This article introduces resource allocation against project requests in KEBS and explains the difference between soft and hard bookings. You will learn how quote positions on a project are converted into People Allocation Requests, how to fill in the full request form, and when to use a Hard Booking versus a Soft Booking based on the certainty of the project commitment.
CRM Quote Positions and Raising Allocation Requests
How quote positions from the CRM flow into the project and generate resource allocation requests
What You Will Achieve
Understand how CRM quote positions are surfaced inside a project and how to raise a People Allocation Request directly from a quote position so the right roles are staffed before delivery begins.
👤 Resource Manager
👤 Delivery Manager
👤 Project Manager
👤 Allocation Coordinator
When a deal is won in KEBS CRM and a project is created, the staffing requirements defined in the CRM Quote carry forward into the project’s Allocation and Planning tab. Each role defined in the quote appears as a Quote Position under the CRM Quote sub-tab. Resource managers use these positions as the starting point for raising formal People Allocation Requests, ensuring that every role committed to the client is tracked against a request with a defined owner, timeline, and booking type.
How to navigate to CRM Quote positions
- 1Navigate to Projects in the left sidebar and open the relevant project record.
- 2Click the Allocation and Planning tab in the project navigation bar.
- 3Inside Allocation and Planning, click the CRM Quote sub-tab. The sub-tab is highlighted in red when active.
- 4The CRM Quote view lists all quote positions that were defined in the CRM opportunity linked to this project. Each row shows the Quote Position ID, Quote Position Name, Quote ID, and any existing Request ID, dates, status, priority, and number of requests raised so far.
- 5Use the Search by Quote Position bar to filter the list if there are many positions.
- 6Use the Search Opportunity dropdown at the top left to switch between opportunities linked to this project if the project is associated with more than one deal.
CRM Quote list column reference
| Column | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Quote Position ID | The unique identifier for the position as defined in the CRM Quote (for example, 10530). |
| Quote Position Name | The role title as named in the CRM Quote (for example, Database Administrator, Data Testers). |
| Quote ID | The identifier of the CRM Quote this position belongs to. All positions from the same quote share the same Quote ID (for example, 3166). |
| Request ID | The ID of the People Allocation Request raised for this position, if one has already been submitted. Blank if no request has been raised yet. |
| Request Start Date | The start date of the allocation request raised for this position. |
| Request End Date | The end date of the allocation request raised for this position. |
| Status | The current status of the allocation request (for example, Open, In Progress, Fulfilled). |
| Priority | The urgency level assigned to the allocation request when it was created. |
| No of Requests | The number of allocation requests that have been raised against this quote position. A position can have multiple requests if the role requires more than one person. |
| Action | The Request button. Click to open the New People Allocation Request form for that position. |
📘 Note: The Customize button in the top-right of the CRM Quote view allows you to show or hide columns in the position list. Use this to simplify the view when you only need to see specific fields during a resourcing review.
Completing the New People Allocation Request Form
How to fill in quote details, assignment duration, and job information when raising a resource request
What You Will Achieve
Submit a complete and accurate People Allocation Request from a CRM Quote position, ensuring the resource management team has all the information needed to find and confirm the right candidate.
👤 Project Manager
👤 Delivery Manager
👤 Resource Manager
Clicking Request on a CRM Quote position opens the New People Allocation Request form. The form is pre-populated with the Quote ID and Quote Position ID from the originating quote row. You complete the remaining fields to specify exactly what kind of resource is needed, when they are needed, and under what organisational and commercial structure the request sits.
Quote Details section
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Yes | The role being requested. Select from the available positions in the dropdown. This should match the Quote Position Name from the CRM Quote row. |
| Currency | No | The currency in which the resource cost for this position will be tracked. Defaults to the project or account currency if not set. |
| Location | No | The preferred work location for the resource being requested (for example, Chennai, Bangalore, London). |
| Entity | No | The legal or operational entity within your organisation that the requested resource will be employed or contracted under. |
| Division | No | The organisational division the resource will be aligned to for this assignment. |
| Subdivision | No | A further subdivision within the selected Division, if applicable to your organisation’s structure. |
Need Client Interview
The Need client interview toggle determines whether the selected candidate must be interviewed and approved by the client before the allocation is confirmed. This is relevant for client-facing engagements where the client has the right to approve individual staffing decisions. Set to Yes if the client has stipulated an interview step in the contract or SOW. Set to No to allow the allocation to proceed directly to internal approval without a client interview.
