Billing and utilisation for implementation consultants: how to review fairly when projects slip

The review sheet lands on a delivery head's desk at the end of the quarter. One senior consultant shows low billing. Another shows full billing. The first spent six weeks waiting for the client to sign off master data. The second worked on a quick, repeatable roll-out. Putting the two numbers side by side suggests a conclusion that is unfair.

Implementation work slips for reasons outside any consultant's reach, so billing reviews need care. This post sets out a method that keeps the commercial discipline and treats people fairly.

Utilisation compares billable time with available time. It is a useful pulse for the firm. If many people sit unbilled, the business loses money, and you need to know early. But the figure says nothing about whether a consultant solved a hard problem, trained a client team or prevented a bad design.

It also depends on the project. A consultant on a fixed-scope contract that overruns may work long hours and bill less than planned. A consultant on a time-and-material contract bills as long as the client accepts the hours. The same effort produces different numbers.

• Client side: late data, slow approvals, changed key users, a delayed environment.
• Project side: scope added without a change request, weak estimates, dependency on another vendor.
• Individual side: missed deadlines, rework from careless configuration, poor communication.
• Firm side: late allocation, switching a consultant between projects, missing tools or access.

Most review arguments come from mixing these causes. A review that cannot tell them apart will blame the nearest person.

1. 1

   Collect the plain numbers

   For each consultant: planned and actual billable days, bench days, internal work, leave and training. Use the timesheet, then check it against the project plan.

2. 2

   Tag each gap with a reason

   For every shortfall, the project manager writes one line: client delay, scope change, estimate error, individual issue or firm allocation. No tag, no discussion.

3. 3

   Separate controllable from uncontrollable

   Show the consultant what part of the gap was theirs. Most of the discussion should be about that part.

4. 4

   Add quality and client signals

   Bring in defect counts after hand-over, the client's feedback and any coaching the person gave. A low-billing month with strong delivery is not a weak month.

5. 5

   Agree one action and one owner

   End the review with a single next step, such as a change request raised by the project manager or a reallocation by the delivery head.

Decide how bench time, internal practice work, presales support and training will be counted. Decide whether time on a client-delayed project counts against the person or is held neutral. Write the rules once, share them, and apply them to everyone.

The company sets targets, based on its costs, its pricing and its client mix. We do not suggest a figure here, because the right number depends on your practice. Our performance and productivity consulting work helps firms set goals that include utilisation without letting it dominate.

A bench week is not a wasted week if it is planned. Use it for a reusable template, a test script library, a client demo, a short course or a review of a colleague's design. Ask the consultant to propose the work, and have the delivery head agree it on Monday.

Track how often bench time follows a project ending early. If the pattern repeats, the fix belongs in sales forecasting and allocation planning, not in the consultants' appraisals. Share that view with the owner each quarter.

Consultant, project, role, contract type, review month.
Planned billable days, actual billable days, bench days, internal days, leave and training days.
Reason tag for each gap: client, scope, estimate, individual, firm allocation.
Evidence: email, change request, approval date or timesheet note.
Delivery quality: rework, defects, hand-over notes, client feedback.
Support given to colleagues or the client team this month.
Agreed action, owner and date. Follow-up at the next review.

People respond to what is measured. If only billing counts, consultants may avoid internal work, refuse to coach juniors, hide bench time by logging vague hours or stay on a comfortable account too long. Add measures for quality and learning, and the behaviour changes.

Billing pressure also feeds fatigue on difficult projects. Staffing an ERP implementation without burning out the team shows how to plan load across phases, and the HR guide for enterprise software companies covers wider delivery organisation.

If utilisation affects variable pay or promotion, say so clearly and show how context is treated. Consultants accept a fair rule more readily than a hidden one. Placing it inside a written ladder helps, as described in career paths for functional and technical consultants.