Our Work
Headcount MOT
How many staff should you have, now and in the future? Independent evaluation of headcount requirements and all the variable moving parts behind it, built from the bottom-up. With efficiency metrics, sensitivity analysis, and comparison to current staffing levels to make sense of the bigger picture as well as the detail with seamless clarity.
Train maintenance engineers
In 2025/26 a UK rail operator sought a more robust calculation of target FTE for its Fleet Maintenance function, amid business plan deadlines, resource constraints, and increasing service impacts due to fleet failures.
Working closely with senior maintenance and planning teams, we developed a transparent, data-driven establishment calculator, building on recognised industry best-practice tools we had created for other operational grades. The new approach enables a clear understanding of workload profiles, transparent assumptions, and repeatable calculations. It provides the organisation with a sustainable method to review staff requirements during future operational and fleet changes.
Airport Security Officers
In 2024/25 Sydney Airport were seeking to optimise security staffing arrangements, to leverage advancements in lane technology and improve operational performance, cost efficiency, and staff quality of life.
This began with a bottom-up evaluation of the headcount requirement, using Adventis proven ASO demand and resource modelling methodology. On the basis of the findings, a roadmap was developed that included transformation of staff rosters and team-based alignment, along with introduction of smarter strategic and day-to-day planning tools.
Adventis worked closely with airport and security provider management and functional teams to design and implement new rosters and planning arrangements, which at a time of record passenger growth, have maintained exceptional service standards and transformed efficiency, staff quality of life, and the critical airport-supplier relationship.
Shift and roster optimisation
What is the optimum configuration of shifts and rosters? Design and implementation of staffing solutions, including demand modelling, shift cover optimisation, and roster suite design. Drawing on decades of experience and state-of-the-art optimisation technology. With implementation support to navigate staff consultation and functional readiness.
Railway station staffing
In 2025 a UK Train Operating Company approached Adventis to conduct a review of station staff planning efficiency, which had remained relatively untouched for many years and was now under stakeholder scrutiny.
Adventis worked closely with the resource planning function to collate, organise and diagnose existing rosters, and overlay current staffing provision against the actual workload requirement.
We then generated a new shift and roster solution, using our optimisation tools and experience in station staffing, that covered the same workload with fewer shifts, and actually added resilience where passenger footfall and ticket sales data showed peaks in demand.
These recommendations are now being implemented to achieve cost efficiencies, at the same time as delivering better rosters for staff with more regular rest-day and work-day blocks.
Airport Security Officers
Following a review in 2025 of efficiency opportunities and detailed development of an optimised solution, Adventis led a full roster review for 1200+ ASOs, covering Airport and Customer security functions.
This included close work with airport stakeholders, management, functional teams and trade union representatives to test and refine efficiency scenarios, and ultimately to design and agree a new set of staff rosters.
This resulted in FTE reduction of over 10%, and new flexibility arrangements that have been welcomed by the workforce.
Productivity deep-dive
What explains levels of reliance on overtime? Can we be more productive with the arrangement of tasks within working hours? What difference would changes to meal break allowances make? Big-picture insight that comes from deep-dive diagnostic analysis, and the experience of simple story-telling clarity.
Train crew productivity deep dive
In early 2026 a UK Train Operating Company sought support from Adventis to reach an in-depth understanding of train crew productivity, focussing on a recent period of lower than expected resilience.
Adventis undertook an initial accelerated review of 8 key areas of focus, based on analysis of rosters and availability and utilisation (A&U) data. This covered annual leave arrangements, patterns of rest day working, terms and conditions, training, sickness and other considerations.
We then focussed on two key priority areas for deeper-dive study, and worked with the management to develop a stakeholder-ready narrative summary, supported by evidence, and a prioritised action plan.
The work gave internal and external stakeholders immediate confidence in the depth of understanding, grip, and roadmap for future improvement.
Train crew diagram diagnostics
Since 2021, several major UK rail operators have sought assurance on diagram content for upcoming timetables, where changes in service patterns or planning principles risked unintended impacts on efficiency and resilience.
