From planning to execution: Making resource efficiencies for successful codes

As with any project, success in developing a design code depends on adequate resourcing. Having the right budget and time are important factors, but so too are having the capacity and the right knowledge and skills. It therefore should be one of your first considerations when developing a code.

If you already face pressures on funding and staffing, you are likely to be concerned about how you can produce a design code on top of your existing duties. Fortunately, experiences from the Design Code Pathfinder Programme show that some of these resourcing needs can be overcome with good project planning and by finding practical ways to make the most of your existing resources. The following piece summarises some of the key lessons learned from Pathfinder experiences in relation to making efficiencies in producing codes.

Prepare a resourcing plan

At the start of the coding process, consider in detail what you need to do to prepare, test, adopt, implement, and monitor your design code. Also anticipate how much of the work can be carried out in-house and how much will have to be outsourced to external consultants. This will help inform the length of the project, who the major stakeholders are, what knowledge and skills you need and how much staff time the work will absorb.

Every case is different but results from a 2024 survey of Pathfinders showed that it took between one and two years to produce a design code, averaging out at 19 months. The survey also showed that, while many of the stages in the process took roughly the same amount of time, detailed coding took proportionately longer – over a quarter of the entire project duration.

A detailed resourcing plan will help to calculate the rough costs of developing and implementing your design code. Securing adequate financial resources for the entire exercise was a common concern for many Pathfinders and while this is a key part of the resourcing plan, financial costs might be offset by drawing on internal skills and staff resources, agreeing crossfunding from multiple directorates within the local authority, or possibly sharing resource and expertise with neighbouring authorities. Similarly, it might be possible to secure financial or in-kind support from stakeholders, statutory consultees, and landowners of strategic sites.

For more on these topics, see ‘Managing code creation’ and ‘Bridging siloed working’.

Results from a 2024 survey of Pathfinders showed that it took between one and two years to produce a design code, averaging out at 19 months.