Case Study: Scheduling Optimisation for Audit & Inspection Services
A global leader in the assurance and certification industry partnered with insightfactory.ai to optimise the scheduling of its auditor workforce. The result was a 26% reduction in delivery costs, a 43% cut in travel distance, and a 10% uplift in chargeability all delivered in just three months from project start to production deployment.
insightfactory.ai designed and deployed a bespoke scheduling optimisation solution for a global assurance leader, transforming how 150,000 annual audits were allocated and scheduled. Within three months, the project achieved a 26% cost reduction, 43% travel distance savings, and increased auditor chargeability all while running entirely in the client’s own Insight Factory environment.
The Problem
The client, a global leader in assurance and certification serving more than 30,000 clients and delivering over 150,000 audits each year, faced significant challenges in how its auditor workforce was scheduled and managed. Scheduling processes were largely manual and lacked the intelligence to balance the many variables, constraints, and priorities inherent in such a complex operation. As a result, the auditor pool was not being utilised efficiently, leading to higher operational costs and inconsistent productivity.
Auditors were often required to travel unnecessarily long distances, adding to costs, reducing efficiency, and impacting staff satisfaction. To meet demand, the organisation also relied heavily on contractors, further increasing delivery costs. Together, these inefficiencies limited the ability to optimise workforce planning and maximise utilisation, while also placing strain on both financial and human resources.
The imperative was clear: improve workforce efficiency, reduce costs, and maximise utilisation, all without compromising the quality and reliability of service delivery.
The Solution
insightfactory.ai partnered with the client to design and deliver a complete optimisation program that transformed the way auditor scheduling was managed. The engagement began with a detailed problem analysis, clearly defining the variables, constraints, and objective functions in line with the organisation’s operational requirements. From there, data was extracted, cleansed, and structured to accurately represent the real-world scheduling parameters that would drive the optimisation model.
At the core of the solution was a bespoke optimisation algorithm, purpose-built to balance multiple constraints including cost, travel distance, auditor availability, and skills matching. To support adoption, an interactive visualisation layer was introduced, giving planners the ability to understand trade-offs, explore different scenarios, and adjust schedules with confidence.
The entire solution was deployed securely within the client’s cloud environment, ensuring compliance with security and governance requirements. Remarkably, the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) was designed, built, and deployed in just three months, providing rapid value while laying the foundation for ongoing optimisation at scale.
The Value Delivered
The optimisation program delivered measurable and immediate impact across the client’s operations. Delivery costs were reduced by 26%, driven by more efficient scheduling and lower reliance on contractors. Auditor travel distances fell by 43%, cutting costs further while improving productivity and staff satisfaction. Workforce efficiency was significantly enhanced, with full-time equivalent (FTE) chargeability increasing by 10% and contractor costs reduced by 18%.
Beyond these immediate benefits, the client gained a scalable scheduling model capable of adapting to changes in demand, workforce size, or client geography. By embedding advanced optimisation techniques into day-to-day operations, the organisation not only reduced costs but also improved service delivery efficiency, workforce productivity, and overall employee experience.
