The depth of qualified, ready-now talent available to fill critical roles without external hiring. Measured as a ratio of ready successors to key positions.
The difference between the competencies an organisation needs and the competencies it currently has. Gaps are quantified through competency scoring and drive build-buy-partner decisions.
The difference between projected demand hours and available billable hours, normalised to FTE equivalents. A positive delta means more demand than supply; a negative delta signals over-capacity.
An early indicator of upcoming talent need -- for example a signed SOW, a pipeline opportunity, or a strategic initiative entering planning. Demand signals feed the demand-to-talent translation process.
A composite metric expressing how effectively an organisation translates business demand into deployed talent. A higher DTI indicates faster, more accurate fulfilment.
A unit that represents one full-time employee's workload. Used to normalise headcount across part-time, contract, and full-time workers.
G
Gross Margin
Revenue minus the direct cost of delivering that revenue. In talent businesses, gross margin = bill rate - cost rate, expressed as a percentage of revenue.
The recurring cadence of planning, review, and decision meetings that govern talent operations -- for example weekly staffing calls, monthly demand reviews, and quarterly portfolio reviews.
The weighted probability that current pipeline opportunities will convert to confirmed engagements. Typically expressed as a percentage applied to projected hours.
Demand forecast adjusted by the probability of each opportunity closing. Prevents over-investment in uncertain pipeline while ensuring capacity for confirmed work.
The combination of industry, capability area, seniority, and geographic constraints that define a specific talent need beyond the generic role title.
S
Sellability
A qualitative-to-quantitative measure of how easy it is to place a consultant on a billable engagement, factoring in skill relevance, client relationships, and market demand.
The proportion of required competency areas that are adequately staffed in the current talent pool. Low coverage in a high-demand area signals a capability gap.
The elapsed time from the moment a talent decision is made (hire, upskill, or redeploy) to the day that person generates billable revenue on a client engagement.
The percentage of available working hours that are billed to clients. Calculated as billable hours / total available hours. A key profitability lever in services organisations.