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Human resources
: staff time and skills 
(b) 
Material resources
, including raw materials, equipment, machine time and office space 
(c) 
Financial resources
, within budget guidelines 
(d) 
Information 
The first three of these are sometimes called 'the 4Ms': Manpower, Machine capacity, Materials and 
Money. 
A manager or supervisor may be responsible for allocating resources between: 
(a) 
Different ways to achieve the same objective (eg to increase total profits, sell more – or cut costs) 
(b) 
Competing areas, where total resources are limited 
A piece of work will be 
high priority 
in the following cases. 

If it has to be completed by a certain time (ie a deadline) 

If other tasks depend on it 

If other people depend on it 

If it has an important potential consequence or impact 
Routine priorities
or regular peak times (eg tax returns) can be planned ahead of time, and other tasks 
planned around them.
Non-routine priorities 
occur when unexpected demands are made. Thus planning of work should cover 
routine scheduled peaks and contingency plans for unscheduled peaks and emergencies. 
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CHAPTER 11
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LEADING AND MANAGING PEOPLE 
 
299 
1.9.3 Projects 
A
 project
 
is 'an undertaking that has a beginning and an end and is carried out to meet established 
goals within cost, schedule and quality objectives'. (Haynes, 1997). 
The main difference between project planning and other types of planning is that a project is not 
generally a repetitive activity. Projects generally: 

Have specific start and end points 

Have well-defined objectives, cost and time schedules 

Cut across organisational and functional boundaries 
The relocation of offices, the introduction of a new information system or the launch of a new product 
may be undertaken as a project. Other examples include building/capital projects, such as factory 
construction or bridge building. 
1.9.4 Project management 
The job of