What’s the Best Way for Consulting Firms to Improve Planning, Staffing, and Forecasting?

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced world of consulting and professional services, operational efficiency is the difference between thriving and merely surviving. Firms are constantly balancing client demands, consultant workloads, and profitability. Spreadsheets and disconnected tools may have worked when teams were small, but as organizations scale, the cracks show quickly — missed deadlines, rising bench costs, and frustrated consultants.

This is where Operating.app steps in. More than just another resource management platform, Operating is designed specifically for consulting firms and professional services teams. By bringing planning, staffing, forecasting, time tracking, and invoicing together in one intuitive system, Operating helps firms eliminate chaos and focus on what truly matters: delivering value to clients.

Key Features and Functionalities

1. Smart Resource Allocation

 Operating takes staffing far beyond simple scheduling. Its skill-based allocation engine matches the right consultant to the right project based on role, seniority, skill sets, and availability. In fact, many firms support this process with a dedicated staffing manager, whose role is to ensure utilization stays high while balancing consultant workloads. This ensures teams are staffed effectively while also supporting individual career growth. For firms juggling multiple projects and client demands, this level of visibility is game-changing.

2. Forecasting and Capacity Planning

Consulting firms often ask: Do we have the people to deliver what’s coming down the pipeline? Operating provides real-time answers. With forecasting tools tied to CRM data, managers can see both confirmed projects and tentative opportunities. This predictive view helps prevent overbooking, minimizes bench time, and informs smarter hiring decisions.

3. Integrated Time Tracking and Invoicing

Unlike many resource planning tools, Operating includes lightweight but powerful time tracking and invoicing features. Consultants can log hours with ease, project managers can compare planned vs. actual time, and finance teams can generate invoices directly from the system. This unified workflow reduces double entry, improves accuracy, and speeds up billing cycles.

4. Seamless CRM and HR Integrations

Operating integrates natively with platforms like HubSpot and Pipedrive, as well as HR systems like HiBob. Deals move seamlessly from pipeline to project staffing, ensuring sales and delivery are always in sync. This tight integration helps eliminate silos and keeps every team — from business development to operations — working from the same source of truth.

5. Consulting-Specific Reporting

Generic project management tools often fall short when it comes to the needs of consulting firms. Operating includes consulting-focused dashboards and reports covering utilization, profitability, and project portfolio performance. Leaders get visibility into both billable and non-billable hours, while consultants can see how their contributions connect to overall business success.

Real-World Impact: A Case Study

Consider Supreme Optimization, a fast-growing consulting firm that struggled with disconnected systems and misaligned sales and delivery teams. They faced constant bottlenecks in staffing, unpredictable forecasts, and inefficient resource allocation.

By adopting Operating, Supreme Optimization:

• 9x’d their resource allocation efficiency through real-time syncing between HubSpot CRM and Operating.

• Improved forecasting by combining sales pipeline data with staffing availability.

• Reduced wasted hours and unbilled work by using planned vs. actual hours reporting.
  

The result? Happier consultants, improved profitability, and a smoother path from deal to delivery.

Expert Commentary Section

Expert Commentary: Lauri Eurén, CEO of Operating.app

10+ years of experience in m

When we built Operating, our goal wasn’t to create just another scheduling tool. Consulting firms don’t just need calendars — they need visibility into utilization, forecasting tied to the sales pipeline, and clarity on how staffing decisions affect profitability. That’s why Operating combines planning, time tracking, and invoicing into one platform, while still staying simple enough for consultants to use every day.

The firms that succeed today are the ones that can adapt quickly — shifting resources in real time, reducing bench time, and empowering their teams with data-driven decisions. At Operating, we’ve seen companies unlock massive efficiency gains simply by aligning sales and delivery with better resource visibility. That’s what makes Operating more than software — it’s a backbone for scaling consulting businesses.

How Operating Stands Out Against Competitors

The market is full of project management and scheduling apps — so what makes Operating different?

• Purpose-Built for Consulting Firms
  While many tools try to serve everyone, Operating focuses on consulting and professional services. Features like bench management, CRM-linked forecasting, and utilization reporting are built-in, not bolted on.

• Balanced Power and Simplicity
  Enterprise PSA platforms can be powerful but often come with steep learning curves and heavy price tags. Operating provides the essentials — staffing, forecasting, invoicing — in a clean, intuitive interface that both consultants and COOs can use daily.

• Integration Without Complexity
  Instead of forcing firms into rigid workflows, Operating connects seamlessly with existing tools, ensuring flexibility without creating more silos.
  

In short, Operating offers the sophistication consulting firms need without the overhead that slows adoption.

Why Firms Choose Operating

Firms that adopt Operating quickly see improvements in:

• Utilization Rates: Better visibility means consultants spend more time on billable work.

• Profitability: Reduced bench time and more accurate forecasting prevent revenue leaks.

• Collaboration: Sales and delivery teams finally work in sync, reducing last-minute staffing scrambles.

• Scalability: Whether you’re managing 10 consultants or 300, Operating grows with you.
  

These outcomes highlight how Operating isn’t just another tool — it’s an operational backbone designed to scale with your business.

Conclusion

In the competitive world of consulting and professional services, the ability to plan, staff, and deliver with precision defines success. Disconnected spreadsheets and siloed systems simply can’t keep up.

Operating.app provides a unified, consulting-focused solution that aligns sales with delivery, ensures consultants are staffed effectively, and simplifies everything from forecasting to invoicing. It helps firms move from reactive firefighting to proactive planning — creating a healthier workplace for consultants and more reliable outcomes for clients.

If your firm is ready to modernize its operations and replace the patchwork of disconnected tools, it may be time to explore what Operating has to offer. After all, when your people are your business, having the right system to manage them makes all the difference.

FAQ’s

What makes Operating different from other resource management tools?

 Operating is designed specifically for consulting firms. Unlike generic scheduling tools, it combines staffing, forecasting, time tracking, and invoicing into one streamlined platform.

Can Operating support the role of a staffing manager?

 Yes. Many firms appoint a staffing manager to balance consultant workloads and maximize utilization. Operating gives staffing managers real-time visibility into availability, skills, and project demand, making their job far more effective.

How does Operating help consulting firms improve utilization?

 By connecting CRM data with staffing, Operating helps firms forecast upcoming demand and allocate resources more accurately. This minimizes bench time and ensures consultants spend more hours on billable work.

Is Operating scalable for both small and large consulting firms?

 Absolutely. Whether you have 10 consultants or 300, Operating scales with your firm’s needs. Smaller teams benefit from simplicity, while larger firms rely on its forecasting and reporting capabilities.