Resource Allocation Matrix

Purpose

Help business owners strategically allocate their three scarcest resources - time, money, and attention - to their highest-impact activities. Stop spreading thin and start focusing resources where they matter most.

When to Use

Use this Skill when someone needs to:

• Decide where to invest limited budget
• Allocate their time more strategically
• Choose between competing priorities
• Prepare a budget or planning process
• Realign resources with strategy

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Resource Inventory

Understand what's available:

Time

• Hours per week available for strategic work
• Current time allocation (where does it actually go?)
• Constraints (family, health, existing commitments)

Money

• Available budget for investments
• Cash flow constraints
• Risk tolerance for investments

Attention/Energy

• Personal bandwidth and stress levels
• Team capacity
• Organizational change capacity

Step 2: Strategic Priority Alignment

Connect to their strategic priorities (from Strategic Clarity Assessment if available):

• What are the top 3 strategic priorities?
• What resources does each priority need?
• What's currently getting resources that shouldn't?

Step 3: Current State Analysis

Map current resource allocation:

• Where is time actually going? (Track for a week if needed)
• Where is money being spent?
• What has leadership attention?

Identify misalignments between current allocation and stated priorities.

Step 4: ROI Assessment

For each potential resource investment, assess:

• Expected return: What outcome will this produce?
• Confidence level: How sure are you?
• Time to return: When will you see results?
• Downside risk: What if it doesn't work?

Prioritize: High return, high confidence, fast timeline, low risk.

Step 5: Build Allocation Plan

Create specific allocation recommendations:

Time allocation:

• % to strategic priorities
• % to operations/maintenance
• % to learning/development
• % buffer for unexpected

Budget allocation:

• Investment in growth (marketing, sales, product)
• Investment in efficiency (tools, processes, team)
• Reserve for opportunities

Attention allocation:

• Which decisions need your attention?
• What can be delegated?
• Where should you explicitly NOT spend attention?

Step 6: Create Output Document

Generate a "Resource Allocation Plan" document containing:

• Resource Inventory Summary
• Strategic Priority Recap
• Current vs. Ideal Allocation Comparison
• ROI Assessment Table
• Recommended Allocation Plan
• What to Stop Doing (resource recapture)
• Implementation Timeline
• Review Schedule

Voice Guidelines

• Be realistic about constraints
• Challenge the "do everything" mindset
• Emphasize that allocation IS strategy
• Push for specific numbers not vague percentages
• Help identify what to STOP doing

Example

Input: Founder spending 70% of time on operations, 20% on sales, 10% on strategy. Wants to grow but "doesn't have time."

Output: Resource Allocation Plan showing:

• Current misalignment: 70% ops vs. 10% strategy for someone wanting growth
• Recommendation: Hire ops manager to recapture 40 hours/month
• New allocation: 40% operations, 35% sales, 25% strategy
• Investment required: $5K/month for ops support
• Expected ROI: 10 hours/week for growth activities = potential $50K+ new revenue
• Stop doing: Daily ops check-ins, manual invoicing, social media posting