Resource Demand in Altus is driven by Project Resource Requests created in a project’s Resource Plan. These requests define:

• The resources required, either Generic or Named
• The effort required across time periods
• The approval path for fulfilling the demand

The Resource Demand view allows resource managers, team managers, line managers, or pool owners to review unfulfilled requests, validate availability, and commit suitable resources to project work. Once fulfilled, those committed allocations flow through to the project resource plan, availability heatmaps, and resource reporting.

For supporting product guidance, refer to Altus Resource Demand documentation.

Where This Is Performed

• Resources → Resource Demand

Important: Who Typically Performs This

This activity is typically managed by:

• Resource Managers
• Team Managers
• Line Managers
• Pool Owners

The view is normally filtered to show only the unfulfilled resource requests for resources that the current user is responsible for fulfilling.

Before You Fulfil Demand

Resource Demand is typically driven from the Project Resource Plan, where project managers:

• Add generic roles or named resources
• Enter effort across time using hours or FTE
• Assign a pool owner or team owner where required
• Add comments to guide fulfilment
• Submit requests using Submit and Save

Important:

• Save only stores the request
• Submit and Save formally sends the request for fulfilment and notifies the appropriate manager

Set the Planning Horizon

1. Navigate to Resources → Resource Demand
2. Use the toolbar to define:
3. • Time scale (e.g. Month, Week, Year)
   • Unit of measure (e.g. FTE)
   • Visible date range

Important:
The selected date range controls:

• The visible planning horizon
• Availability heatmap display
• Autofill and allocation behaviour

Review Resource Requests

Resource requests can be reviewed and grouped in different ways:

• Group by Resource to fulfil demand across multiple projects
• Switch to Monthly view for easier planning
• Switch to FTE view if effort was entered in FTE

This provides visibility into competing demand and allocation requirements.

Review Demand and Capacity Before Committing Resources

Before committing resources, review both the resource request and the current availability position.

Resource Managers should consider:

• Proposed demand
• Existing committed demand
• Available capacity
• Resource skills and suitability
• Competing project priorities
• Future workload commitments

The Availability Heatmap and Resources Insights can help identify whether the requested effort can realistically be fulfilled within the required time periods.

Resource fulfilment decisions should balance current project requirements against existing commitments and future planning requirements.

Important:
Resource fulfilment decisions should consider both current allocations and future demand.

A resource that appears available today may already have committed work scheduled in future planning periods.

Fulfil Demand for Named Resources

For named resources, availability must be considered before committing work.

To fulfil a named resource request:

1. Locate the named resource request
2. Hover over the proposed value to review details
3. Use one of the following methods:
4. • Click the proposed value to copy it into the committed column
   • Enter committed values manually
   • Use ellipsis (…) → Auto Fill to copy proposed values
4. Click Save to confirm the allocation

Tip:
Auto Fill (from the ellipsis menu on a specific request) copies the requested effort into the committed columns, allowing controlled fulfilment of individual requests.

⚠️ Avoid using the global Autofill button (typically located at the bottom right of the page), as this will automatically commit all pending resource requests without review, potentially bypassing capacity checks and human decision-making.

Partially Fulfil or Split Requests

You are not required to assign a single resource to fulfil a request.

You can:

• Partially allocate a resource
• Add additional resources to fulfil the remaining demand
• Replace a requested resource entirely
• Split allocation across multiple resources

Best Practice:
Always provide a comment when you deviate from the original request (e.g. splitting work or assigning a different resource).

Fulfil Demand for Generic Roles

Generic roles must be fulfilled by assigning named resources.

To fulfil a generic request:

1. Locate the generic role
2. Click ellipsis (…) → Add Fulfilment Resource
3. Search and select an appropriate resource
4. Review availability
5. Adjust committed values if required
6. Click Save

When assigned:

• The named resource appears indented under the project request
• Proposed values are often copied into committed values
• You may need to adjust allocations manually if changes are made

Use Comments to Communicate Decisions

Comments provide a structured way to communicate between project managers and resource managers.

