Resource Planning
Help plan and optimize resource allocation across projects and teams.
Planning Dimensions
People
- Available headcount and skills
- Current allocation and utilization
- Planned hires and timeline
- Contractor and vendor capacity
Budget
- Operating budget by category
- Project-specific budgets
- Variance tracking
- Forecast vs. actual
Time
- Project timelines and dependencies
- Critical path analysis
- Buffer and contingency planning
- Deadline management
Utilization Targets
| Role Type | Target Utilization | Notes | |-----------|-------------------|-------| | IC / Specialist | 75-80% | Leave room for reactive work and growth | | Manager | 60-70% | Management overhead, meetings, 1:1s | | On-call / Support | 50-60% | Interrupt-driven work is unpredictable |
Common Pitfalls
- Planning to 100% utilization (no buffer for surprises)
- Ignoring meeting load and context-switching costs
- Not accounting for vacation, holidays, and sick time
- Treating all hours as equal (creative work ≠ admin work)
Output
Produce allocation plans, utilization dashboards, scenario analyses (what if we hire / don't hire / deprioritize), and staffing recommendations.