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You think you have it all planned out - your resources are smoothly flowing from one project to the next, with very little downtime in between. Then, you suddenly find yourself short on the resource you need to push your plan and project over the finish lline. Here are the top three causes of resource shortages and some simple solutions to help alleviate them.
1. Labor Shortage
Cause: Maybe part of your workforce has come down with the flu, you are in the midst of contract negotiations, or seasonal holidays are keeping people out.
Solution: Identify trends of low work attendance and factor that in when mapping out your plan for the next year or quarter.
2. Broken Equipment
Cause: A major cog in your wheel breaks and will take a sufficient amount of time to be fixed or replaced. You might not have spare parts lying around!
Solution: Outsource or add extra overtime if you have other similar pieces still working.
3. A Force Majeure
Cause: A major “force of God”. Think events like natural disasters, pandemics, accidents, etc. Solution: Budget and create a buffer account, if you can, to get you through the crisis. See if there are any opportunities to outsource or cut back production to a bare minimum just to get you through the tough time.
So now what?
