Capacity Planner

Capacity Planner

Plan team and infrastructure capacity before it becomes a crisis.

What It Does

Takes your current workload data — team size, utilization rates, project pipeline, seasonal patterns — and builds a forward-looking capacity model. Flags bottlenecks 4-8 weeks before they hit.

When to Use

Sprint planning feels like guesswork You're not sure if you can take on a new client/project Hiring decisions need data, not gut feel Infrastructure keeps getting slammed at predictable times

How to Use

Tell the agent about your situation: "We have 8 engineers, 3 active projects, and a new client starting in March. Can we handle it?" The agent will: Audit current load — Map people to commitments, calculate true utilization (not the number in your head) Model scenarios — What happens if the new project lands? What if two people quit? What if scope grows 30%? Flag risks — Identify single points of failure, overloaded roles, deadline clusters Recommend actions — Hire, redistribute, defer, or say no — with numbers behind each option

Utilization Bands

BandRateMeaning🟢 Green<70%Healthy buffer for unplanned work🟡 Yellow70-85%Sustainable but tight🔴 Red>85%Burnout zone — something will slip

Key Metrics

Effective capacity = headcount × available hours × efficiency factor (typically 0.7-0.8) Demand pipeline = committed hours + probable hours (weighted by likelihood) Buffer ratio = (capacity - demand) / capacity — target 15-25% Time to constraint = weeks until demand exceeds capacity at current trajectory

Scenario Template

For each scenario, output: Headcount needed vs. available Skill gaps (specific roles/capabilities missing) Timeline risk (which deadlines move) Cost impact (overtime, contractors, lost revenue from saying no) Recommended action with confidence level

Output Format

• CAPACITY SNAPSHOT — [Date]
• ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
• Team: [size] | Utilization: [%] | Buffer: [%]
• Status: 🟢/🟡/🔴
• CURRENT COMMITMENTS
• [Project A]: [X people, Y hours/week, end date]
• [Project B]: ...
• PIPELINE (next 8 weeks)
• [Incoming work]: probability %, estimated load
• ...
• RISKS
• 1. [Risk description + impact + timeframe]
• 2. ...
• SCENARIOS
• A) [Scenario]: [outcome summary]
• B) [Scenario]: [outcome summary]
• RECOMMENDATION
• [Clear action with reasoning]

Tips

Refresh capacity snapshots weekly during planning Track actual vs. predicted utilization to calibrate your efficiency factor Include non-project work (meetings, support, admin) — it's usually 20-30% of capacity Don't plan above 80% utilization. The remaining 20% isn't slack, it's where real work happens.

Go Deeper

Your capacity model is one piece of operational planning. For full business context packs covering finance, operations, and growth strategy across 10 industries: → AfrexAI Context Packs — $47 each, built by operators who've done the work. → AI Revenue Calculator — Find out where your business is leaking money (free tool). → Agent Setup Wizard — Get your AI agent configured for your specific business in 5 minutes.