Project Setup
Loading Summary
Design Manpower Histogram
Resource Loading Table
| # | Discipline | Role | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
About this resource loading histogram
This tool turns a list of disciplines and roles into a period-wise manpower plan and a stacked histogram. It is built for design managers, project managers, planners and proposal teams who have to show how a project will be staffed — whether that is a fee build-up for a bid, a resource-loaded programme, or a check that a bidder has actually resourced what they promised.
How it works
Set the programme start month and duration, and the tool generates the period columns. Add one line per discipline or role and enter the headcount for each period. The loading table totals every column, the histogram stacks the disciplines so you can see composition as well as total, and the summary recalculates as you type.
What it reports
- Design roles — the number of active resource lines
- Peak manpower — the highest headcount in any single period
- Peak period — when that peak occurs
- Average manpower — total man-periods divided by periods
- Total man-periods — headcount summed across all lines and periods
Why peak matters more than average
Average manpower sizes the effort and is what a fee is usually built from, but peak is what constrains everything physical: desks, supervision, transport, welfare and accommodation. A plan averaging 17 people with a peak of 24 has to be provisioned for 24. Reading the two together is the point of the histogram.
Reading the shape of the curve
A credible histogram ramps up gradually, holds a plateau through the main production period, and demobilises in a controlled way. Sharp isolated spikes mean mobilising people for a very short time and releasing them again, which is expensive and frequently impractical. When the histogram comes out jagged, the underlying programme usually needs resequencing rather than the resource plan being massaged.
Monthly or weekly
Switch the view between monthly and weekly periods. Monthly suits proposals, fee build-ups and longer programmes; weekly suits short design packages, mobilisation periods and any stage where day-to-day availability is tight. Resources can be imported from Excel or CSV, exported back to CSV, and the plan printed as a PDF.
Frequently asked questions
What is a resource loading histogram?
A resource loading histogram is a bar chart showing how many people are required on a project in each period of the programme. Bars are usually stacked by discipline or role so you can see both the total headcount and its composition. It is the standard way of presenting a staffing plan because the shape of the chart immediately reveals peaks, troughs and unrealistic ramp rates.
How do you calculate peak manpower on a project?
Total the headcount of every resource line in each period, then take the largest of those period totals. That figure is the peak manpower and the period it falls in is the peak period. It matters because it sizes your office space, supervision, transport and welfare provision, none of which can be planned from an average.
What is the difference between peak and average manpower?
Peak manpower is the highest headcount in any single period, while average manpower is total man-periods divided by the number of periods. Average tells you the overall size of the effort and is useful for budgeting, but peak is what constrains logistics. A project with an average of 17 and a peak of 24 needs facilities for 24.
What are man-months or man-periods?
A man-period is one person working for one period, so ten people for six months is sixty man-months. Summing headcount across every resource line and every period gives total man-periods, which is the figure normally used to price a design fee or check a staffing proposal against a budgeted effort.
Why does the manpower histogram need to be smooth?
Sharp spikes mean hiring or mobilising people for a very short time and releasing them again, which is expensive and often impractical. Reviewers look for a gradual ramp up, a sustained plateau and a controlled demobilisation. If the histogram is jagged, the underlying programme usually needs resequencing rather than the resource plan being adjusted.
Should I plan resources weekly or monthly?
Monthly suits proposals, fee build-ups and longer programmes where the trend matters more than the detail. Weekly suits short design packages, mobilisation periods and any stage where day to day availability is tight. This tool switches between the two views so the same data can be presented at either resolution.
Who uses resource loading histograms?
Design managers and project managers preparing staffing plans, planners producing resource-loaded programmes, proposal teams pricing a design fee, and clients or consultants reviewing whether a bidder has actually resourced the work they have promised to deliver.
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