Why it matters
Without this system, misaligned staffing, hidden backlog, margin erosion, and untracked post-excavation liabilities can stall bids, delay client reporting, and create compliance risks during planning and delivery.
From design to safety
Design
Portfolio planning with AI insight
The system reads current project records, bids, and specialist requirements to advise on feasible staffing, budgets, and risk registers for the written scheme of investigation and trench design. It also inventories environmental constraints, HER attribution needs, and permit sequencing; it builds scenario paths for multiple tender outcomes and documents the rationale for recommended staffing mixes and contingency buffers.
- Project portfolio dashboard
- Staff utilisation module
- Margins analyzer
Build
Resource alignment during build
It ingests tender scopes, site setup plans, and crew allocations to validate capacity against trench design, schedules, and recording requirements. It cross-checks health and safety exposure, module dependencies, and curatorial access windows; it logs site permits, utility plan references, and trench sequence maps for live decision logging.
- Staff utilisation module
- Backlog tracker
- Project portfolio dashboard
Operation
Live project delivery oversight
The dashboard updates daily progress, client reporting milestones, and context sheets, ensuring watches on context deployment and traceability of decisions. It captures context sheet numbers, Harris matrix links, strip maps, and sample strategies, generating continuous improvement notes for the same trench sections.
- Project portfolio dashboard
- Backlog tracker
- Post-excavation liabilities tracker
Maintenance
Update and sustainability checks
It reconciles post-excavation assessments, archive deposition deadlines, and liability estimates with ongoing output, flagging overdue tasks and renewals. It tracks archive accession numbers, NMR records, and post-excavation assessment timetables, and it schedules conservation actions and condition reports.
- Post-excavation liabilities tracker
- Margins analyzer
- Forecasts
Safety
Governance and risk monitoring
The system flags compliance gaps, buried services, and UXO risks, linking to approved safety plans and qualified sign-offs for trench safety and welfare. It records trench tests, service clearance certificates, and welfare inspection logs; it aligns with planning conditions and HER requirements.
- Staff utilisation module
- Forecasts
- Backlog tracker
Part by part
- 1
Project portfolio dashboard
- Watch for
- Variance between tender scope and actual site delivery metrics, risk exposure growth, or change in portfolio risk score
- AI action
- Reads portfolio status, triggers escalation, updates forecasted delivery curves
- 2
Staff utilisation module
- Watch for
- Undersupply or overage of skilled hours in critical trades, overtime exceeding threshold
- AI action
- Reads staffing plan and actual hours, flags under/over allocation and recommends reallocation
- 3
Margins analyzer
- Watch for
- Margin drift from bid assumptions, incremental costs rising above threshold
- AI action
- Reads cost lines and earned value, prompts budget re-baselining and contingency requests
- 4
Backlog tracker
- Watch for
- Uncompleted tasks lagging behind schedule, data entry backlog
- AI action
- Reads task status and dates, generates corrective work orders and recovery plans
- 5
Post-excavation liabilities tracker
- Watch for
- Liability accruals or unresolved findings entering archival phase
- AI action
- Reads case logs and archive deadlines, issues liability clearance notes
- 6
Forecasts
- Watch for
- Projection drift in project finish dates and cashflow
- AI action
- Reads project calendars and burn rates, proposes revised delivery milestones
Worked example
Cohurst Ridge Development: 12.4 ha trenching window and late paleolithic finds
Illustrative scenario with sample data.
A medium-sized urban development requires rapid tendering, efficient field staffing, and timely post-excavation reporting within conditions of planning consent.
Signal in
Area_ha: 12.4; periods_found: Paleolithic to Bronze Age; tender_value: 1.2M; staff_hours: 5200; archive_deadline: 18 months; backlog_open: 7 tasks; liability_estimate: 68k.
System out
Alert: backlog risk exceeding threshold; action: reallocate three archaeologists and adjust milestones; report to client and regulator; assign post-excavation team for liability follow-up and update HER records with revised timelines.
Human sign-off: Project manager reviews the alert, approves staffing realignment, signs off on revised schedule and liabilities plan, and forwards to the HER curator for archival input.
How to roll it out
Phase 1
Weeks 1 to 4: Baseline
Establish portfolio data connectors, baseline utilisation metrics, and initial forecast templates across major tenders.
Phase 2
Weeks 5 to 12: Integration
Migrate live project data, test risk scoring, and validate reporting outputs with senior planners and clients.
Phase 3
Weeks 13 onward: Operational maturity
Refine dashboards, automate alerting, and embed governance approvals for all project delivery cycles.
Where people stay in charge
- Decisions affecting legally binding tenders, budgets, or liabilities must be signed by the project director or planning archaeologist and documented in HER and the Written Scheme of Investigation.
- All dashboard changes that alter certification, consent compliance, or archival requirements require a qualified professional sign-off and audit trail.
- Critical safety and regulatory actions must be verified by the site safety officer and the client’s heritage consultant before execution.
Questions owners and crews ask
What should I watch first when adopting the dashboard for tendering and project delivery?
Start with portfolio health and staff utilisation to align bids with achievable case-loads, then layer margins, backlog, and liabilities to guard delivery integrity.
Who approves forecast updates that change project delivery timelines?
The project manager collaborates with the client delivery officer and, when needed, the heritage consultant signs off on schedule changes.
How does it help manage post-excavation liabilities and archive timelines?
It tracks liability accruals, archive deadlines, and post-excavation tasks, prompting timely actions and keeping the HER informed.
What data quality is required to run reliable dashboards?
Validated task records, accurate hours, cost lines, and archiving dates must feed the system, with regular audits by the client delivery manager.
Sources and further reading
- Chartered Institute for ArchaeologistsProfessional body guidance on accreditation and professional practice for archaeologists bidding and delivering projects.
- CIfA: Standards and GuidanceStandards for written schemes of investigation and the evaluation and excavation procedures they set out.
- GOV.UK: National Planning Policy FrameworkPlanning policy on recording archaeological interest and conditions attached to development consent.
- Historic EnglandGuidance on Historic Environment Record data, archaeological constraints, and research frameworks for planning.
- HSE: ExcavationsSafety rules for excavations including buried services, trench collapse, shoring, and service location.
- HSE: ConstructionConstruction welfare duties, site facilities, and inspection expectations under CDM and health and safety law.
- Archaeology Data ServiceDigital archive deposition requirements, data standards, and deadlines for submitting grey literature reports.
- MOLA: ServicesCommercial post-excavation services covering assessment, analysis, and reporting for development-led projects.
- ICOMOSInternational charters on archaeological heritage management, site conservation, and professional responsibilities for heritage consultants.