Productivity & Project Management · Resource Planner + Claude
Resource Planner MCP with Claude: Smarter Team Scheduling and Workload Balance
The short answer
Claude works with Resource Planner through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a secure standard that acts as a universal adapter. Once connected with an API key, Claude can read schedules and time entries, make assignments, update allocations and generate utilisation reports from plain-language requests, within permissions your organisation sets.
What is Resource Planner?
Resource Planner is a scheduling and resource management service for teams. Organisations use it to assign people to projects, track how project time is spent and see how work is spread across a team. Project managers, resource managers and operations leads typically use it to avoid overloading some people while others have spare capacity. It helps teams plan who works on what, and when.
How Claude connects to Resource Planner through MCP
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets Claude securely use other software. Think of it as a universal adapter between Claude and a tool. With Resource Planner, the connection is set up using an API key, which you create and control inside your account. Claude only reaches the parts of Resource Planner that the key allows.
Once connected, Claude can read schedules, check who is assigned to which project, review logged time entries and see current allocations. It can then carry out requested actions such as scheduling an assignment, adjusting how many hours a person is allocated, or producing a utilisation report for a team or period. You ask for these things in everyday language rather than navigating menus.
Permissions and approvals keep people in charge. Access is limited to what the key is allowed to do, and we typically design the workflow so that consequential changes, such as moving a senior person across several projects, are reviewed by a manager before they take effect. Every action can be logged, so you always know what was changed and by whom.
What you can automate
Weekly Capacity Check for Project Managers
Each Monday, a project manager asks Claude which team members are over-allocated for the coming weeks. Claude reviews current assignments and allocations, lists anyone above a set threshold and suggests where hours could move. The manager reviews the suggestions and approves the changes, saving the time that a manual spreadsheet review would take.
Staffing a New Project Quickly
When a new client project is approved, a resource manager describes the roles and dates needed. Claude identifies people with matching skills and available capacity, drafts proposed assignments and checks them against existing commitments. The resource manager confirms the final team, and Claude records the assignments in Resource Planner.
Monthly Utilisation Reporting
Finance and operations leaders need to know how much billable time the team is delivering. Claude generates utilisation reports for chosen teams and periods, summarising hours assigned against hours available. The report can be shared with leadership without someone spending a day compiling figures by hand.
Timesheet Review Before Billing
Before invoices go out, a finance coordinator asks Claude to review time entries for a client project. Claude flags missing entries, unusually high totals and entries logged against the wrong project. The coordinator corrects the issues before billing, reducing disputes with clients.
Rebalancing After a Team Member Leaves
When someone leaves or goes on extended leave, a department head asks Claude to show that person's current assignments and find colleagues with spare capacity. Claude proposes a redistribution, which the department head reviews before any allocations are changed.
An end-to-end workflow: Project Kick-off Staffing and Billing Setup
TriggerA new client contract is signed and recorded in the organisation's CRM.
Claude reads the contract details from the CRM, including the required skills, start date and expected hours.
Claude checks Resource Planner for team members with matching skills and free capacity in that period.
Claude drafts proposed assignments and shows the resource manager the expected utilisation for each person.
After the resource manager approves the team, Claude creates the assignments and allocations in Resource Planner.
Claude posts a summary to the project channel in Microsoft 365 and creates a billing code for the project in the ERP system.
Weekly, Claude compares logged time entries with planned allocations and flags gaps for the project manager.
OutcomeProjects are staffed within a day of contract signature, with clear allocations, billing codes set up from the start and fewer surprises in the first month of delivery. Results vary by organisation and depend on how current the planning data is.
How we set it up
Free Automation Audit
We review how your team plans resources today, which spreadsheets and approvals are involved and where manual effort is highest. We identify the workflows worth automating with Resource Planner and Claude.
Secure API Key Connection
We connect Claude to Resource Planner using an API key that you create and control in your account. The key is scoped to the permissions the workflow needs, following least-privilege access, and it can be rotated or revoked at any time.
Workflow Design
We design the end-to-end process across Resource Planner and your other systems such as Microsoft 365, CRM, ERP or ticketing. Approval points are placed where people need to decide, so consequential changes are never made without human sign-off.
Testing and Launch
We test the workflow against real past projects and allocations, check the results with your managers, and then launch with monitoring and audit logs turned on.
Team Training
We train project managers, resource managers and finance staff on how to use Claude with Resource Planner, including how to review suggestions and handle exceptions. We stay available for questions after launch.
Who benefits
- Project Managers
- Spot over-allocation early and rebalance work without building manual reports.
- Resource Managers
- Staff new projects faster by matching skills to available capacity.
- Finance and Operations Leaders
- Get utilisation figures on demand and reduce the effort of month-end reporting.
- Department Heads
- Plan cover for absences and changes in team composition with clear options to approve.
Security and control
- Use an API key scoped to the minimum permissions each workflow requires, and rotate it on a regular schedule.
- Require manager approval for consequential changes such as large reallocations or changes to senior staff schedules.
- Keep audit logs of every action Claude takes in Resource Planner so changes can be traced.
- Limit which teams and projects Claude can see, so it only works with data its role needs.
- Test workflows on past data before launch and monitor them after go-live.
For teams in the US, UK, India and the Middle East
Organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom can run Claude-based workflows with hosting in their chosen region, aligned with local data protection expectations. In India, we design workflows to meet the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. For organisations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, we configure data handling to meet local data protection laws. Hosting region is chosen during design to meet your specific data residency requirements.
Learn more about Claude and MCP
Anthropic's AI model and assistant.
Secure links between Claude and business tools.
How engineers build and change software with Claude.
Hosted agents that run multi-step work.
The open standard Claude uses to connect to tools.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Resource Planner MCP server do?
The Resource Planner MCP server lets Claude connect to your Resource Planner account and work with it on your behalf. It allows Claude to read schedules and time entries, create assignments, update allocations and generate utilisation reports. Each capability depends on what the API key is allowed to do.
Is connecting Claude to Resource Planner secure?
Security depends on how the connection is set up. We use an API key that you create and control, scoped to only the permissions needed. Actions are logged, consequential changes can require approval, and the key can be revoked at any time. We design these controls before launch.
What can Claude actually do with Resource Planner?
Claude can review who is assigned to which project, check current allocations, review logged time entries, schedule new assignments, update allocations and produce utilisation reports. You make these requests in plain language, and Claude carries them out within the permissions you have set.
How long does setup take?
Setup time depends on how many systems are involved and how complex your approval process is. A focused workflow with one team is often running within a few weeks, including testing and training. We confirm a realistic timeline during the free automation audit.
Which plan or permissions do I need?
You need access to Resource Planner that allows you to create an API key, and the key must have permissions for the actions your workflow uses. The exact access depends on your Resource Planner account setup, which we review during the audit so you know what to check before we begin.