Here’s what it can look like when project management and resource planning are decoupled: The project manager sets expectations for three team members to work 50% of their time on the project from date A to date B. There is a clear expectation and agreement that these team members can complete their tasks in that period of time. The project manager checks at least once a week to see how hours are tracking, which tasks are completed and which are coming up, and will regularly assess if the tasks left are reasonable for the time and budget left. This checks/balances approach essentially creates a mechanism for greater visibility and consistency, shared responsibility, reduced tension, and fewer surprises.

In place of task-based project planning, digital services companies should implement a duration-based approach. This is when a certain percentage of each role or a person’s time is allotted to client projects. Rather than assigning a certain amount of time for each task (1 hour for task A, 3 hours for task B), duration-based management assumes the employee will spend, for example, 50% of their time on a project for client C and 50% on client D. The expectation is that the employee will complete all tasks they’re responsible for during that time, and communicate with their manager or project owner if they need a longer window. Project managers can still manage the individual tasks or points that need to be addressed and completed, but budgets are not dictated based on the rollup of the small allocations of time across all of these individual elements.