Map influence, then set the comms cadence
Resource & Capacity Planning That Holds Up
Match demand to real availability, expose over-allocation early, and level the plan before the team burns out.
On this page
Most late projects were never resourced honestly. The schedule assumed eight productive hours a day from people who also run support, attend governance meetings and take leave. Capacity planning is the discipline of planning against the hours that actually exist.
Start from real availability
- 1List every named person and their contracted hours for the period.
- 2Subtract non-project load: leave, training, support rota, line management, company meetings.
- 3Apply a productivity factor — 65–80% of remaining time is realistic for focused delivery work.
- 4Only then assign activities, and compare the total demand per person per week to that net number.
| Input | Typical figure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Gross weekly hours | 40 | The number stakeholders assume you have |
| Leave & holidays | -3 | Averaged across the year, not ignored until it happens |
| Meetings & admin | -6 | Ceremonies, governance, email, approvals |
| Productivity factor | ×0.75 | Context switching and unplanned interrupts |
| Net project capacity | ≈23 hrs | The only number worth scheduling against |
Spot over-allocation before it bites
- Anyone above 100% of net capacity in any week is a schedule risk, not a stretch goal.
- Watch the specialists: a single-point-of-failure skill will quietly become your critical path.
- Peaks that cluster at phase boundaries usually mean the plan front-loads reviews and approvals.
- Check the same person is not committed to two projects at 80% each.
Levelling vs. smoothing
| Technique | What it changes | Effect on end date |
|---|---|---|
| Resource levelling | Delays activities until people are free | End date can move out |
| Resource smoothing | Uses float only, keeps the critical path intact | End date holds |
| Fast tracking | Runs activities in parallel | Shortens, raises rework risk |
| Crashing | Adds people or overtime | Shortens, raises cost |
Make it visible
- Publish a one-page heat map of person-by-week allocation and review it in every steering meeting.
- Escalate demand that exceeds supply as a decision, not a complaint: cut scope, move the date, or add capacity.
- Re-forecast capacity monthly — attrition, onboarding ramp-up and reorganisations all invalidate the sheet.
- Record actual hours against planned; the gap is your productivity factor for the next project.
PMI standard templates for this topic
Editable Word and print-ready PDF downloads — no sign-up required.
- RACI matrix template →A PMI standard RACI matrix template with a section-by-section walkthrough, a filled-in example and the one-accountable-owner rule that stops responsibility arguments.
- Sprint planning template →A PMI standard sprint planning template with a capacity calculator, a Definition of Ready check, a two-hour agenda and a worked example of a commitment that fits.
The PM Delivery Toolkit turns everything in this guide into fill-in templates — $25, one payment.
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