Capacity Planning
Know who’s available, who’s overbooked, and where you have room to take on more work. Vantage’s capacity planning helps you allocate resources confidently and avoid burnout.
The Capacity Dashboard
Navigate to Dashboard → Capacity for a bird’s-eye view of your team.
What You’ll See
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
John ████████ ████████ ██████░░ ████░░░░
Jane ██████░░ ████████ ████████ ████████
Mike ████░░░░ ██████░░ ████████ ██████░░
Sarah ████████ ████░░░░ ██░░░░░░ ██████░░
█ = Allocated ░ = AvailableColor Coding
| Color | Utilization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Green | 70-90% | Healthy |
| 🟡 Yellow | 90-100% | Near capacity |
| 🔴 Red | >100% | Overbooked |
| ⚪ Gray | <70% | Under-utilized |
Setting Up Capacity
User Capacity
Each team member has capacity settings:
- Go to Settings → Team → Select user
- Set:
- Hours per week (default: 40)
- Billable target % (default: 75%)
- Working days (M-F typical)
Billable Target
The billable target is your utilization goal:
40 hours/week × 75% target = 30 billable hours expected| Role | Typical Target |
|---|---|
| Senior Developer | 75-85% |
| Project Manager | 50-60% |
| Designer | 70-80% |
| Support | 80-90% |
Don’t set targets at 100%. Leave room for meetings, admin, and unexpected work.
Resource Allocation
Allocating to Projects
Assign team members to projects with expected hours:
Open Project
Go to the project → Team tab.
Add Allocation
Click Add Team Member.
Set Details
Configure:
- Who
- Hours per week
- Start/end dates
- Role on project
Allocation Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Fixed hours | 20 hours/week for 4 weeks |
| Percentage | 50% of capacity |
| Flexible | As needed (no specific allocation) |
The Capacity Timeline
Weekly View
See allocations week by week:
Project: Website Redesign
─────────────────────────────────────
Jan 6 Jan 13 Jan 20 Jan 27
John 20h 20h 20h 10h
Jane 15h 15h 10h -
Mike - 10h 20h 20h
─────────────────────────────────────
Total 35h 45h 50h 30hHover for Details
Hover over any cell to see:
- Project breakdown
- Actual vs planned
- Notes and flags
Time Off & Holidays
Managing Time Off
Time off reduces available capacity:
- User requests time off
- Manager approves
- Capacity auto-adjusts
- Shows in timeline
Company Holidays
Workspace-wide holidays affect everyone:
- Go to Settings → Holidays
- Add holidays (or use US Stock Market preset)
- All capacity calculations adjust
Visual Indicators
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🏖️ | Vacation |
| 🤒 | Sick |
| 🎄 | Company holiday |
| 📅 | Other time off |
Utilization Tracking
Real-Time Utilization
This Week: John Smith
───────────────────────────────────────────
Target: 30h billable (75% of 40h)
Logged: 28h billable
Remaining: 2h to hit target
Status: 🟢 On trackUtilization Formula
Utilization % = (Billable Hours Logged ÷ Capacity Hours) × 100Example:
- 32 billable hours logged
- 40 hour capacity
- = 80% utilization
Forecasting
Capacity Forecast
Look ahead to see availability:
Team Availability - Next 4 Weeks
─────────────────────────────────────────
Week Capacity Allocated Available
Jan 27 600h 520h 80h
Feb 3 600h 580h 20h
Feb 10 560h* 400h 160h
Feb 17 600h 350h 250h
* Reduced due to company holidayWhat-If Planning
Test scenarios before committing:
- Click New Scenario
- Add hypothetical project
- Allocate team
- See impact on availability
- Save or discard
Alerts & Notifications
Overbooking Alerts
Get notified when someone is overbooked:
- Warning - >100% for a single week
- Alert - >100% for 2+ consecutive weeks
- Escalation - Manager notified
Under-utilization Alerts
Identify under-booked team members:
- <50% utilized for 2+ weeks
- Helps identify capacity for new work
Best Practices
Right-Size Your Team
| Scenario | Action |
|---|---|
| Consistently >90% | Consider hiring |
| Consistently <60% | Evaluate workload distribution |
| Spiky demand | Cross-train team members |
Buffer for the Unexpected
Always leave 10-20% buffer:
- Urgent client requests
- Bug fixes and support
- Meetings and admin
- Sick days
Weekly Capacity Review
Every Monday:
- Review this week’s allocations
- Check for overbooking
- Identify available capacity
- Adjust as needed
Capacity for Retainers
Retainer agreements should reflect in capacity:
Acme Corp Retainer: 40 hours/month
─────────────────────────────────────
Typically assigned to: John (50%), Jane (50%)
John: ~5 hours/week reserved
Jane: ~5 hours/week reservedLink retainer agreements to capacity allocations. When clients have a retainer, reserve appropriate capacity.
Reporting
Capacity Reports
Reports → Capacity shows:
- Utilization by Person - Who’s hitting targets
- Utilization by Project - Where time is going
- Forecast Accuracy - Planned vs actual
- Availability Trend - Historical capacity
Exporting
Export capacity data for:
- Resource planning meetings
- Client proposals
- Hiring decisions
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
G then C | Go to Capacity |
← → | Navigate weeks |
T | Jump to today |
F | Open filter |
Integration with Projects
Auto-Allocation
When creating a project, Vantage can suggest team:
- Based on skills
- Considering availability
- Matching past assignments
Capacity Warnings
When allocating:
- “John is at 110% for week of Jan 27”
- “Consider Jane instead (at 60%)“
Mobile Access
Check capacity on the go:
- View team availability
- Approve time off requests
- Get overbooking alerts
Next Steps
- Time Tracking - Log time to projects
- Projects - Manage project allocations
- Reporting - Utilization analytics