PDWare ResourceFirst

Overview

PDWare ResourceFirst is enterprise software for planning project portfolios and the people needed to deliver them. It is best suited to PMO, engineering, operations, and finance leaders managing scarce specialist skills across substantial project workloads. Its central advantage is making capacity a constraint on portfolio decisions; its custom pricing and enterprise orientation are less compelling for small teams seeking an inexpensive planner.

Key features

ResourceFirst models prioritized skill demand against capacity across portfolios, teams, and time, with views of utilization and shortfalls. Its Waterline method draws a practical boundary: work within the capacity line can be funded, while work beyond it is deferred. That makes portfolio ranking more accountable to staffing realities, provided teams maintain useful demand and capacity inputs.

Scenario planning lets leaders compare alternative portfolios under the same constraints before committing headcount or budget. Project and assignment forecasts can be kept separate from the current plan, with approved changes posted back afterward. This supports genuine trade-off analysis without immediately changing the working plan.

Financial planning covers capacity costs, demand and unused capacity, cost centers, chargeback, and Waterline budget planning. Labor and financial waterlines, project ranking and score analysis, roadmaps, swimlanes, and pivot reports for projects, resources, finances, and skills give teams several ways to review plans. Project intake, budget tracking, and executive reporting extend the planning workflow beyond resource allocation.

Data exchange combines a secure full API with grid-based entry and Excel import and export for resource, project, assignment, asset, and scenario data. Integrations include SAP, Oracle Financials, Workday, Snowflake, Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, Excel, and Oracle Time & Labor. That breadth can connect planning to established systems, though buyers should assess which of those connections fit their environment.

User rights and organizational structures control access to objects and functions. PDWare describes SSO through SAML or LDAP, encryption in transit and at rest, network controls, and regular audits; qualified prospects and users can request SOC 2 certification details. The maker also describes a staffed support desk whose human staff handle tickets through resolution, and says Level-1 implementation typically takes 4–6 weeks. Its documentation includes version 9 guides covering resources, projects, assignments, scenarios, time tracking, financials, and administration.

Pricing

ResourceFirst has custom pricing, requested through PDWare’s sales team, which can also review onboarding options. Licensing depends on planning-group size and user types; workgroup packages are available for 50 and 100 users, alongside enterprise licensing. This structure is aimed at organizations ready to scope a deployment rather than buyers who need a transparent per-seat cost to compare quickly.

PDWare says many organizations begin with a pilot using their own data before taking on a long-term subscription. That offers a way to assess fit against real planning inputs, but the pilot does not replace a clear price and subscription proposal for budgeting.

Platforms

ResourceFirst is offered as cloud SaaS on Microsoft Azure or as a thin-client on-premise solution. The platform list also includes web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, API, and extension. The Azure and on-premise options give organizations a deployment choice; buyers should confirm which listed platforms and access methods apply to their intended configuration.

Who it's for

ResourceFirst is for executives, PMO directors and portfolio leaders, R&D and engineering leaders, and operations and finance teams that must balance project priorities against constrained specialist capacity and significant project labor costs. It is a stronger fit where resource forecasts and financial consequences need to shape portfolio choices than where a team only needs a lightweight project tracker.

Pros and cons

Pros: Capacity modeling and Waterline prioritization link portfolio decisions to real staffing limits, rather than treating project ranking as a stand-alone exercise.

Pros: Separate scenario forecasts let teams test alternatives before approved changes return to the current plan.

Pros: Financial planning, broad integrations, Excel exchange, and API access support coordination across planning and finance workflows.

Cons: Custom pricing and group-based licensing make cost harder to compare upfront, especially for smaller teams.

Cons: The capacity-led approach depends on dependable demand and staffing data; weak inputs undermine the value of its analysis.

Alternatives

Project Portfolio Management Software is a useful starting point for comparing the category. Planforge is worth considering when a permanent free cloud plan for up to four users or a freemium entry point is preferable. Rillsoft Project offers a freemium option and Linux, web, Windows, and self-hosted platforms for buyers weighing those deployment choices. Tempo Portfolio Manager has a free plan capped at 10 members, 3 projects, and 300 tasks, a useful defined starting boundary for smaller portfolios.

FoxPlan has a free tier capped at three users and supports API, web, and self-hosted platforms, making it an option for very small teams. ITM Platform offers free team-member access with timesheets, task progress reports, documentation, collaboration, and an Agile panel. Nimble has a free plan for up to 10 users and 10 projects, with Android, iOS, and web support. OnePlan has paid Basic and Professional plans at $10 a month and $30 a month, respectively, billed annually for 3 or more users. Planisware Orchestra is another paid option with pricing provided on request.

Verdict

Choose ResourceFirst if portfolio decisions must be grounded in constrained skill capacity, scenarios, and financial forecasts, and your organization is prepared to scope an enterprise deployment. Its strongest reason to buy is the direct link between what an organization wants to fund and what its people can deliver. Look elsewhere if upfront pricing or a small-team free plan is essential.