We developed the Adventis Diagram Diagnostics Process — a system-agnostic method that converts diagram prints into structured datasets, enabling detailed analysis of key efficiency and resilience metrics. Regular “diagram MOTs” now provide planning and control teams with ongoing reassurance, supporting proactive risk mitigation and more reliable timetable launches.
This platform is now being used to inform industry-level studies on diagram measurement and optimising the balance between cost and timetable resilience.
Strengthening in-house capability
Knowledge transfer is a core feature of our involvement with your team no matter what the assignment, but we also offer powerful quick-win tools that can upgrade your in-house capability without affecting your core IT solution, and leveraging your existing data.
RosterIQ
Workforce planning tool
In 2024/25, a UK rail operator sought to modernise their workforce planning toolkit and processes after a period of shortfalls against planning targets and to prepare for upcoming service step-changes.
Working closely with the nominated end-user, we designed and built a new workforce planning tool powered by an employee-level database, providing transparency and checkability for this critical function. The solution exceeded client expectations, with reporting pages feeding seamlessly into executive management as well as finance and HR functions – creating one source of the truth. Smart database design has enabled richer data capture and more data-led planning assumptions over time.
Contract bidding and mobilisation
Our bid support service includes strategy development, detailed technical staff planning and optimisation, and bid-team support. Giving you clarity and assurance on bid plans and costs, and the credibility that comes with industry leading know-how, capability and reputation.
Airport passenger assistance (ABM)
In 2025 Adventis were engaged by ABM to provide resource planning support for their bid to operate the London Heathrow Airport Passenger Assistance contract.
We built a comprehensive task-calculation and shift optimisation model that allowed the bid team to test alternative operational scenarios and assumptions and quickly understand FTE impact. As part of our central technical and strategic role on the team we prepared and delivered clear explanations of the methodology and findings to Heathrow evaluators.
The bid was successful; ABM were awarded the contract and Assistance operations commenced successfully in January 2026.
Train crew and station staffing
In 2025/26, during mobilisation of a major UK rail contract, a new operator faced uncertainty around the credibility of inherited resourcing bid plans, with confusion over assumptions and growing loss of confidence in delivery.
We conducted an intensive independent review of the plans and financial model, reconciling bid plans and assumptions with the true starting resourcing position and the critical dependencies for success. By identifying key decisions and the timeline for making them, we provided the executive team with clear, evidence-based insight to guide early priorities. The work restored confidence for the executive team and wider group stakeholders, and established a solid foundation for stable, effective mobilisation.
Industry measurement and best practice
As recognised leaders in staff planning we are trusted by industry bodies to compile and share staffing best practice, design and implement industry measurement schemes, and author strategic reports on staff planning and efficiency.
Train crew industry KPIs
Starting in 2021, we have led the development of a suite of industry train crew resourcing KPIs, followed by development and implementation of the entire data collection and reporting process and outputs. This involved close work alongside RDG representatives (project managers, analysts and IT specialists), as well as TOC representatives through multiple working sessions and industry briefings. The initiative has been a resounding success that has transformed industry measurement practice and insight, and is guiding government evaluation of railway efficiency.
Closely related to the KPIs are successful related assignments blending technical and conceptual development and collaboration with TOCs and RDG to build best practice methodologies and guidance, covering establishment calculation, unavailability control, allocation efficiency and more.
Adventis have since authored annual industry reports on latest themes, with recommendations and initiatives that are transforming train crew performance and efficiency for the UK.
Rail control room staffing
In 2024/25, the Rail Delivery Group commissioned a project to develop an industry best-practice establishment calculator and guidance for control room roles, aiming to standardise and strengthen resourcing calculations.
We led the technical development and facilitated workshops with a working group of rail operators to design the tool. The resulting calculator and methodology were recognised as a step-change in clarity for a previously complex area. Several control rooms have since adopted the tool, using it to support resourcing reviews and build confidence in business cases.