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Working with the Capacity Planning Page

Use the Capacity Planning page to perform What-if analysis, graphically change project forecast dates, and apply waterline analysis techniques to assist with critical, executive-level decision making. Before assessing capacity or demand on resources, create resource and role estimates for each project. During your analysis, you can create and update scenarios that provide varying snapshots of project and role allocation data. After conducting your analysis, you can create new portfolios containing only the projects that meet your planning criteria.

When you choose to display a stacked histogram, area chart, or spreadsheet, the Capacity Planning chart displays the total at completion units or costs over time for the combination of selected roles and projects. Each of these charts contains the same information in different formats with a data stacking option for the projects and roles you select.

When you choose to display a net availability chart, the chart displays each selected role's under- or over-allocated units over time for the currently selected projects. The limit line is always placed at zero. If the total units for a role equals the limit, no bar is displayed for that role. Bars placed above the limit line indicate net under-allocation for the associated role during the displayed time period; bars placed below the limit line indicate net over-allocation for the associated role during the displayed time period.

Capacity Planning page elements

Table of Key Capacity Planning Page Elements

Item

Description

item one

Navigation: Before you begin, first open the portfolio you want to work with. After clicking "" Capacity Planning, remember to click "" Show Capacity Planning Chart in the toolbar. This displays the four (4) main screen areas used in capacity planning.

item  two

Scorecard: Use this table to analyze, sort, and select projects. Only the projects you select in the option column appear in the Capacity Planning chart.

Note: The scorecard on this page is not related to the set of defined portfolio view scorecards.

item  three

Gantt chart: View current and forecast schedules. Drag the bars to adjust the Capacity Planning chart data.

item  four

Role Selection Area: Select the options for the roles you want to include in the Capacity Planning chart.

item five

Capacity Planning Chart (Under-Allocated): View role allocation as a stacked histogram, area chart, net availability chart, or spreadsheet.

item six

Capacity Planning Chart (Over-Allocated): Customize the chart to show a limit line representing the maximum capacity of all resources for the currently selected roles by timescale period.

item seven

Customize Capacity Planning Chart: Customize the columns, grouping, waterline, or chart options. You can customize the chart to display units or costs, a limit line, and an allocation limit line. You can also choose to show data for all projects in the database (except what-if projects), rather than for the projects you select in the scorecard.

If you elect to view costs, but do not have the required security privileges to view costs for any project in the selected project group, the Capacity Planning chart does not display any data. This option is not available for the net availability chart because the chart displays only units.

Note: The net availability charts are often the best place to begin a resource capacity or demand analysis since they represent a streamlined birds-eye view. These charts include all related projects and roles in a single view allowing you to expand or drill down into only the roles with perceived problems.

Related Topics

Analyzing Role Allocation (Capacity Planning)

About Capacity Planning


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