Manage physical resources*

Overview

This unit is about ensuring the availability of the physical resources (equipment, materials, premises, services and energy supplies) required to carry out
planned activities in your area of responsibility. It involves identifying the resources required, making the business case to obtain these resources, planning how they will be used effectively, efficiently, sustainably, safely and securely, monitoring resource use and taking corrective action, if required.


The unit is recommended particularly for first line managers and middle managers.

This unit is linked to units: E1 Manage a budget.

  1. Manage finance for your area of responsibility.
  2. Ensure health and safety requirements are met in your area of responsibility.
  3. Manage the environmental impact of your work in the overall suite of
  4. National Occupational Standards for Management and Leadership.
Performance criteria
 
You must be able to:
  1. invite those who use resources to contribute to identifying the resources required and planning and monitoring their use
  2. evaluate past patterns of resource use and trends and developments likely to affect future demand for resources
  3. identify the range and quantity of resources required for the planned activities in your area of responsibility, including likely contingencies identify sustainable resources and ensure their effectiveness and efficiency
  4. make the business case for the resources required, clearly showing the
  5. costs involved and the expected benefits
  6. agree appropriate adjustments to your planned activities, where the required resources cannot be obtained in full
  7. make arrangements with suppliers for resources to be available when required
  8. plan to use resources in ways that are efficient and minimise any adverse impact on the environment
  9. take appropriate action to ensure the security of resources and that they are used safely
  10. monitor the quality of resources and patterns of resource use continuously
  11. take timely corrective action to deal with any significant discrepancies between actual and planned resource use

Knowledge and understanding

You need to know and understand

General knowledge and understanding

  1. why it is important to involve those who use resources in identifying, planning and monitoring resources, and how to do so

  2. how to identify the range and calculate the quantity of resources required to carry out planned activities
  3. the importance of using sustainable resources and how to identify such resources and ensure their effectiveness and efficiency
  4. how to carry out a cost-benefit analysis
  5. how to make a business case
  6. how to develop an operational plan and make adjustments to the plan if required resources cannot be obtained in full
  7. how to make arrangements with suppliers to ensure resources are available when required
  8. the potential impact of resource use on the environment and actions you can take to minimise any adverse impact
  9. risks associated with the types of resources used and actions you can take to ensure resources are secure and used safely
  10. the importance of monitoring the quality and use of resources continuously, and how to do so
  11. the types of corrective actions (e.g. changing planned activities, changing the ways in which resources are used for activities, renegotiating the availability of resources) you can take in case of significant discrepancies between actual and planned resource use

Industry/sector specific knowledge and understanding

  1. industry/sector requirements for managing physical resources

Context specific knowledge and understanding

  1. past patterns of resource use in your area of responsibility and how to access this information

  2. trends and developments that affect future demand for resources in your area of responsibility and how to evaluate the likely impact of these
  3. the planned activities in your area of activity and possible contingencies
  4. actual and potential suppliers of the resources you need