Case Study: The Planning Inspectorate improves inspection scheduling and resource allocation with CACI Limited

Improving Inspection Scheduling and Resource Allocation

The Planning Inspectorate manages planning and enforcement appeals, local development plan enquiries, and other planning casework across England and Wales. To coordinate more than 400 home-based inspectors across around 20,000 cases a year, it relied on a complex manual scheduling process that was time-consuming, paper-heavy, and difficult to manage efficiently. CACI Limited’s Cygnum solution was brought in to improve inspection scheduling and resource allocation.

CACI Limited delivered a fully customised Cygnum system that helps schedulers match inspectors to jobs using business rules, best-fit rankings, and a virtual planner, while also optimising weekly schedules with genetic algorithms. Inspectors can view schedules online, receive email updates, and submit timesheets digitally. The Planning Inspectorate reported a 20% increase in demand handled, a 33% reduction in scheduling staff, and significantly less paper-based administration, all without compromising service quality.

Planning Inspectorate

John Rendall

Section Manager