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Resource utilisation

The Resource Utilisation report shows how much of a resource's time is being spent on chargeable work, and whether they're hitting their targets. It pulls together required hours, timesheets recorded and utilisation percentages for a period, so you can see at a glance who's on track and who isn't.

This is one of Synergist's Key Reports, a fixed-format report you run rather than build from scratch. 

This article explains how to run the Resource Utilisation report and what each column means.

Running the report

Before you run the report, set the parameters that control what it shows.

  1. Go to Reports > Key Reports.
  2. Select the Resource Utilisation report.
  3. Set your Dates. The most common choices are last month or this financial year. Using a pre-set range like Last month is the easiest option, since it stays current without you needing to update it each time.
  4. Use More filters > By Time to filter by resource team or individual resource.
  5. Select PDF or CSV as the output format, then click Run.
Tip: If you only want to check one team's numbers, filter by resource team rather than running the whole organisation and scanning for the names you need.

Why a resource might not appear on the report

If someone's missing from the report, it's usually one of two reasons:

  • Timesheets required has been unticked on their resource profile.
  • They're marked as a freelancer.

Both settings are held on the resource's file. See Resources if you need to check or update someone's setup.

Understanding the columns

  • 31 day target: the total hours expected to be recorded in the period, calculated on a 31 day basis. A 40 hour week over four weeks shows as 160 hours.
  • Charge target: the number of chargeable hours the resource is expected to record, shown as a reminder alongside the actuals.
  • Utilisation target %: the resource's target utilisation percentage, also shown as a reminder.
  • Total hours: total timesheet hours logged in the period, split into chargeable and non-chargeable.
  • Charge hours & Non-charge hours: the split between chargeable and non-chargeable hours recorded.
  • % of target achieved: total hours recorded against the 31 day target. This shows 100% if a resource has recorded a full month of timesheets, and over 100% if they've worked longer than their contracted hours.
  • Charge % and Non-charge %: the split between chargeable and non-chargeable hours. These two figures always add up to 100%.
  • % utilisation achieved: chargeable hours recorded against the utilisation target. This shows 100% or higher once the target has been hit.
  • Holidays: any holiday in the period. This reduces the 31 day target by the same amount, so annual leave doesn't drag down someone's utilisation. For example, two weeks of holiday reduces the target from 160 to 80 hours, with 80 hours shown in the holiday column.
Note: Speak to your internal system administrator if holiday isn't separating out into its own column. This affects how the 31 day target is calculated for anyone who's taken leave in the period.

The two numbers to watch

With this many columns, it's easy to get lost. Synergist recommends focusing on two:

  • Total % of target achieved: confirms a resource has logged a full month of timesheets.
  • Utilisation %: confirms they've hit their chargeable time target.

Look for 100% or higher in both. Column positions can shift slightly between PDF and CSV layouts, so check the column headers rather than relying on a fixed column letter.

Scheduling this report

Rather than running the report manually every month, you can schedule it to land in an inbox automatically. Filtering by resource team and scheduling to team leads works well, so each lead only sees their own people. See How to Schedule Reports for the full setup process, and check with your system administrator if you can't see the scheduling option.

Tips

  • Use the Last month pre-set date range for consistent, low-maintenance monthly reporting.
  • If a resource is missing from the report, check Timesheets required and Freelancer on their resource profile before assuming it's a data issue.
  • Filter by resource team and schedule the report to team leads, so resource utilisation review becomes routine rather than something you have to remember.
  • Treat % of target achieved and Utilisation % as your headline numbers. Everything else on the report explains how you got there.
  • If holiday isn't reducing the 31 day target as expected, raise it with your system administrator rather than trying to work around it manually.

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