• Comments are not real-time chat
• They form a record of decisions
• They are visible on both sides

Use comments to explain:

• Partial fulfilment
• Resource substitutions
• Allocation decisions
• Prioritisation

Understand Request Statuses

Different statuses indicate the state of a request:

• Draft – changes saved but not submitted
• Submitted – awaiting fulfilment
• Approved – fulfilled as originally requested
• Set by approver – fulfilled using a different resource

Fully vs Partially Fulfilled Requests

• Fully fulfilled requests disappear from the default view
• Partially fulfilled requests remain visible
• Filters can be adjusted to show fulfilled requests

Availability and Heatmaps

Availability is a key factor in fulfilment decisions.

Only named resources have availability because availability is calculated using:

• Resource calendars
• Working time definitions
• Leave and non-working periods
• Existing committed allocations

Generic roles do not have availability because no individual resource has been assigned.

The Availability Heatmap provides visibility into:

• Resource Capacity
• Proposed Demand
• Committed Demand
• Remaining Availability

This allows Resource Managers to evaluate allocation decisions before committing resources to project work.

Important:
Avoid over-allocating resources by reviewing availability before committing work.

Availability indicators and colour thresholds may be configured differently between organisations.

Capacity assessments should always be reviewed within the context of your organisation's planning standards and utilisation targets.

Tip:
Resource demand can also be fulfilled directly from the Availability Heatmap, which provides a resource-centric view of capacity versus committed work across projects. From here, you can adjust allocations and save changes to fulfil demand without using the Resource Demand view.

👉 Refer to:
https://docs.altus.pro/products/AltusPPM/AsBuilt/Resources/Availability-Heatmap.html

Allocate Resources Using the Availability Heatmap

Where enabled, Resource Managers can review and fulfil demand directly from the Availability Heatmap.

This allows allocation decisions to be made while reviewing:

• Available Capacity
• Proposed Demand
• Committed Demand
• Resource Workload
• Future Capacity Requirements

Using the Availability Heatmap can reduce the need to move between multiple planning screens and provides a resource-centric view of project demand.

The Heatmap can be filtered to focus on:

• Specific Projects
• Individual Resources
• Departments
• Resource Types
• Planning Horizons

This helps Resource Managers evaluate allocation decisions within the broader context of organisational capacity and competing demand.

Delegation

You can adjust filters to act on behalf of another manager.

This allows you to:

• View requests outside your default scope
• Fulfil demand on behalf of other managers

Typical Fulfilment Outcomes

Resource demand is not always fulfilled exactly as originally requested.

Depending on capacity constraints and organisational priorities, fulfilment may involve:

• Full fulfilment using the requested resource
• Partial fulfilment across multiple periods
• Splitting effort across multiple resources
• Substituting an alternative resource
• Delaying some demand to future periods
• Escalating conflicts for management review

Use comments to document significant fulfilment decisions so that Project Managers and Resource Managers have a shared understanding of the rationale behind the allocation.

How This Impacts Altus

Fulfilling resource demand updates:

• Project resource plans
• Committed work allocations
• Resource availability views
• Insights reporting

This ensures alignment between project demand and organisational capacity.

Key Considerations

• Resource fulfilment should consider both current and future capacity requirements.
• Proposed demand represents requested effort that has not yet been formally committed.
• Committed demand consumes resource capacity and contributes to availability calculations.
• Resource availability is influenced by calendars, working time definitions, leave, and existing allocations.
• Availability Heatmaps support both capacity analysis and allocation decisions.
• Resources Insights can be used alongside Resource Demand to validate fulfilment decisions.
• Not all resource requests need to be fulfilled exactly as originally submitted.
• Significant fulfilment decisions should be documented through comments and organisational governance processes.

Tips

• Use monthly view for planning consistency
• Use FTE view for capacity-based planning
• Always validate availability before committing resources
• Use comments to explain fulfilment decisions
• Review demand regularly to prevent over-allocation
• Use the heatmap to rebalance workloads
• Review future planning periods before committing resources.
• Compare Proposed demand against Committed demand to identify upcoming resource pressures.
• Use Resources Insights to understand workload, utilisation, and capacity trends before approving allocations.
• Filter Availability Heatmaps to focus on the resources and projects most relevant to the fulfilment decision.
• Consider both resource availability and resource suitability when fulfilling requests.
• Review competing project priorities before overcommitting highly utilised resources.
  

Related Articles

• Identify and resolve resource overallocations
• Create and update resource requests in the resource plan
• Align project resource requests to the project schedule
• Drill-through Resources insights
• Navigate the Resources area