Confessions of a rail project manager: Four workforce planning mistakes I've made (and what I learned)

I've spent more than 20 years managing rail projects. In that time, I've delivered track renewals, managed possessions, overseen multidisciplinary teams and worked through more weekend shifts than I care to remember. Like most project managers, I've had projects that ran smoothly and projects that kept me awake at night.

Looking back, many of the biggest challenges I faced weren't engineering problems or operational issues; they were workforce ones. The truth is that even the best-planned rail projects can quickly come unstuck if the right people aren't available when you need them. Over the years, I've made my fair share of mistakes and learned some valuable lessons along the way.

If I could go back and speak to my younger self, these are the four workforce planning mistakes I'd tell him to avoid.

Mistake #1: Thinking recruitment can wait until the project starts

Early in my career, I treated recruitment as something that happened closer to mobilisation. The project was secured, the delivery plan was approved, and work wasn't due to start for several months. There seemed little point worrying about labour until we needed it.

Then reality hit.

Several other projects launched around the same time, demand increased across the market, and suddenly every contractor was looking for the same skills. What I'd assumed would be a straightforward recruitment exercise became a race against time. Instead of choosing from a strong pool of candidates, we were scrambling to secure whoever was available.

The lesson? The best candidates are rarely sitting around waiting for your project to begin.

Workforce planning needs to start as soon as projects enter the pipeline. Building relationships with potential workers, understanding market availability and developing talent pipelines gives project teams more options and far greater confidence when mobilisation begins.

This is one of the biggest benefits I've found in working with a specialist workforce partner like MSS Infrastructure (MSSI). They are already mapping resourcing demand and have engaged with workers long before clients need them. That proactive approach makes a huge difference when delivery deadlines start approaching.

Mistake #2: Relying too heavily on a handful of key people

Every project has those people. The supervisor who knows every inch of the route. The planner who can solve a possession challenge in minutes. The site manager who seems capable of fixing almost anything. They're each invaluable in their own way.

The problem is when your project becomes dependent on them. I've experienced situations where one experienced individual moved on to another project or unexpectedly became unavailable, and suddenly a significant gap appeared in the delivery team. What seemed like a minor change created pressure across the entire programme.

Good workforce planning isn't just about having the right people. It's about having enough depth within the workforce to manage change when it inevitably happens. That means building resilient teams, developing future leaders and ensuring knowledge is shared rather than held by a small number of individuals. The strongest projects I've delivered have always been the ones where capability was spread throughout the team, not concentrated in a few key individuals.

Mistake #3: Forgetting that annual leave still exists during project delivery

This one sounds obvious, but I can assure you that project managers get caught out by it more often than we'd like to admit. When you're focused on programme milestones, access windows and possession planning, it's remarkably easy to overlook the fact that people still want holidays.

I learned this lesson during a busy summer programme when several team members booked annual leave around the same time. Nothing unusual there. The problem was that we'd failed to consider the wider impact across the project team. Suddenly, supervisors were covering additional responsibilities, resources were stretched and managers were spending more time rearranging rotas than delivering work.

The project was completed, but only after a significant amount of unnecessary stress. Today, workforce resilience is something I pay much closer attention to.

The ability to quickly access additional resources, cover key roles and adapt to changing workforce requirements can be the difference between a project that runs smoothly and one that constantly feels under pressure.

This is another area where workforce partners add value. Having access to established talent networks and pre-qualified workers provides flexibility that simply isn't available when you're relying solely on your own internal resource pool.

Mistake #4: Underestimating compliance

If there's one lesson rail teaches you, it's that compliance really matters. Unfortunately, I learned that lesson the hard way. Early in my career, I assumed workforce compliance was largely an administrative process. Qualifications were checked, documentation was completed, and everyone moved on.

What I underestimated was the complexity involved in ensuring a workforce remains compliant throughout project delivery. Competencies expire, medicals require renewal, certifications need updating and much more.

Keeping on top of all of this takes time, expertise and robust processes. Perhaps more importantly, compliance should never be treated as a box-ticking exercise. It is fundamental to safe, successful project delivery. A specialist workforce partner takes much of that burden away from project teams by ensuring workers are properly vetted, qualified and ready to mobilise when required.

For busy project managers, that's one less thing to worry about.

The lesson I've learned above all others

The biggest workforce planning mistake isn't any of the examples above. It's the belief that workforce planning is something a project manager can handle alone. Modern rail projects are becoming increasingly complex, skills shortages remain a challenge, compliance requirements continue to evolve and competition for experienced professionals is intense.

Project managers have enough to think about without constantly worrying about where the next skilled worker is coming from. That's why the most successful projects I've delivered have involved trusted workforce partners from the outset.

Not simply suppliers who provide labour when asked, but partners who understand future workforce requirements, support planning, maintain talent pipelines and help reduce risk before it becomes a problem.

With the right planning, the right processes and the right workforce partner, project teams can focus on what they do best: delivering safe, successful rail projects. And from one project manager to another, that makes life a lot easier.

Speak to our team of experts today to find out how we can help you avoid the common rail workforce mistakes.