Increasing draft-estimate output is not useful if accepted-file completion cannot keep pace.
Build a proposed Catastrophe Production Capacity Stress Test using:
- Normal, double, triple and fivefold assignment scenarios.
- Changes in evidence completeness and loss complexity.
- Producer and reviewer availability.
- Training time for temporary staff.
- Rework and exception workloads.
- Platform or inspection-partner outages.
- Existing backlog and deadline exposure.
Use a transparent queue equation:
Closing backlog = opening backlog + new assignments − completed assignments − separately recorded withdrawals or transfers.
Hypothetical example: 120 eligible files arrive daily and only 90 become usable. The queue grows by 30 a day, or 300 over ten working days. If arrivals later fall to 60 and usable-file capacity reaches 100, the 300-file excess needs 7.5 working days to clear, assuming unchanged complexity and no additional disruption.
What should the surge runbook specify?
- Activation thresholds based on backlog age and completion capacity.
- Named decision-maker and daily operating review.
- Pre-qualified overflow personnel and permitted jurisdictions.
- Capacity reserved for acceptance review and technical escalation.
- Prioritisation approved by claims and compliance.
- No silent relaxation of evidence or acceptance requirements.
- Approved communication ownership.
- Manual fallback, restoration priorities and transfer reconciliation.
- Rules for returning overflow work to the normal operation.
Exit gate: run a tabletop and a practical transfer/recovery test before describing the operation as surge-ready.