Consulting firm · Resource management
Engagement staffing
Staff each new engagement with the right people before the start date, without double-booking consultants or surprising the client on day one. The resource manager proposes the team, an AI agent checks it against the request, the partner approves it and the client agrees the key people through a shared link.
- Duration: 1 to 2 weeks
- How often: For every new engagement or phase
- Steps: 7 steps
- AI agents: 1 AI agent
- Approvals: 1 approval
Free plan, no credit card needed.
What changes with this template
Without it
Engagements are staffed with whoever is free that week.
Two engagement managers book the same consultant.
The client meets the team for the first time on day one.
Consultants hear about their next engagement the day before it starts.
With it
Each role is matched on skills, seniority and availability, with a backup.
Bookings on other engagements are checked before the partner approves the team.
The client sponsor agrees the key people through a shared link before anyone is booked.
Each consultant knows their role and start date, and the team is briefed before day one.
The template, step by step
Each step says who does it: someone on your team, an AI agent, or the client through a shared link. An approval keeps every later step locked until it is given.
- Done by your team
- Done by an AI agent
- Done by the client, through a shared link
Starts when
A proposal is accepted or close to it. The engagement manager starts a run with the start date and the roles the engagement needs.
- 1
Request the roles the engagement needs
Hidden from the shared linkDay 1Engagement manager · Team
Record each role with its skills, seniority, days per week and dates, plus any client requirement such as language, location or security clearance.
Checklist
- Roles match the proposal
- Budgeted days checked
Fields to fill in
- Start date (required)
- Roles needed (required)
- Client requirements
- Budgeted days (required)
- 2
Propose consultants for each role
Hidden from the shared linkDays 2 to 4Resource manager · Team
Match available consultants to each role on skills, availability and development needs, and propose one person per role with a backup.
Checklist
- Availability checked
- Bookings on other engagements checked
- Development needs considered
Fields to fill in
- Proposed team (required)
- Backups
- Roles without a match
- 3
Check the proposal against the request
Day 4Staffing checker · AI agent
The staffing checker compares the proposed team with the roles, dates, budgeted days and client requirements, and lists any role without a match and any mismatch.
Fields to fill in
- Staffing check result (required)
Checked by: The engagement partner checks the result and the proposed team in step 4, before approving the team.
- 4
Approve the team
Hidden from the shared linkDays 4 to 5Engagement partner · Team
Review the staffing check and the proposed team, settle any gap with the resource manager, and approve the team.
Checklist
- Every role has a person
- Seniority fits the fee
- Gaps settled with the resource manager
Fields to fill in
- Approved team (required)
Approval: No one is confirmed to the client or the consultants until the engagement partner approves the team.
- 5
Agree the key people
Days 5 to 8Client sponsor · Shared link
Through the shared link, the client sponsor reviews the profiles of the key people the firm sent and records whether they agree, or what they need instead.
Checklist
- Team profiles reviewed
Fields to fill in
- Decision (required)
- Concerns or requests
- 6
Book the consultants
Hidden from the shared linkWeek 2Resource manager · Team
Book each consultant on the engagement for the agreed days, release the backups, and tell each person their role, start date and engagement manager.
Checklist
- Bookings entered in the resource plan
- Each consultant told their role and start date
- Backups released
Fields to fill in
- Link to the resource plan
- 7
Brief the team before the start
Week 2Engagement manager · Team
Brief the team on the client, the scope and the ways of working, and request the access and equipment the client requires.
Checklist
- Team briefing held
- Client access requested
- Engagement codes shared
Fields to fill in
- Team briefing date (required)
Done when
Every role has a booked consultant, the client has agreed the key people, and the team is briefed before the start date.
Make it yours. Rename steps, change owners and add checklist items, fields or approvals. The template is a starting point for the way your team works.
The AI agents in this template
An agent only works on its own steps, and a person on your team checks what it did. Anything an agent writes to a connected app waits for approval unless you allow it.
Staffing checker
Checks the proposed team against the roles, dates, days and client requirements before the partner decides.
What it does
- Reads the roles, dates, days and client requirements from step 1
- Reads the proposed team and backups from step 2
- Lists roles without a match and any mismatch in seniority, days or dates
- Writes the result into its step and completes it
Checked by: The engagement partner checks the result and the proposed team in step 4, before approving the team.
Questions this template answers
Start from the roles the engagement needs, with skills, seniority, days and dates, and match people to roles rather than roles to whoever is free. Step 1 records the roles, and in step 2 the resource manager proposes one consultant per role with a backup.
Check availability and bookings on other engagements before proposing anyone, and book only once the team is approved. Step 2 checks availability and other bookings, and step 6 books the agreed days in the resource plan after the approval in step 4.
Send short profiles of the key people and ask the client sponsor to record their decision before anyone is booked. In step 5 the client sponsor agrees the key people through a shared link, or notes what they need instead.
Use AI to check a proposed team against the request, and leave the choice of people to the resource manager and the partner. In step 3 the staffing checker lists roles without a match and mismatches in seniority, days or dates, and in step 4 the engagement partner reviews them.
The engagement partner, who answers for the quality and the fee, should approve the team before anyone is told. Step 4 is an approval gate: no one is confirmed to the client or the consultants until the partner approves.
Brief the team on the client, the scope and the ways of working, and request client access before day one. Step 7 records the team briefing and the access requests, so the team can work from the start date.
Run this workflow in OKiDO
Set up the steps, owners and approvals once, then start a run for every new case.