Definition

In an APC context, personal resource management means the deliberate allocation and monitoring of an individual’s own time, attention, professional skills and physical and mental energy. It encompasses time management, workload prioritisation, professional development planning and the recognition of personal limits. The CIPD’s wellbeing at work guidance frames effective personal resource management as both an individual and an employer responsibility.

Why this matters for Business Planning

  • Level 1 knowledge: you must explain what personal resource management means and describe practical strategies for managing your own time and workload effectively.
  • A surveyor who cannot manage their own time and workload will miss deadlines, produce substandard work and put client relationships and the firm’s reputation at risk.
  • The RICS expects members to maintain their own competence and wellbeing as a professional obligation under the Rules of Conduct.
  • For APC candidates, demonstrating self-awareness about how they manage competing demands at work is evidence of professional maturity that assessors value.

Key principles

Time management and prioritisation

Effective time management starts with a clear picture of what needs doing and when. Tools such as the Eisenhower Matrix (categorising tasks by urgency and importance) help surveyors distinguish between genuinely time-critical client deliverables and tasks that can be scheduled or delegated. Blocking focused work time in the diary, batching similar tasks and setting clear boundaries around interruptions are practical techniques. Time logs, kept for even one or two weeks, often reveal significant disconnects between how surveyors think they spend their time and the reality.

Workload planning and delegation

Over-commitment is one of the most common professional risks for surveyors. Effective personal resource management means assessing realistically what a piece of work requires, comparing that against available capacity, and either adjusting timelines, delegating tasks or flagging capacity concerns to a line manager. Delegation requires clear briefing, appropriate oversight and timely feedback, not simply offloading tasks to junior colleagues.

Professional development and CPD

Skills and knowledge are personal resources that require ongoing investment. The RICS requires members to maintain competence through CPD: identifying skills gaps, planning activities to address them, and recording learning systematically. A personal development plan (PDP) that links learning objectives to business planning goals is the most structured approach and is exactly the evidence an APC assessor expects at Level 1.

Relevant RICS guidance and legislation

  • RICS Rules of Conduct (effective 2 February 2022) — Rule 2 (competent service) requires members to maintain professional knowledge and skills.
  • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — imposes duties on both employers and employees to maintain safe working practices, including managing workload to avoid health risks.
  • Working Time Regulations 1998 — set limits on weekly working hours and require rest breaks, underpinning the legal framework for sustainable working.
  • RICS CPD requirements — members must undertake and record a minimum of 20 hours of CPD per year, making development planning a regulatory expectation.

Ethics and Rules of Conduct angle

Rule 2 of the RICS Rules of Conduct requires members to act competently and in a timely manner. A member who regularly over-commits or allows work quality to deteriorate because of poor personal resource management is in breach of this obligation, regardless of intent. Rule 1 (honesty) is also relevant: a candidate who accepts work they know they cannot deliver, without disclosing this, is being dishonest with their client or employer. Self-awareness and transparency about capacity are therefore ethical obligations as much as practical skills.

APC-style Q&As

Q (Level 1)What do you understand by personal resource management?

Personal resource management is the deliberate planning and monitoring of an individual’s own time, skills, energy and professional development to meet work commitments effectively and sustainably. It includes time management, workload prioritisation, delegation, CPD planning and wellbeing practices that support consistent high performance.

Q (Level 1)How do you prioritise when you have multiple competing deadlines?

(example) I list all outstanding tasks with their deadlines and flag those requiring significant preparation or third-party input. I block protected time in my diary for the most demanding items and address simpler tasks in shorter gaps. If I believe I cannot meet a deadline, I flag this to my supervisor early so that options can be considered before it becomes a problem for the client.

Q (Level 2)How does personal resource management link to the RICS Rules of Conduct?

Rule 2 requires RICS members to provide competent and timely service. A member who takes on more work than they can deliver to a professional standard, without disclosing capacity constraints, risks breaching both Rule 2 (competence) and Rule 1 (honesty). Managing workload transparently, maintaining CPD and being willing to flag capacity issues are all practical expressions of these obligations.

Q (Level 2)What is a personal development plan and why is it relevant to Business Planning?

A personal development plan (PDP) is a structured document identifying current skills, learning objectives, planned CPD activities and target completion dates. It is relevant to Business Planning because a practice can only deliver its business plan if its people have the skills to execute it. A PDP aligns individual learning goals with team competency requirements, ensuring resource development is planned rather than left to chance.

Q (Level 3)You have been appointed as project manager on a high-value instruction at the same time as your APC panel is approaching. How do you manage your personal resources to meet both commitments?

(example) I would map all deliverables and deadlines for both commitments against the calendar. Where genuine conflicts exist I would discuss support options with my supervisor, for example delegating specific project tasks to a junior colleague with appropriate oversight. I would set protected revision time each week and treat it with the same discipline as client appointments. If I concluded that quality was genuinely at risk for either commitment, I would raise that proactively rather than allow standards to slip, since Rule 2 of the RICS Rules of Conduct applies to both the professional instruction and the APC process.