From scheduling to confident forecasting

Denver Technology delivers engineering consulting, project delivery, and managed services across operational technology (OT) and IT. Coordinating that work means balancing specialist resources, project timelines, and a steady pipeline of new opportunities.

As Operations Manager, Brad Hardwicke is responsible for planning resources across the delivery team and understanding how upcoming work will affect capacity.

Before Runn, Denver Technology built resource forecasts using reporting from its project management system. Since forecasts only reflected confirmed work, visibility was limited to work that had already been contracted.

When evaluating different resource management and capacity planning tools, Runn stood out for its simplicity.

"One of the things that attracted me to Runn at first was the simplicity of the UI, the ability to drag and move items to create forecasts within moments, and how quickly we could create tentative projects."

Beyond the interface, Runn's ability to visualize utilization across teams showed it could support the way the business planned its work.

"The feature that really sold it to me was being able to see utilization across a team or discipline, from day-to-day right through to the next six months, and where we needed to target to gain more work or hire another staff member."

Connecting pipeline to delivery capacity

Denver Technology now plans work much earlier in the sales process.

Instead of waiting for projects to be confirmed, the team creates tentative projects while opportunities are still being estimated. That gives project managers an early view of delivery requirements, team capacity, and when work could realistically begin.

"We've been able to utilize tentative projects when we're estimating work for our clients. If we were to win this opportunity, what would it look like? When would we be able to do it? Who would do that work?"

That process begins as soon as a proposal has been sent to the client.

"As soon as we send a quoted opportunity, we create it as a tentative project in Runn,” says Hardwicke. “If we win the work, we simply confirm the project and schedule it in."

Within three months of implementing Runn, the team had gone from planning only a few weeks ahead to building months of pipeline forecasts and project allocations.

Now, the team plans up to six months ahead with a clear view of demand and available capacity. That approach has since delivered resourcing forecasts within 0.4% of actual utilization.

"For the first time, we were able to have a six-month view of our potential work and our project load across the delivery team. We were seeing what we needed, where we needed it, and what we were able to take on."

Planning confirmed and tentative projects side by side helps the team understand how new opportunities will affect capacity before they’re won.

"Runn has transformed how we're able to connect our pipeline directly to the capacity of our team."

Planning people’s capacity with confidence

With a clearer view of demand, Denver Technology can make resourcing decisions earlier and with greater confidence.

"We're able to understand the capacity of each team member based on the forecasting information in Runn.”

The team can then explore that capacity in more detail.

"We can see utilization at a project-by-project level and at a person-by-person level. You can see who's overloaded and who has capacity."

That visibility helps the team understand how new work will affect existing commitments, make more informed resourcing decisions, and plan hiring earlier.

"If my pipeline shows that I have the need for a systems engineer, I can look at the future utilization across the existing team. Does that justify a hiring position that I can then take to our HR team to go and recruit?"

This also helps plan large portfolios of work.

"If a client has a large portfolio of work coming up over the next six months, made up of 10 smaller projects, it allows our program managers and project managers to see where that work fits and present it as a plan to the client," Hardwicke explains.

Resource plans are regularly updated as projects evolve, whether work is delayed, extended, or new opportunities enter the pipeline. The visual planning interface keeps forecasts aligned with delivery priorities while helping teams map out programs of work and present delivery plans to clients.

Forecasts the business can trust

Accurate forecasting is only valuable if the business can trust the data behind it. By combining project forecasts with employee availability, including planned leave and time off, the team has built a more accurate picture of utilization.

"Our forecast and our actuals were 99.6% correct using Runn. That meant the reporting we were providing to the business accurately reflected our utilization, financial forecasts, and delivery expectations. It turned what we thought we might achieve into what we were actually achieving."

Forecast accuracy has also changed how Denver Technology plans capacity and reports across the business. It supports stronger leadership reporting, delivery planning, and financial projections.

Supporting decisions across the business

That visibility extends beyond project delivery.

"I present to the leadership team in our fortnightly resourcing meeting. We review utilization, what's in the forecast, where the gaps are, and that informs other areas of the business if they need to go and look for more opportunities, or if we're able to kick off other projects."

Forecast accuracy supports financial planning and helps leadership plan utilization across the business.

"I'm able to present to the executive level what our next six months look like from a utilization point of view, and we can directly map that to projections for the finance team."

Resourcing forecasts within 0.4% of actual utilization give the business confidence to plan up to six months ahead. Forecasting is now embedded in how the business evaluates new opportunities, plans delivery, and reviews future capacity.

"Accessibility and usability are why I have recommended Runn to other professional services businesses."