Webinar Recap: Smarter Resource Management with Power Apps

In case you couldn't make it to the second session of our "From Our Team to Your Team" webinar series, don't worry - We've got the full replay and some key takeaways right here for you!

On April 8th, our team at Project Made Easy dug into one of the biggest challenges facing project teams today: resource management. From figuring out who's available, to avoiding burnout, to making smarter hiring decisions - this session was packed with practical strategies powered by Microsoft Power Platform.

Whether you are leading a PMO or managing multiple projects, this is one you'll want to catch up on.

Meet the Experts

Our powerhouse panel brought the insight:

Scott Brown, Director of Business Development – Former Microsoft leader and project management pro, Scott shared real-world strategies for building better resource workflows.

Jenn Penn, Project Delivery Manager – A certified Scrum Professional with years of implementation experience, Jenn broke down how resource managers can stay ahead of demand.

The Big Question: Where Are Your People?

If you've ever wondered:

What's my team working on?
Who's at capacity?
Who has room to take on move?
Are we staffed for upcoming projects?

...you're not alone. Most teams rely on outdated spreadsheets or verbal check-ins. The result? Resource gaps, overallocation, and missed opportunities.

Two Paths to Resource Planning

Scott shared two practical frameworks:

Bottom-Up: Assign at the task level - detailed but complex.
Top-Down: Assign by project-level estimates — fast, flexible, and perfect when you're still planning.

How Power Apps + FluidPPM Makes it Easy

One of the highlights was seeing how our solution, FluidPPM, built on Microsoft Power Apps, tackles resource management head-on. Here's what it can do:

✅ Centralize your data

✅ Track allocation and availability in real-time

✅ Streamline resource requests and approvals

✅ Visualize overloads with intuitive heat maps

✅ Generate custom reports with Power BI integration

From the PM's View

Scott showed how project managers can:

Request resources with a drag-and-drop interface
See status updates at a glance (pending, approved, rejected)
Keep tabs on project health, risks, milestones, and budget

From the Resource Manager’s View

Jenn walked through how resource managers can:

View resource heat maps to spot overloads or gaps
Reassign or balance workloads
Track all non-project work to see the full picture

Portfolio-Level Power

Finally, we wrapped up with high-level reporting in Power BI. Think big-picture views of:

Capacity vs. demand
Top over- and underallocated roles
Forecasts for hiring
Admin vs. project work trends

Questions from the Audience

Some great Q&A moments included:

Can this be customized? Yes, we tailor Fluid PPM to your processes.
What about team members with multiple roles? We’re working on enhanced tracking for that.
How is it built? It’s a flexible canvas app with Dataverse on the backend.

What’s Coming Next

A new project intake analyzer
Launch in the Microsoft App Store this spring
New admin settings for more control coming later this year

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

Resource management is tough — but it doesn’t have to be. If you’d like to learn more about how Fluid PPM can work for your organization, we’d love to connect.

🔗 Watch the full session here

📩 Reach out to our team to chat about how we can support your goals.

Thanks to everyone who joined us live — and if you're catching up now, welcome!

Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn to be the first to know about our upcoming webinars