Short answer
Capacity planning matches expected demand to available capacity through explicit assumptions and constraints. This catalog progresses from maintaining inputs, to independently planning for a team, to shaping cross-team capacity choices under uncertainty.
About Capacity planning
Matches expected demand to available capacity using explicit assumptions and constraints. Effective capacity planning makes likely gaps, tradeoffs, and response options visible before demand exceeds the resources available.
Use this competency for
- Roles that compare forecast demand with people, equipment, space, or processing capacity.
- Work where lead times and constraints require capacity decisions before demand arrives.
Do not use this competency for
- Roles that schedule assigned work but do not assess future demand or capacity choices.
Important distinctions
Work scheduling
Work scheduling assigns known work to available slots. Capacity planning decides whether expected demand and available capacity can be reconciled.
Inventory planning
Inventory planning sets stock positions across supply and demand. Capacity planning evaluates the ability of resources or systems to handle expected workload.
Expectations by level
IC1
Maintains planning inputs
Maintains defined demand and capacity inputs with guidance. Applies established assumptions, checks basic completeness, and surfaces visible gaps for their own area.
Observable behaviors
- Updates demand and capacity inputs from agreed sources.
- Records the assumptions used in a planning calculation.
- Flags missing data, conflicting inputs, or an apparent capacity gap.
Examples
- Updates a weekly capacity view and notes that one input has not been confirmed.
- Compares planned workload with available hours and escalates a visible shortfall.
IC2
Plans team capacity
Independently builds capacity plans for a team or service using variable demand, lead times, and known constraints. Tests scenarios and recommends practical responses to likely gaps.
Observable behaviors
- Builds a capacity view from demand, availability, and constraint assumptions.
- Tests how changes in demand or availability affect the plan.
- Explains the timing and consequence of a projected gap.
- Recommends options such as resequencing, cross-training, or changing intake.
Examples
- Models a demand increase against planned availability and recommends when intake rules should change.
- Revises a plan after a key constraint changes and documents which assumptions no longer hold.
IC3
Shapes cross-team capacity
Leads capacity planning across connected teams or services where demand and constraints are uncertain. Reconciles competing assumptions, frames tradeoffs, and establishes planning practices others use.
Observable behaviors
- Aligns teams on shared demand and capacity assumptions.
- Models constraints and dependencies that move bottlenecks between teams.
- Frames capacity options with consequences, timing, and reversibility.
- Creates reusable planning scenarios and review triggers.
Examples
- Finds that added capacity in one team shifts the constraint downstream and coordinates a joint plan.
- Creates shared scenarios for an uncertain demand period and defines the signals that trigger each response.