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How to Schedule a Resource from the Backlog

Learn how resources can be requested based on calculated hours required by role or by task

Published: 1 June 2026

Audience

  • Admin
  • Resource Manager

Objective

Learn how to find unassigned, role-based demand in the Backlog report and schedule the right resource against it.

Prerequisites

Admin or Controller access level
        The Backlog report is only available to users with the Admin or Controller access level.

Role-based demand exists in Resource Planning
        A project manager must have already budgeted hours by role on a project and pushed          those hours to Resource Planning. Without this, the Backlog report will be empty.

How Demand Reaches the Backlog

The Backlog report surfaces hours that have been planned by role but not yet assigned to a specific person. Demand typically arrives in the Backlog in one of two ways:

  • A project manager builds a detailed budget by role in the Budget Grid and pushes it to Resource Planning.
  • A project manager plans hours by role directly in Resource Planning.

Either way, the role-level hours appear in the Backlog until a resource manager assigns them to a specific resource using the steps below.

Steps

  1. Navigate to Resources > Backlog.
  2. Use the View selector and date range to focus on the period you want to staff.
  3. Hover over the row for the role, project, and contract line you want to staff. Two icons appear on the right of the row.
  4. Click the person icon labelled Schedule a resource for this role.
  5. In the Schedule a resource view, review the list of available resources. Each resource shows their business unit and remaining capacity for the period. 
  6. Optional — use Filter skills or Filter business unit to narrow the resource list to people who match your requirements.
  7. Enter the number of hours to assign to the chosen resource in the relevant month column, then select the resource row to confirm.
  8. In the Confirmation dialog, review the message and click Confirm & Schedule.

⚠️ Important: Scheduling a resource from the Backlog is currently only available at the                Month level. To plan at week or day level, use Project Resource Planning directly.

Result

The hours are assigned to the selected resource and removed from the Backlog report. The assigned hours now appear in that resource's planning, and the project manager will see the assignment in the project's Resource Planning tab.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why don't I see any resources in the list?
The list shows resources who hold the matching project role. If no one in your organization is assigned that role, or if no one with that role has remaining capacity in the selected period, the list will be empty. Check role assignments under user settings, or filter by a different business unit or skill.

Can I schedule a resource for a week or a day instead of a month?
No. Scheduling from the Backlog is only available in Month view. For more granular planning, open the project and use Project Resource Planning directly.

What if the available capacity does not cover all the demand?
You can split the demand across multiple resources. Assign part of the hours to one resource, then return to the Backlog row and schedule the remaining hours to another resource.

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