National Occupational Standards in
Archaeological Practice

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AB4 Estimate resources and develop programmes

AB4.1 Specify and estimate resources required for the project

Performance Required

This will involve:

1. agreeing the required degree of accuracy in specifying and estimating resources with clients
2. realistically estimating, justifying and agreeing the methods, resources and time needed to achieve the required project outcomes with clients
3. verifying that resources required for component project activities are estimated and specified accurately, and sufficient information is provided to facilitate their acquisition
4. verifying that assumptions on which estimates are based, qualifications and sources are clearly stated
5. verifying that contingent allowances are clearly identified and are related to comparable experience
6. ensuring that where adjustments in costs are requested by clients, the consequences are accurately assessed and clients advised
7. ensuring that estimated resources are consistent with the successful achievement of project outcomes
8. clearly explaining resource estimates to clients and indicating they meet the specification of requirements

Occupational Context Statement

1. Methods (related to):
   • desk-based studies
   • field investigations of sites and landscapes
     • intrusive
     • non-intrusive
   • conservation
   • artefact studies
   • interpretive projects
   • educational projects
2. Resources:
   • people
   • materials
   • data
   • finance
   • equipment
   • facilities
   • information systems

Knowledge Requirements

You need to know and understand how to:

• Use proprietary spread-sheet packages

You need to know about:

• Order of magnitude estimating - purposes and limitations
• Time / cost / quality relationships
• Direct costs / indirect costs / allowances
• Methods of increasing accuracy of costs and estimates
• Sources of information about good current practice in estimating
• Means of obtaining budget estimates from others
• Methods of determining which areas of estimates have most influence on accuracy of total estimate
• Means of specifying resources in the categories of: finance, human resources; materials; facilities; information

Required Skills

You should demonstrate:

• How to budget
• How to schedule
• That estimated resources are consistent with successful achievement of project outcomes
• How to communicate resource estimates to clients
• How to obtain budget estimates from others
• The use of spread-sheet packages

Evidence Required

You should provide evidence that you can specify and estimate resources required for the project that includes:

• agreement on degree of accuracy required
• estimation of time and cost of preparing specifications and estimates
• methods used for estimating
• specifications of types of resources related to component activities in work breakdown structure
• assumptions made, estimates qualified and sources of estimates
• contingencies provided for
• adjustments requested by client
• estimates presented to clients

Evidence Rules

• The candidate should have been involved in at least 3 substantive projects submitted for approval.

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Today's date: 3/9/2010
This page last updated: 27/7/2007 16:17