Table of Contents
What Is the Demand Board?
Access Requirements
Demand Board Location in BigTime Foresight
1. Table Overview
2. Skill Matching Tooltips
Business Use Cases: Acting on the Demand Board
1. Identify Understaffed Projects
2. Optimize Talent Matching
3. Capacity Planning
4. Monitor Strategic Initiatives
Exporting and Reporting
More Tools in the Demand Board
Understanding the Scheduled / Demand Indicator
What the Colors Mean in the Assigned Staffers Column
Good Practices
The Demand Board tab provides a centralized, detailed view of project staffing needs across your organization. It’s built to help project managers, resourcing teams, and leadership quickly understand demand status, fulfillment progress, and role-specific gaps—so you can make faster, more informed staffing decisions.
This guide explains how to use the Demand Board, what each element in the view means, and how to act on the data it presents.
What Is the Demand Board?
The Demand Board is a visual dashboard aggregating all project-based role demands in a tabular format. It shows:
- Which roles are needed for which projects
- Required skills and seniority
- Assigned staffers and their skill matches
- Fulfillment status
- Key project details (dates, cost rates, etc.)
It helps answer critical resourcing questions like:
- What demands remain unfulfilled?
- Who’s staffed where, and how well do they match the role?
- What skills or roles are in short supply?
- Which projects are at risk due to staffing gaps?
Access Requirements
To use the Demand Board, you’ll need the right level of access. Here's a simple breakdown of what you need to know:
| What you want to do | What you need |
| See the Demand Board tab | You must be assigned as a Project Manager or Project Manager (Read-Only) for at least one project. |
| View demand data for specific projects | You must be the Project Manager (full or read-only) for those projects, or have the View/Manage any projects permission. |
| See cost and billing rate columns | You need the Financial Access for Managers permission. |
| See cost info for assigned team members | You need the View all staffers costs permission. |
| Edit, delete, or assign staff to demands | You must be the Project Manager of the project or have the Manage any project permission. Without it, action buttons are hidden. |
If something’s missing from your view, check with your admin to confirm your role or permissions.
Demand Board Location in BigTime Foresight
| Log in to BigTime ➡ Go to BigTime Foresight ➡ Make sure you’re logged in as a manager ➡ Navigate the Demand Board tab in the main navigation bar |
Navigating the Demand Board
1. Table Overview
Each row in the Demand Board represents a unique demand for a specific role on a project.
| Column | What It Shows |
| Demand Role | The role needed for the project (e.g., Backend Developer, UX Designer). |
| Fulfillment | Visual progress bar showing how well the demand is currently staffed. |
| Project Name | The project where the demand is created. Click to view full project details. |
| Start Date | When the demand is scheduled to begin. |
| Due Date | When the demand is expected to end or be completed. |
| Seniority | The experience level required for the role (e.g., Junior, Mid, Senior). |
| Department | The department this demand is associated with (e.g., Engineering, Sales). |
| Certificates | Any specific certifications needed for the role (e.g., CPA, Scrum Master). |
| Assigned Staffer | Who is currently assigned to the demand, with info about their skills and level. |
| Required Skills | A list of skills needed to meet the demand’s requirements. |
| Scheduled/Demand | How much time has been assigned vs. how much is needed, shown in hours and %. |
| Cost Rate | The internal cost per hour for the role or person. Visible only with permission. |
| Bill Rate | The client-facing hourly rate. Visible only if you have financial access. |
| Task Name | The task connected to this demand, if applicable. |
| Cost Center 1 | A custom field for internal budgeting or reporting (e.g., business unit). |
| Cost Center 2 | Additional budgeting detail if your org uses more than one cost layer. |
| Cost Center 3 | Another optional cost field for financial tracking or reporting. |
| Note | Extra details or comments added to the demand. |
| Custom Attributes | Custom fields defined by your team (e.g., region, client priority). |
| Note: You can customize which columns are visible via the “Columns Visibility” settings. |
2. Skill Matching Tooltips
Clicking a staffer reveals a skill-matching tooltip:
- Required vs. profile skills per technology
- Color-coded indicators (e.g., red for gaps, green for match)
- Skill-level ratings (e.g., ★5/4 means the person exceeds the requirement)
| Tip: Use this to determine whether a mismatch in key skills justifies finding a better-fit resource. |
Using Filters for Better Decisions
Use the Add Filter button to apply filters by:
- Start Date (basic and advanced range/date match)
- Fulfillment (e.g., Fully Staffed, Not Staffed, Partially Staffed)
- Custom Fields (department, cost centers, etc.)
