Definition

In an APC context, obtaining resources means securing the human, financial, physical and technological inputs a team needs to deliver its objectives. Monitoring their use means tracking consumption against plan, identifying variances and taking corrective action before performance is damaged. Together, these activities form the core of operational resource management as described in the CIPD’s resource-based view of the firm.

Why this matters for Business Planning

  • Level 1 knowledge: you must explain the main resource categories and describe how a manager sources and monitors each.
  • Under-resourced teams miss deadlines and create reputational risk; over-resourced teams waste money and undermine the business plan.
  • Monitoring resource use against budget is the feedback loop that keeps plans realistic and responsive to change.
  • The RICS expects regulated firms to be financially viable and well-managed, making resource oversight a regulatory as well as a commercial imperative.

Key principles

Identifying and sourcing resources

Before obtaining resources, a manager must map what is actually required: reviewing project pipelines, assessing current capacity and identifying skill or equipment gaps. Human resources are typically sourced through internal redeployment, recruitment, agency staff or freelance specialists. Physical resources such as survey equipment and vehicles are procured under framework agreements or competitive tender. Technology resources, including software licences, are increasingly obtained through scalable subscription models. A capacity plan matched to the fee pipeline is the most effective starting point for any surveying practice.

Monitoring resource use

Effective managers track resource use against plan on a regular cycle: monthly for financial resources and at key project milestones for human and physical resources. Key monitoring tools include timesheet analysis (comparing chargeable hours to budget), utilisation rates (the percentage of available capacity that is billable), overhead recovery ratios, and asset registers. Variance analysis, comparing actual use against plan, is the mechanism that triggers management action.

Taking corrective action

Monitoring is only valuable if it prompts timely decisions. Best practice is to define tolerance thresholds in advance so that action is automatic rather than discretionary. A variance of more than 10% on a project budget should trigger an immediate review. Corrective options range from reforecasting and reprioritising workloads to accelerating recruitment, renegotiating client timelines, or requesting additional budget approval.

Relevant RICS guidance and legislation

  • RICS Rules of Conduct (effective 2 February 2022) — Rule 2 (competent service) requires members to resource their practices adequately.
  • RICS Regulation: financial viability requirements — regulated firms must demonstrate financial soundness; inadequate resource management that leads to insolvency is a regulatory matter.
  • Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 — employers must manage risks arising from resource constraints, including overworked staff.
  • Equality Act 2010 — resource allocation decisions must not disadvantage employees on protected characteristics.

Ethics and Rules of Conduct angle

Rule 2 of the RICS Rules of Conduct requires competent and timely service. A practice that chronically under-resources its teams risks both client deliverable quality and staff wellbeing. Rule 5 (responsibility to society) is also relevant: a practice that cuts corners on health and safety resources or professional indemnity insurance in the name of cost control is placing short-term financial gain above its wider obligations. Resource management decisions are ethical decisions as much as commercial ones.

APC-style Q&As

Q (Level 1)What are the main categories of resource a surveying practice needs to operate?

The four main categories are human resources (qualified staff, graduates and support personnel), financial resources (working capital, fee income and reserves), physical resources (office space, survey equipment and vehicles), and information resources (software systems, data subscriptions and intellectual property). Most practices also rely on network resources such as sub-consultant relationships.

Q (Level 1)What is a utilisation rate and why does it matter?

A utilisation rate is the proportion of a fee-earner’s available time that is billed to clients, expressed as a percentage. It matters because it directly determines whether a practice generates sufficient fee income to cover costs and deliver profit. A consistently below-target utilisation rate signals over-staffing, inefficient work allocation or insufficient pipeline.

Q (Level 2)How would you monitor resource use on a project where you are responsible for a team of three surveyors?

(example) I would set up a timesheet system at project outset, allocating a budget of hours to each workstream. At each progress meeting I would compare hours spent to budget, check that milestones were being met, and review external costs against the agreed budget. If I identified an overrun of more than 10%, I would investigate the cause, consider whether to request additional fee from the client or reschedule lower-priority tasks, and update the project forecast accordingly.

Q (Level 2)What is variance analysis and how would you use it in a surveying practice?

Variance analysis compares actual resource consumption or expenditure against the budgeted figure, expressing the difference in absolute or percentage terms. A favourable variance means actual costs are below budget; an adverse variance means they exceed it. Applied monthly to fee income, staff costs and overhead spend, it prompts management questions: is the adverse variance a temporary blip or a structural problem, and is the budget still realistic?

Q (Level 3)Your team holds a fixed-fee valuation contract requiring ten valuations per week. Halfway through, you discover average time per valuation is 20% above budget and two team members have resigned. How do you respond?

(example) I would treat this as two overlapping crises: capacity loss and a time-cost overrun. Immediately I would assess whether the remaining team can sustain output through overtime or reprioritisation, and whether a freelance valuer can be engaged quickly. I would investigate the root cause of the 20% overrun and, if the fixed fee is genuinely unviable, initiate a transparent discussion with the client about programme adjustment. I would also escalate to my principal to ensure professional indemnity cover and quality checks remain intact, since the RICS Rules of Conduct require competent service to be maintained regardless of internal difficulties.