INSIGHTS FROM THE RMI SURVEY SERIES
Ready for AI Resource Management? Survey Says… Not Yet.
AI is fundamentally changing how professional services firms staff projects, manage capacity, and deliver outcomes. And the firms that figure out AI resource management will shift from operational management to strategic influencers, outpacing everyone.
But new research from the Resource Management Institute and Kantata shows that most organizations aren’t there yet. Professionals across 44 firms — from consulting and IT services to agencies — have a large appetite for AI-augmented resource management, but their data’s holding them back.
Most Firms Are Still Early in AI Resource Management
Everyone's talking about AI transforming resource management, yet most firms are earlier in the journey than you’d think. When asked, 39% said they’re in traditional staffing mode with ad hoc AI use. Another 30% are just now starting to explore, with no workflow changes.
Are you maximizing your workforce?
A hybrid AI/human workforce isn't some faraway future — it's happening now. But only 11% of firms are actively implementing pilots with a formalized approach to planning and assigning AI agents. Nearly a third don't have AI agents on the roadmap at all.
Organizations Expecting to Use AI Agents as Part of Assignable Workforce
11%In Implementation
57%Not Yet Operational, But on the Roadmap
32%Not On the Roadmap
Bad data is stalling AI ambitions
Using AI for resource management relies on data — good data. But most firms simply aren't there yet. 47% of firms cited poor data quality or fragmented data across skills, outcomes, demand, and capacity as the biggest gap standing in the way of AI in resource management.
“Kantata's resource management software connects your people, project, and financial data into a single, trusted platform — so your AI ambitions are built on a solid foundation from the start.”
The real AI ask? It's all about practicality.
Firms don’t want a complete overhaul — when asked how they want AI to support resource management, their requests were shockingly practical:
- Refining demand and capacity forecasts (72%)
- Enhancing skills intelligence (68%)
- Automating matching and scheduling (66%)
Firms want smarter, faster AI resource management. And with 45% of firms citing productivity and reducing time on low-value work as their top AI objective, it makes sense. They want wins they can feel now.
Who delivers the best outcomes? No one knows.
Knowing which combinations of people (or people and agents) consistently produce strong outcomes for clients is one of the most powerful tools for smarter resource management. 73% of firms agree, saying it'd be “very” or “extremely” valuable to have that intel.
But almost no one has it. Only 7% say their outcome data is easily accessible and routinely used for staffing decisions.
Kantata's Expertise Engine captures what makes your best delivery happen and activates that intelligence in every future staffing decision, so you can always deliver amazing.
Closing the AI resource management gap
Professional services firms know where they want to go with AI resource management, but don't have the foundation to close the gap — the data, the tools, and the visibility.
Download the full report to see where your organization stands, how your peers are navigating the shift, and what it takes to move from AI ambition to action.
Download the Study