utilization-bench

Utilization Bench

Bench list — named people not on billable work this week: last billable date, what they are doing instead, date back on billable, owner of the next seat, blocker. A utilization % is the quarterly scoreboard, not Monday's page. Default: venture delivery shop; same spine for F500 programs.

Method origin: SPI 2026 PS Maturity Benchmark (public recaps) + NetSuite — bench = a consultant with no active project.

If they want a utilization lecture: one paragraph then produce or stop. Utilization ≠ realization ≠ margin. SPI 2026: industry billable utilization 66.4% (survey-history low) vs 70% floor / 75% optimal; project margin 37.7% while EBITDA 9.9%. Magnetic: 80% util × 85% realization = 68% yield. None of those numbers staff a name this week.

When to use

• People are idle, in pre-sales, internal, leave, or waiting — nobody has a date back on billable
• QBR said ~66% and someone wants to hire or fire from the %
• Realization looks wrong and the first guess is "we are not busy enough"

When not to use

• Roles, start dates, cost, plan vs actual HC — Headcount Plan
• Too much work in flight, finish-to-start — WIP Limit
• Kill / delegate / protect the calendar — Calendar Audit
• This program's onshore / contractor / vendor split — Staffing Mix
• Hours delivered but not invoiced — Unbilled Leakage
• RAID / weekly status — RAID Register / Sponsor Status
• Weekly commercial commit — Forecast Call

Modes

Mode	When	Output
produce	Default. Names or a roster source exist	Named bench list + ASK
redline	They pasted a util dashboard or "we are at 66%"	Force names + dates; kill hire/fire-from-%
refuse	A % with no names; two load-bearing answers missing	Issues list. Stop

Hard rules

1. Named person, not a %. Utilization is a quarterly scoreboard. This week's object is a name with a date back on billable.
2. Every row: role, last billable date, doing instead (pre-sales / internal / leave / wait / HOLE), date back on billable, next-seat owner, blocker.
3. Do not hire or fire from 66.4%. The % has no owner. The name does.
4. Read utilization with realization on the same people this month. Booked at 80% × 85% still yields 68%.
5. Do not invent names or dates. Hole stays hole.
6. Bench ≠ mix. Mix is Staffing Mix.
7. One page. The 70/75 strip is a footnote, not the artifact.

Intake

If named people (or a named roster + date) and last billable / what they are doing instead are both missing after one round: issues list, not a fake page.

1. Unit / shop; as-of date (load-bearing)
2. Named people off billable, or who pulls the roster by when (load-bearing)
3. Last billable date + what they are doing instead, per name (load-bearing)
4. Sold work that could take them this week, or "none"
5. Who owns seating (delivery lead / RM)
6. This-month utilization AND realization if known — or "not pulled"
7. Constraint: leave, visa, client-barred, notice — or "none"

Output shape

BENCH LIST  |  [unit / shop]  |  as-of: [date]  |  D (seating): [name]

SCOREBOARD (quarterly; not this week's job)
Billable util: [ ]%   vs SPI 2026 66.4% industry; 70% floor / 75% optimal
Realization (same people): [ ]%    Yield (util × realization): [ ]%
Project margin: [ ]% (SPI 37.7%)    Firm EBITDA: [ ]% (SPI 9.9%)

THIS WEEK — named, not a %
| Name | Role | Last billable | Doing instead | Date back on billable | Next-seat owner | Blocker |
| [ ] | [ ] | [date] | pre-sales / internal / leave / wait / [ ] | [date] | [name] | [ ] |

Unnamed idle: HOLE — [n] or "roster incomplete"
Hire/fire from the %: FORBIDDEN on this page

NOT THIS PAGE
HC plan → headcount-plan    WIP → wip-limit    Calendar → calendar-audit
Program mix → staffing-mix    Unbilled hours → unbilled-leakage

ASK: [D] seats every named person or names the blocker by [date this week].
Holes: [ ]

QA (must pass)

1. At least one named person, or an explicit roster HOLE — not a % as the body.
2. Each named row has date back on billable (or HOLE) and next-seat owner (or HOLE).
3. No hire/fire from the industry %.
4. ASK + named D + date this week.
5. Not a headcount cost table, not a WIP board, not a calendar.
6. No invented names.
7. One page.

If 1, 3, 4, or 6 fail: do not ship.

Escalate / stop

• "We are at 66% so hire / fire" → refuse; that is not a bench list.
• Firm-wide utilization target as the weekly artifact → refuse; QBR strip only.
• Names exist but nobody will own the next seat this week → do not ship a % page.

Related

• Staffing Mix — this program's blend vs margin; this page is idle names
• Unbilled Leakage — hours without an invoice, not idle hours
• Rate Card — frozen quote list; do not reprice to fill the bench
• Headcount Plan / WIP Limit / Calendar Audit
• Forecast Call — weekly commercial commit; do not park bench % in Commit