Assignment Duration
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment Start Date | Yes | The date on which the resource is expected to begin working on this project. This is the start of the billable or deployable period, not necessarily the request creation date. |
| Assignment End Date | Yes | The date on which the resource’s assignment on this project is expected to end. The resource manager uses this to assess availability and manage bench planning after the assignment closes. |
💡 Tip: Enter the Assignment Start and End Dates based on the delivery schedule in the project plan, not the date you are raising the request. The gap between the request date and the Assignment Start Date is the lead time available to the resource management team to find and confirm the right candidate. A longer lead time improves the quality of allocation decisions.
Delivery Organisation, Basic Details, and Booking Type
How to complete the lower section of the allocation request, including the booking type selection
What You Will Achieve
Fully specify the organisational structure, project role, utilization, location, and booking type for the request so the resource management team can make an accurate and conflict-free allocation decision.
👤 Project Manager
👤 Delivery Manager
👤 Allocation Coordinator
Delivery Organisation section
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Region Group | Yes | The delivery region from which the resource will be managed. Select the appropriate region group from the dropdown. |
| Entity | No | Pre-populated based on the Region Group selection. Identifies the legal entity responsible for the delivery of this resource. |
| Division | No | Pre-populated based on the Region Group selection. Identifies the delivery division. |
| Subdivision | Yes | The subdivision within the delivery organisation. Must be selected or confirmed before the request can be submitted. |
| Allocation Coordinator | Yes | The KEBS user responsible for coordinating the fulfilment of this request. This person is notified when the request is submitted and is accountable for finding a suitable candidate. |
If the Entity, Division, or Subdivision values shown are incorrect, click Edit Organisation Details (the green link below the Region Group field) to update them before submitting the request.
Basic Details section
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Project Role | Yes | The role the resource will play within the project team (for example, Project Team, Technical Lead, Consultant). This determines how the resource appears in project reporting and billing. |
| Utilization Capacity | Yes | The percentage of the resource’s working time to be allocated to this project. Enter 100 for a full-time assignment. Enter a lower value if the resource will be shared across multiple projects concurrently. |
| Customer | Yes | The client account this resource will be working for. Pre-populated from the project’s linked account (for example, Pfizer). |
| Request Type | Yes | The type of resource request being raised. Select from the available options to classify whether this is a new hire, internal transfer, contractor request, or another request category. |
| Work Location | No | The specific location where the resource will be based during the assignment (for example, Chennai). This is used for logistics planning and work-from-office compliance tracking. |
| Requested Closure Date | Yes | The date by which the allocation request must be fulfilled. This is the deadline for the resource management team to confirm a candidate. Set this to give the team a realistic window to allocate without impacting the Assignment Start Date. |
| Onsite / Offshore / Nearshore | Yes | The work model for the assignment. Select Onsite if the resource must work at the client location, Offshore if the resource works remotely from a delivery centre, or Nearshore for a hybrid or proximate delivery model. |
| Booking Type | Yes | Determines whether the allocation is a Hard Booking or a Soft Booking. See the booking type comparison below for full guidance on when to use each option. |
| Priority | Yes | The urgency level of the request. Options typically include High, Medium, and Low. High priority requests are surfaced first in the resource manager’s allocation queue. |
| Commercial | Yes | The commercial model governing the resource’s billing for this assignment (for example, Time and Materials, Fixed Price). This links the allocation to the correct billing structure in the project’s finance records. |
Hard Booking vs Soft Booking: When to Use Each
Understanding the operational difference between the two booking types and choosing the right one for your request
What You Will Achieve
Select the correct booking type for every allocation request so that resource availability is accurately reflected across the organisation and no conflicts are created by over-committing resources to unconfirmed work.
