Workforce planning for engineering capital projects

An engineering capital project needs a workforce plan that connects specialist capability to the delivery schedule. A headcount total cannot show whether the right expertise will be available for the next design decision, site activity or handover.

For employers planning projects in Ireland, a useful starting point is a view of the work by phase: what must be delivered, what it depends on and who is responsible for it. The resource requirement can then be tested against the programme rather than discussed in isolation.

This guide sets out a practical planning approach for project and engineering leaders. Adapt it to the scale, sector and governance of the actual project.

Start with the next decision and work package

Break the programme into meaningful packages and milestones. Identify the specialist input required to move each package forward, including technical decisions, coordination and review.

For each package, record:

• The output or decision required and the person accountable for it.
• The relevant engineering discipline and level of responsibility.
• Inputs that must be available before the work starts.
• Interfaces with vendors, other disciplines and operational teams.
• The expected period of specialist involvement.
• The evidence or information needed at handover.

Use the record to challenge a proposed start date. If the work is not ready, decide whether the person can contribute to preparation, whether another capability is needed first or whether the date should change.

Distinguish capability from availability

For each role or package, assess both the expertise required and the time available to perform the work. An internal specialist may have the relevant experience while also being committed to operational responsibilities or another project.

Ask the internal owner to confirm the capacity that can actually be allocated. Include technical reviews and decision-making time, not just execution activities.

The UK Government’s Project Delivery Functional Standard, section 7.4 offers a useful reference: it addresses future resource needs, shortfalls and replanning when resources are insufficient. It applies within UK government; it is cited here as a planning reference, not as a requirement for Irish employers.

For your own project, make the capacity assumption explicit. Show what changes if a shared specialist cannot provide the planned time.

Make interfaces part of the resource brief

A technical assignment should explain who the specialist needs to work with. Identify the project lead, relevant discipline leads, vendor contacts and the operational team receiving the work.

Agree how design queries, changes and unresolved issues will be raised. Include who can decide, who should be consulted and how the decision will be recorded.

Where two packages depend on each other, assign responsibility for the interface. Do not leave the workforce plan to imply that this coordination will happen simply because both packages have named engineers.

Review the interface arrangements when the project moves into a different phase. The people who need to participate in a design discussion may differ from those needed for installation, commissioning or operational handover.

Plan mobilisation before confirming the start

Develop a short readiness check for each assignment. Suggested items include access, induction, training, equipment, technical documentation and confirmation of the first work package.

Agree who will brief the specialist and review the initial output. If the assignment involves site-based work, confirm its actual attendance requirements rather than leaving them implicit in a general role description.

Record dependencies that remain open and the person responsible for resolving them. Distinguish a target mobilisation date from a confirmed date, particularly where the project depends on vendor delivery or completion of another package.

This gives both the programme and the specialist a clearer basis for planning the assignment.

Review the plan as the programme moves

Maintain a near-term view of confirmed work and a longer-term view of expected demand. Choose the review frequency to match the pace and uncertainty of the project.

At each review, ask which milestones have changed, what new capability is needed and whether current assignments still match the work. Record the effect on budget, resource duration and the receiving teams.

For a delayed package, consider the options before simply extending every assignment. Some work may continue; some may need to be resequenced; some may require a different specialist contribution. Make those decisions with the relevant technical and commercial owners.

Do the same when a programme accelerates. Identify the prerequisites for additional capacity and the management support that capacity will require.

Build handover into the workforce plan

Define what the next phase or operational team needs to receive. Suggested handover items include the agreed documentation, open issues, decision history, training and named owners of remaining actions.

Ask the receiving team to review the proposed handover while the relevant specialists are still engaged. Where overlap is needed, allow for it in the assignment plan and agree what it is intended to achieve.

Avoid using the departure date of an individual as the definition of a completed package. Establish the completion criteria and then plan the resource around them.

Choose the engagement around the work

A programme may need an individual engineer to support an established team, several specialists across phases or a separately defined professional service. Discuss the management responsibilities and deliverables before selecting the arrangement.

Berkley’s Engineering practice covers specialist disciplines including mechanical, electrical, process, project, validation and automation. When preparing a brief, explain the package, interfaces and mobilisation dependencies as well as the technical skills.

Speak to Berkley about workforce planning for your engineering programme.