Resource forecasting for architects
It is important to determine whether you will have the correct number and mix of people available to be able to deliver the work that has been accepted. Having adequate resources in place to provide clients with a professional service is a requirement of both the ARB and RIBA codes.
RIBA Guidance Note 2 & Guidance Note 4
- 2.4 "Members should ensure that they have, or will have when needed, the appropriate competence, skills and resources to meet the requirements of the work for which they are bidding".
- 4.4 "When accepting an appointment members should not undertake to provide services which they know, or ought to know, are beyond their competence or resources".
ARB Code: Standards of professional conduct and practice
- Standard 4: Competent management of your practice.4.3 "You should ensure that you are able to provide adequate professional, financial and technical resources when entering into a contract and throughout its duration. You should also, where appropriate, ensure you have sufficiently suitably qualified and supervised staff to provide an effective service to clients".
To determine if their will be enough staff for a project, start by producing a people allocation forecast. This shows how work has been allocated to each individual in the practice over the coming weeks. The people allocation forecast should take into account people away on study leave, holiday, sick leave and so on. These values are deducted in arriving at the people available total. This total can then be carried forward to a project resource forecast which compares the total practice requirement with total current availability in order to predict shortages or spare capacity.
A rolling weekly forecast can be produced of the number of people that will be needed on a project-by-project basis. This can then be compared with the total number of people available. From this report it can be seen where shortages or surpluses may occur.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.
The changed R&D tax landscape for Architects
Specialist gives a recap on tax changes for Research and Development, via the ACA newsletter.
Structured product data as a competitive advantage
NBS explain why accessible product data that works across digital systems is key.
Welsh retrofit workforce assessment
Welsh Government report confirms Wales faces major electrical skills shortage, warns ECA.
A now architectural practice looks back at its concept project for a sustainable oceanic settlement 25 years on.
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
Government report and back track on copyright opt out for AI training but no clear preferred alternative as yet.
Embedding AI tools into architectural education
Beyond the render: LMU share how student led research is shaping the future of visualisation workflows.
Why document control still fails UK construction projects
A Chartered Quantity Surveyor explains what needs to change and how.
Inspiration for a new 2026 wave of Irish construction professionals.
New planning reforms and Warm Homes Bill
Take centre stage at UK Construction Week London.