Headcount Forecast
FTE Staffing Forecast: Actual vs. Optimal
Current headcount of 148 FTE sits 10 above the modelled optimal of 138 — a 7.2% surplus. Based on pipeline hiring and projected attrition, total FTE is forecast to peak at 158 in September before easing to 152 by year-end, widening the gap to optimal if no intervention is taken.
FTE Headcount — Actual, Forecast & Optimal Staffing Level
| Month | Actual FTE | Forecast FTE | Optimal FTE | Variance to Optimal | Status |
|---|
| Jan 2025 | 142 | 142 | 136 | +6 | Over |
| Feb 2025 | 144 | 144 | 136 | +8 | Over |
| Mar 2025 | 146 | 146 | 137 | +9 | Over |
| Apr 2025 | 148 | 148 | 137 | +11 | Over |
| May 2025 | — | 150 | 138 | +12 | Over |
| Jun 2025 | — | 153 | 138 | +15 | Over |
| Jul 2025 | — | 155 | 139 | +16 | Over |
| Aug 2025 | — | 157 | 139 | +18 | Over |
| Sep 2025 | — | 158 | 140 | +18 | Over |
| Oct 2025 | — | 156 | 140 | +16 | Over |
| Nov 2025 | — | 154 | 139 | +15 | Over |
| Dec 2025 | — | 152 | 138 | +14 | Over |
Engagement Breakdown
Staffing Allocation & Utilisation by Engagement
The 10-FTE surplus is not evenly distributed. Meridian Platform Build carries the largest overstaffing (+6 FTE, 68% utilisation), while Vertex Compliance is understaffed by 2 and running at 96% — a burnout risk. Apex Cloud Migration is optimally staffed at the highest utilisation rate.
Current FTE vs. Optimal FTE by Engagement
Billable Utilisation % by Engagement
| Engagement | Current FTE | Optimal FTE | Variance | Utilisation % | Revenue / FTE ($K) | Excess Cost ($K) | Status |
|---|
| Meridian Platform Build | 42 | 36 | +6 | 68% | $142K | $486K | Over |
| Apex Cloud Migration | 28 | 28 | 0 | 92% | $198K | $0K | Optimal |
| Horizon Data Analytics | 22 | 20 | +2 | 76% | $168K | $182K | Over |
| Vertex Compliance Audit | 16 | 18 | −2 | 96% | $204K | −$162K | Under |
| Nova CRM Rollout | 24 | 22 | +2 | 82% | $156K | $218K | Over |
| Pulse Internal Ops | 16 | 14 | +2 | 62% | $88K | $336K | Over |
| Total / Blended | 148 | 138 | +10 | 78.4% | $162K | $1,260K | Over |
Engagement Trends
6-Month FTE Trend by Engagement
Meridian Platform Build has grown from 36 to 42 FTE since November without a corresponding increase in billable demand. Pulse Internal Ops has been flat at 16 but utilisation has dropped from 71% to 62%, suggesting scope reduction without headcount adjustment.
Revenue Efficiency
Revenue per FTE & Margin Contribution by Engagement
Revenue per FTE ranges from $88K (Pulse Internal Ops) to $204K (Vertex Compliance). Engagements running above 85% utilisation generate 2.1x more margin per head than those below 75%. The portfolio-level margin impact of reallocating the 10 surplus FTE is estimated at $1.26M annually.
Revenue per FTE ($K) by Engagement
Margin Contribution % by Engagement
| Engagement | Revenue ($M) | Labour Cost ($M) | Margin ($K) | Margin % | Rev / FTE ($K) | Cost / FTE ($K) |
|---|
| Meridian Platform Build | $5.96M | $5.04M | $924K | 15.5% | $142K | $120K |
| Apex Cloud Migration | $5.54M | $3.36M | $2,184K | 39.4% | $198K | $120K |
| Horizon Data Analytics | $3.70M | $2.64M | $1,056K | 28.5% | $168K | $120K |
| Vertex Compliance Audit | $3.26M | $1.92M | $1,344K | 41.2% | $204K | $120K |
| Nova CRM Rollout | $3.74M | $2.88M | $864K | 23.1% | $156K | $120K |
| Pulse Internal Ops | $1.41M | $1.92M | −$514K | −36.5% | $88K | $120K |
| Total | $23.61M | $17.76M | $5,858K | 24.8% | $162K | $120K |
Key Insights & Optimisation Actions
- Meridian Platform Build is the primary rebalancing target — 6 FTE above optimal with the lowest billable utilisation of any client-facing engagement (68%). Two senior consultants and one PM can be redeployed to Vertex Compliance immediately, recovering an estimated $324K in margin.
- Vertex Compliance is 2 FTE short and running at 96% utilisation — a burnout trigger. The team has logged 12% overtime in Q1. Backfilling from Meridian eliminates OT cost ($48K) while de-risking delivery on a high-margin engagement (41.2%).
- Pulse Internal Ops is margin-negative at −36.5% — revenue per head of $88K against a blended cost of $120K per FTE. This engagement needs a scope review: either increase billable throughput by converting 2 FTE to client-facing roles, or reduce team size by 2 and absorb remaining work into shared services.
- If the forecast FTE trajectory holds, surplus peaks at +18 in September — representing ~$2.3M in annualised excess labour cost. A targeted hiring freeze on Meridian, Nova and Pulse (5 open reqs) combined with natural attrition would bring forecast surplus to +8 by Q4, saving $960K.
- Apex Cloud Migration is the benchmark engagement — 92% utilisation, $198K revenue per head, and 39.4% margin with zero headcount variance. The delivery model (3:1 consultant-to-senior ratio, fixed sprint cadence) should be replicated as the staffing template for new engagements.
- Portfolio-level utilisation of 78.4% masks a wide spread — from 62% (Pulse) to 96% (Vertex). Normalising the bottom three engagements to 85% through reallocation alone would lift blended utilisation to 86% and recover $1.26M in currently absorbed idle cost.