---
title: Resource management process
description: The resource plan is the key to understanding how resource management works.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-business-management/resource-management/r\_ResourceManagementProcess.html
release: australia
product: Resource Management
classification: resource-management
topic_type: reference
last_updated: "2026-03-12"
reading_time_minutes: 2
breadcrumb: [Resource Management classic, Project Portfolio Management, Strategic Portfolio Management]
---

# Resource management process

The resource plan is the key to understanding how resource management works.

**Important:** Resource plans in Resource Management will no longer be available for new customers from future releases.

You're encouraged to work on resource assignments which offers more flexibility using Resource Management Workspace or Project Workspace.

For more information about migrating from resource plans to resource assignments, see [Migration of resource plans and cost plans](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/resource-management/rsrc-plans-rsrc-asgmnts.md).

**Which approach applies to you?**

|Criteria|Resource Plans \(classic\)|Resource Assignments \(current\)|
|--------|--------------------------|--------------------------------|
|When to use|You're an existing customer who has not yet migrated to resource assignments.|You're a new customer, or an existing customer who has migrated or is migrating to resource assignments.|
|Workspace|Classic Resource Management modules \(Resource > Resource Plans\)|Resource Management Workspace or Project Workspace|
|Key features|Group-based allocation, request/confirm/allocate workflow|Direct resource assignment, auto/manual distribution, inline approval, heatmap views|
|Documentation|Resource Plans topics in this section|[Resource Management Workspace](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/resource-management/explore-rmw.md) documentation|

For detailed migration guidance, see [Migrate from resource plans to resource assignments](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/resource-management/rsrc-plans-rsrc-asgmnts.md).

A user with the resource\_user role can be a resource requester. Project managers are used as resource requesters in many examples because they typically have the resource\_user role and work on the planning for a project's execution.

A resource requester [creates a resource plan](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/resource-management/t_CreateResourcePlanProjectTask.md) to request user or group resources for tasks. Any type of task, such as a change request, a task in the Agile scrum process, or a project task can be added to a [resource plan](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/resource-management/c_ResourcePlans.md).

After a resource plan is submitted, a resource manager reviews the plan, confirms the resources, and finally allocates resources for the plan. Once the resource plans are approved, the resources begin work.

**Parent Topic:**[Resource Management classic](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/resource-management/c_ResourceManagement.md)