👤 Resource Manager
👤 Delivery Manager
👤 Project Manager
👤 Allocation Coordinator
The Booking Type toggle on the People Allocation Request form is one of the most consequential fields in the entire request. The choice between Hard Booking and Soft Booking determines how KEBS treats the resource’s availability from the moment the request is submitted. Getting this right prevents availability conflicts and keeps the resource management team’s capacity data accurate.
Hard Booking
Locks availability immediately
- The resource is marked as fully committed for the assignment date range in KEBS as soon as the allocation is confirmed.
- No other project manager or resource manager can propose the same resource for an overlapping period without seeing a conflict warning.
- Appears in utilization reports as a confirmed allocation, contributing to billable utilization calculations.
- Use when the project is signed, the client engagement is confirmed, and the resource’s involvement is certain.
- Converting a Soft Booking to Hard Booking triggers a notification to the Allocation Coordinator to update availability records.
Soft Booking
Holds availability provisionally
- The resource is flagged as tentatively reserved for the date range but their availability is not fully blocked in KEBS.
- Other resource managers can still see the resource as available and raise competing proposals for overlapping periods.
- Appears in utilization forecasts as a provisional allocation, useful for pipeline planning without hard-committing headcount.
- Use when the project is likely to proceed but has not yet been formally signed, or when the client has not yet confirmed the staffing roster.
- Must be upgraded to a Hard Booking once the project is confirmed to lock the resource’s availability for delivery.
When to use each booking type
| Scenario | Recommended Booking Type | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Project is signed and delivery start date is confirmed | Hard Booking | The resource’s involvement is certain. Locking availability prevents other projects from claiming the same resource and causing a conflict at delivery start. |
| Project is at 70-80% probability, not yet signed | Soft Booking | Resource planning needs to begin but committing a Hard Booking could unnecessarily block availability if the deal does not close. |
| Client has not yet approved the named resource | Soft Booking | A client interview or approval step is still outstanding. Hard Booking before the client approves the resource creates a false commitment in the system. |
| Resource is being shared across two projects simultaneously | Hard Booking (split capacity) | Set Utilization Capacity below 100% on each request and use Hard Bookings to lock both partial allocations. Ensure the combined capacity does not exceed 100%. |
| Exploratory staffing plan for a bid in progress | Soft Booking | Pipeline staffing plans should use Soft Bookings to model headcount without affecting real-time availability data used by active project teams. |
⚠️ Warning: Raising a Hard Booking for a resource before the project is confirmed is one of the most common causes of availability conflicts in KEBS. If the project is subsequently delayed or lost, the Hard Booking must be manually removed by the Allocation Coordinator to release the resource’s availability. Always use Soft Booking for unconfirmed work and upgrade to Hard Booking only when the engagement is formally signed.
💡 Tip: After submitting a People Allocation Request, the request appears in the People Allocation module under the Requests view. The resource management team uses the Smart AI Allocation engine to rank and propose candidates against the request. You can track the status of your request at any time by returning to the CRM Quote sub-tab and checking the Request ID, Status, and No of Requests columns for the relevant quote position.
How to submit the completed request
- 1Complete all mandatory fields in the Quote Details, Assignment Duration, Delivery Organisation, and Basic Details sections. Mandatory fields are marked with a red asterisk.
- 2Select the appropriate Booking Type using the toggle. Choose Hard Booking for confirmed work or Soft Booking for provisional or pipeline work.
- 3Review all entries before submitting. Pay particular attention to the Assignment Start Date, Utilization Capacity, and Booking Type as these have the greatest operational impact on the resource management team’s workflow.
- 4Click Submit Request in the top-right corner of the form. The request is sent to the Allocation Coordinator and appears in the People Allocation Requests queue for action.
- 5To cancel without submitting, click Cancel or click Back to return to the CRM Quote list without creating a request.