- Seniority, Project, or Role Type
You can learn more about filtering in BigTime Foresight in the article.
| Tip: Combine filters to create saved configurations for specific scenarios (e.g., “High-Priority Q2 Projects with Backend Demand”). |
Business Use Cases: Acting on the Demand Board
1. Identify Understaffed Projects
Filter for “Not Staffed” or “Partially Staffed” demands to highlight projects at risk. Investigate which skills are missing and prioritize resourcing action.
2. Optimize Talent Matching
Use the skill tooltip to avoid poor-fit assignments. Reallocate higher-matching staff from lower-priority projects to improve delivery outcomes.
3. Capacity Planning
Export the table for executive resourcing reviews. Use fulfillment % and cost rate data to evaluate whether your current bench can meet upcoming demand.
4. Monitor Strategic Initiatives
Track fulfillment progress across key portfolios by filtering by “Project Name,” “Department,” or “Custom Field” tags.
Exporting and Reporting
Click the Export Data button located above the Demand Board table (just before the "Results per page" setting) to download the current view. You’ll see format options:
- CSV
- XLSX
Your exported file will:
- Include only the columns currently visible in your table (as set in Columns Visibility).
- Break out multiple assigned staffers into separate rows (so demand data may be duplicated across those rows).
Use exports for:
- Internal performance reviews
- Stakeholder and client updates
- Financial or staffing audits
| Tip: Before exporting, customize your columns to include only the data you want in your report. |
More Tools in the Demand Board
You’ll find additional options on the right side of the Demand Board table. Use them to manage staffing and take advantage of AI-powered suggestions:
-
AI-Powered Resourcing
Let Foresight recommend the best-fit staffers for each demand.
➡ AI-Powered Resourcing and Demand Matching
-
Assign to Staff Member
Manually assign someone to a demand when you already know the right fit.
➡ Planning Project Demand in BigTime Foresight
-
Connect to Assignment
Link an existing assignment to a demand if they weren’t connected automatically.
➡ Assignments and Demand Matching
-
Edit or Delete Demand
Update or remove demand entries as the project needs to change.
➡ Planning Project Demand in BigTime Foresight
Understanding the Scheduled / Demand Indicator
The Scheduled / Demand column helps you track how well a demand is being staffed. It compares the hours that team members have been scheduled to work against the required hours for that demand.
You’ll see the values displayed in hours and percentage, like this:
+60h, 250% or 0h, 100%
| What It Compares | What You’ll See |
| Scheduled hours – Demand hours | A value in hours, showing the surplus or shortage |
| (Scheduled ÷ Demand) × 100% | A percentage showing how fully the demand is staffed |
Examples
-
If 100 hours are scheduled, and the demand is for 40 hours:
→ +60h, 250%
(You’ve assigned more hours than needed — overstaffed) -
If scheduled and demand hours are both 40:
→ 0h, 100%
(Perfect match — fully staffed) -
If no one is assigned yet:
→ –
(No scheduled hours — not staffed)
|
Tip: Combine this metric with skill match insights to ensure both quantity and quality of staffing. Use this column to:
|
What the Colors Mean in the Assigned Staffers Column
When you're reviewing the Assigned Staffers column in the Demand Board, the colors you see help you quickly spot how well each team member fits the demand, based on their skills and experience.
Here’s how to understand what each color means:
🟢 Green = Great Fit
- For seniority: The person has the right level of experience (or higher) for this role.
- For skills: The person has the skill, and their level matches or exceeds what’s needed.
Use green as a signal that the person is a strong match for the demand.
🟠 Orange = Partial Match
- The person has the skill, but not at the full level required.
This might be okay for less critical roles, but it’s a flag to double-check the fit.
🔴 Red = Mismatch
- For seniority: The person has less experience than what the demand requires.
- For skills: The person doesn’t have the skill at all, but has still been assigned.
This is a clear sign to review the assignment and decide whether changes are needed.
| Tip: Hover over a team member's name to get more details, including how their skills and seniority compare to what’s required. |
Good Practices
- Use saved filter sets to streamline daily or weekly staffing reviews.
- Encourage project leads to review skill mismatches before approving assignments.
- Regularly monitor the board to spot trends in high-demand roles or scarce skills.
- Coordinate across departments using custom fields to align resource decisions with organizational priorities.
Need More Help or Want to Learn More About Demand?
If you're looking for extra guidance—or just want a better understanding of how demand works in BigTime Foresight—here are some helpful resources you might want to check out:. Use the dropdown list below. Select the category you're interested in and click the article you'd like to open.
⬇ Planning and Setup
⬇ AI and Matching
⬇ Connecting Demand and Assignments
⬇ Bulk Actions
Still have questions? Contact your system admin or our support team—we’re here to help.