Our Client Success Partner, Hasti Khodadad weighs in on the importance of Life Science workforce metrics and compliance when scaling post-FDA approval.
The FDA’s fast track process has transformed the speed at which life-saving therapies reach the market but with that acceleration comes pressure. Life sciences organizations that once had years to plan staffing, onboarding and project execution now must compress timelines into months or even weeks.
This shift places immense responsibility on operations, HR, clinical and commercial leaders to not only scale quickly, but also to scale smart. In today’s high-stakes, high-speed environment, guesswork won’t cut it. Success depends on tracking the right workforce and project performance metrics to drive efficiency, ensure compliance and protect long-term growth.
Fast Tracking Demands Data-Led Decisions
Bringing a drug to market under the FDA fast track program is a huge achievement but it’s also the beginning of a highly complex process. Rapid expansion in clinical operations, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and commercialization requires a workforce that is flexible, accountable and strategically aligned.
To manage this complexity, life sciences leaders must embrace workforce analytics and establish a KPI-driven approach. Tracking the right data helps organizations pivot faster, allocate resources more effectively and hold teams accountable across every phase of growth.
The Must-Have Metrics for Life Sciences in 2025
Below are the six most important metrics every life sciences company should be tracking in the wake of FDA fast tracking:
1. Time-to-Fill for Critical Roles
These life science workforce metrics tracks how long it takes to hire for high-priority positions. In a post-approval surge, every day counts. Delays in hiring clinical trial managers, regulatory liaisons or commercialization experts can set back your entire timeline.
Why it matters: A slow time-to-fill rate signals bottlenecks in your recruiting pipeline, possibly due to unclear role definitions, slow approvals or misalignment with partners.
How to use it: Identify where delays are occurring and optimize workflows for speed without sacrificing candidate quality.
2. Percentage of Compliant Independent Contractors (ICs)
Misclassifying contractors isn’t just a paperwork issue, it’s a legal and financial liability, especially under heightened scrutiny from the Department of Labor and IRS.
Why it matters: Non-compliant ICs can trigger audits, penalties or even delays in regulatory milestones.
How to use it: Establish a centralized IC vetting process and track this metric monthly to ensure your engagement model remains audit-ready.
3. SOW Milestone Completion Rate
This measures whether your project-based contractors or vendors are hitting key deliverables on time and within scope.
Why it matters: Missed milestones can delay submissions, commercialization or manufacturing readiness, costing both time and revenue.
How to use it: Use milestone data to evaluate vendor reliability and renegotiate future SOWs based on past performance.
4. Onboarding Success Rate
This KPI tracks the percentage of new workers (FTEs or contractors) who complete onboarding successfully and begin contributing within expected timelines.
Why it matters: Poor onboarding leads to delays, turnover and reduced productivity at a critical time.
How to use it: Streamline your onboarding process and use the data to improve knowledge transfer, training and systems access.
5. Cost-Per-Deliverable
Whether you’re working with SOW-based consultants or internal teams, this metric helps assess whether your workforce investments are yielding value.
Why it matters: As budgets tighten, understanding the cost-effectiveness of contractors versus FTEs is crucial.
How to use it: Evaluate project costs against milestones achieved to inform future staffing decisions.
6. Talent Utilization Rate
This measures how effectively your contract and project-based workers are being deployed across projects.
Why it matters: Underutilized talent is a sign of misaligned forecasting, while over utilized workers may burn out or miss deadlines.
How to use it: Balance workloads and adjust contracts to better align with project needs and timelines.
Metrics That Help You Pivot and Plan
Determining he right life science workforce metrics should do more than monitor performance, they give leaders the insight to adapt quickly. With a real-time view of workforce data, life sciences companies can:
- Reallocate resources as trials progress from Phase I to commercialization
- Identify bottlenecks in hiring, training or clinical operations
- Evaluate contractor quality and rebalance your IC/vendor mix
- Forecast labor needs for upcoming quarters with confidence
In a market where delays can mean lost revenue or lost lives, data turns reactivity into readiness.
How Suna Workforce Management Supports Data-Driven Growth
At Suna Workforce Management, we work with fast-growing life sciences companies to implement smart, scalable workforce strategies. We know that compliance and speed must go hand-in-hand and that tracking the right KPIs makes all the difference.
Here’s how we help:
- Workforce analytics dashboards: Get visibility into time-to-fill, onboarding success and IC compliance at a glance.
- SOW oversight: We help clients monitor vendor performance against agreed milestones and outcomes.
- Advisory support: Not sure which metrics matter most? We work with your team to define KPIs based on your stage of growth and regulatory environment.
Our clients rely on this data to make faster, more confident decisions from hiring surges to new product launches.
From Acceleration to Accountability
In 2025, getting FDA fast track status is just the first win. Real success comes from execution, turning regulatory acceleration into sustainable commercial growth. That means building a workforce strategy that’s flexible, measurable and compliant.
By tracking the right metrics, leaders can go from breakthrough to bottom line with clarity and confidence.
Looking to improve workforce visibility and track what matters most? Suna Workforce Management offers analytics, compliance support and workforce strategies tailored for life sciences leaders moving at speed. Contact us today.