Labor planning
How does ControlBoard® forecast the labor hours a job will take?
ControlBoard gives each job a labor forecast: how many hours or heads it will take, when, and whether it is on track.
A project manager forecasts by trade, cost code, both, crew or the job as a whole, and spreads the hours evenly, on a
curve, from the bid plan or period by period. Work moves earlier or later without changing the totals. Against the
forecast, ControlBoard shows budget, actual, earned hours, performance factor, hours to complete, projected final and
variance. Month closes and baselines keep a record of how the plan drifted, and the company’s plan health shows where
this job’s trades are short.
What you can do with it
- Forecast a job's labor hours over its life
- Re-forecast what is left
- Keep and compare snapshots
More about labor planning in ControlBoard
Already a customer? The step-by-step is in Help inside ControlBoard.
Updated
Common questions
Can we forecast labor by trade or by cost code?
Yes. A ControlBoard labor forecast can run by trade, by cost code, by both, or as one line for the whole job, and
crew lines sit beside the trades. A trade with a labor budget already starts with a line, so nothing budgeted is
missed.
Does ControlBoard compare the forecast with actual hours?
Yes. The forecast shows budget hours, actual to date, earned hours, percent complete and performance factor, then
hours to complete, projected final and variance. A by-period chart and an S-curve set forecast against time-card
hours and budget.
Can we see how the labor forecast changed over time?
Yes. Each month’s plan can be closed and kept, and the forecast compares to the baseline or the last month close.
Every spread saves a copy first, any snapshot can be restored, and a new baseline can be taken with a reason.