSA?
Organizations that already have an end-to-end PSA are right to carefully review its full functionality in the hope it can meet their resource management needs. However, in our experience, only firms with less complex needs tend to find this module suitable due to the limitations shown above.
Dayshape’s dedicated resource management software delivers groundbreaking advantages that standard PSA RM modules can’t compete with:
- Intelligent, AI-powered staffing
- Live engagement financials
- Seamless integrations
- Accurate firm-wide insights and forecasting
Dayshape’s advanced functionality can sit on top of and augment your PSA solution. It directly supports your mission to; manage and grow revenue, get firm-wide organizational visibility, provide both fulfilling careers for your people, and outstanding service for your clients.
Get in touch with us to discover how your firm could benefit from a dedicated resource management software solution.
