01
1. Define the unit of work
Choose a unit that the operation can actually measure: rooms serviced, pallets handled, line items packed, square metres cleaned, meals prepared, calls answered or equipment checks completed. Record the site, operating window and service standard that applies to the unit. A generic worker total cannot be tested if the underlying workload is missing.
- Name the work unit and source of the forecast
- Separate routine volume from dated peaks
- Record quality, access and safety constraints
02
2. Estimate productive minutes
Measure or validate the productive minutes needed per unit under the actual worksite conditions. Include walking distance, security access, equipment collection, sanitation, handover and other required task time. Keep breaks, meetings, induction and predictable delay outside productive minutes so they are not counted twice.
- Use an observed or documented assumption
- State whether travel between work zones is included
- Recheck the assumption when layout or process changes
03
3. Convert workload into productive hours
Multiply forecast units by productive minutes per unit, then divide by 60. For example, 480 units at five productive minutes each equals 2,400 minutes, or 40 productive hours. This is an illustration, not a staffing promise: the measured time and actual service level must be supplied by the employer.
- Daily productive hours = units × minutes per unit ÷ 60
- Calculate each task family separately
- Keep base and peak scenarios visible
04
4. Set usable time per person
A paid shift is not the same as productive task time. Deduct approved breaks, fixed briefings, required preparation, expected travel and other non-productive but necessary activities. Divide the productive hours by the usable hours per person to get a first workload headcount, then round only after the assumptions are visible.
- Do not assume every paid hour is productive
- Use the actual shift and site rules
- Document rounding and minimum-post requirements
05
5. Add fixed posts and concurrent coverage
Some roles are driven by presence rather than volume. Reception, gate, control-room, helpdesk, first-response, specialist maintenance or zone-supervision posts may have to be covered continuously even when workload is low. Add these posts separately so a volume calculation does not accidentally remove essential coverage.
- List each fixed post by location and time
- Show overlapping handovers
- Identify qualifications or access permissions
06
6. Plan relief, absence and peak resilience
Decide how weekly rest days, approved leave, training, predictable absence and dated peaks will be covered. The employer should distinguish roster relief from an emergency replacement request. The chosen allowance must come from operating history or an approved policy, not an unsupported universal percentage.
- Keep relief assumptions separate from base workload
- Name the approval route for additional shifts
- Define the evidence used to review attendance and replacement needs
07
7. Check supervisor span and handoffs
Group workers by work zone, shift and task complexity, then decide which supervisor accepts attendance, quality and safety evidence. A mixed site may need different spans for routine cleaning, warehouse activity and technical work. Record shift handover time and the escalation route when work is incomplete or access is delayed.
- Name the accountable supervisor for every team
- Record quality and completion evidence
- Define change control before the first shift
08
8. Issue a comparison-ready employer brief
Provide suppliers with the same workload table, fixed-post schedule, usable-time assumptions, site constraints, relief method, supervision model and start dependencies. Ask each provider to identify exclusions and unresolved inputs. This makes proposals comparable without implying that workers, terms or mobilization dates are already confirmed.
- Attach the workload and shift table
- Ask for assumptions and exclusions in writing
- Confirm availability and timing only after review
