Can you recommend scheduling tools for a program manager who needs resource visibility across multiple projects?

Yes — for a program manager who needs resource visibility across multiple projects, I’d look for tools that combine project scheduling + portfolio/resource management + capacity planning.

Good options

1. Microsoft Project / Project for the web + Power BI

• Best if your org is already in Microsoft 365
• Strong for dependency tracking, timelines, and enterprise reporting
• Resource visibility can be expanded with Power BI dashboards
• Good for structured PMO environments

2. Smartsheet

• Very flexible and easier to adopt than traditional enterprise tools
• Strong portfolio views, Gantt charts, and workload tracking
• Good for cross-functional teams that want lightweight collaboration
• Useful if you need both scheduling and simple resource allocation

3. Wrike

• Good for managing multiple projects with shared resources
• Offers workload charts and portfolio views
• Strong collaboration and request intake features
• Useful for marketing, operations, and PMO teams

4. monday.com

• Easy to use and visually intuitive
• Supports timelines, workload views, and dashboards
• Good for teams that want flexibility without heavy process overhead
• Better for mid-market use than highly complex enterprise scheduling

5. Planview

• Strong enterprise-grade portfolio and resource management
• Designed specifically for capacity planning across programs/projects
• Very good if you need true cross-project resource optimization
• Best for larger organizations with formal PMO practices

6. Broadcom Clarity PPM

• Robust enterprise PPM platform
• Strong on resource management, financials, and project prioritization
• Suitable for complex programs and governance-heavy environments
• Higher implementation effort, but very powerful

7. Jira + Advanced Roadmaps

• Best if your teams are in software/product delivery
• Can visualize multiple team schedules and dependencies
• Resource visibility is decent, but less strong for enterprise capacity planning than PPM tools
• Often paired with plugins for deeper reporting

What to prioritize

For your use case, make sure the tool has:

• Cross-project resource views
• Capacity vs. allocation tracking
• Portfolio dashboards
• Timeline/Gantt views
• Dependency management
• Forecasting for future demand
• Role-based resource planning rather than only task assignment

Quick recommendation by scenario

• Enterprise PMO / complex resource planning: Planview, Clarity PPM
• Microsoft-centric organization: Project + Power BI
• Flexible mid-market scheduling: Smartsheet or Wrike
• Simple, easy adoption: monday.com
• Software delivery: Jira + Advanced Roadmaps

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a comparison table of these tools, or
2. a shortlist based on team size, budget, and industry.