Challenges
- Planning on contracted, not productive, hours.
- Ignoring leave and absence.
- Assuming full utilisation.
- No clear view of demand versus capacity.
Framework
- Forecast demand in labour hours.
- Base capacity on productive hours and realistic utilisation.
- Allow for leave and absence.
- Compare capacity to demand routinely.
- Plan contingency for peaks.
Workforce considerations
- Use productive, not contracted, hours.
- Set realistic utilisation targets.
- Allow explicitly for leave.
- Hold contingency for surges.
Risk considerations
- Overcommitting beyond real capacity.
- Burnout from chronic over-utilisation.
- Missed demand from hidden shortfalls.
- Idle cost from over-capacity.
Operational recommendations
- Re-forecast capacity on a cadence.
- Use the capacity and demand tools.
- Flex with overtime or partners for peaks.
- Make capacity versus demand visible.
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