User guide

Quick start

Which route should I use?

Development + resources, step by step

1. 1. Project definition

   Name the project, pick the client or organisation, currency, start date and duration in months. The duration drives the Gantt and the monthly resource profile.

   • Set a start date so the Gantt shows real calendar months rather than M1–M12 labels.
   • Duration should be your delivery window, not the sum of effort — effort is derived from the components you capture.

2. 2. Platform layer selection

   Choose which layers of the platform are in scope: frontend, backend services, data, integration, security and identity, and DevOps or platform operations. Only selected layers appear in requirement capture.

   • Under-selecting layers is the most common cause of understated estimates — include the invisible work: monitoring, logging, secrets, environments.
   • You can come back and add a layer later; captured lines are preserved.

3. 3. Requirement capture (sub-workflow)

   Work layer by layer. For each layer add line items, set the quantity, an independent size (S, M, L, XL) and a complexity rating. Confirm the layer when you are happy, then move to the next one.

   • Size answers 'how big is one of these?'; complexity answers 'how hard is it?'. Keep them independent.
   • Quantity should be a count of distinct build items, not a count of screens seen by users.
   • Duplicate a line item when you need the same component at a different size or complexity.

4. 4. Skills, rates and effort matrix

   Set day rates per discipline for Junior, Senior and Expert, choose the seniority mix percentages, and tune the effort matrix — the base person-days for every discipline and size combination.

   • The junior, senior and expert percentages for a discipline must total 100%.
   • Changing the effort matrix re-costs the whole estimate immediately — use it to calibrate against past delivery actuals.

5. 5. Estimate review

   Review total person-days, base cost, contingency and total estimated cost, broken down by layer, discipline and line item. Export to CSV or PDF for stakeholders.

   • Check the validation panel before exporting — blockers indicate missing inputs that make the total unreliable.

6. 6. Resource plan & Gantt

   See the derived delivery schedule, workstream timeline, peak and average team size, run-rate per month and the monthly FTE demand heatmap by discipline.

   • If peak team size looks unachievable, extend the duration in step 1 and re-check the profile.

7. 7. Scenario comparison

   Create alternative scenarios by varying contingency, effort multipliers, complexity, day rates and quantities, and compare totals side by side against the baseline. Apply a scenario to write its assumptions back into the project.

   • Keep a pessimistic and an optimistic scenario alongside the baseline for commercial conversations.

Resources, step by step

1. 1. Engagement definition

   Capture the client, timeline, delivery mode and commercial settings. You can seed the whole estimate with the large transformation bid team template.

   • The template is a starting point — trim roles that are not in scope before pricing.

2. 2. Resource layers

   Select the capability layers in scope: leadership, strategy, architecture, engineering, data, security, business analysis, service, commercial and SME.

   • Each selected layer becomes a section in the task sub-workflow.

3. 3. Tasks & resources

   For each layer add tasks or workstreams, then staff each one with roles. Every assignment has a consulting grade, FTE, utilisation, duration in months and an optional uplift.

   • Effort = FTE × utilisation × months × working days per month. Cost = effort × grade rate × role uplift.
   • Use fractional FTE (for example 0.1 for an engagement partner) rather than shortening the duration.

4. 4. Grades & rates

   Maintain the consulting grade rate card from Partner to Graduate Analyst, plus expenses, discount and working-days-per-month assumptions.

   • Discount is applied to the base cost before contingency.

5. 5. Estimate review

   Review person-days and cost by layer, by grade and by line, with contingency and total estimated cost. Export as CSV or PDF.

6. 6. Plan & Gantt

   The task timeline and monthly FTE demand heatmap, with peak team size, average team size and run-rate at peak.

Working with the tools

Frequently asked questions