Plan capacity for forecasting

The Plan Capacity settings panel on the Forecast page provides you with a way to set the capacity for programs and teams working in a PI, prior to entering forecast estimations. The panel lets you copy capacity from current settings, modify the available capacity to account for team changes, and set buffers to remove holidays and non-work events from capacity.

Additionally, you can add a specialist if the team requires outside help or knowledge, and need to add that specialist’s capacity to the team and program available total.

Access the settings by clicking the Plan Capacity button in the upper-right corner of the Forecast page.

Note:  The Plan Capacity button is only available if the portfolio’s estimation system, selected from Administration > Settings > Platform is configured to use T-Shirt size or Team/Member Weeks. This button and its settings panel will not be visible if points are set as the estimation system. 

Set capacity for programs and teams

To set the program and team capacity:

1. Navigate to the Forecast page.
2. Click Plan Capacity at the top of the page.
3. Select a PI from the Program Increment dropdown. The dropdown will contain PIs selected in the Configuration bar. 
4. Select one or more programs in the Programs field. The field will let you select any program from those selected in the Configuration bar.
5. The Override weeks field will display the number of weeks that are contained in the selected PI, derived from the anchor sprints associated with the program(s) and PI. If you plan to change the number of weeks in a future PI, you can account for this by switching on the toggle to the right of the field, and then enter the number of weeks the PI will use to calculate Planned Capacity.
   
   
6. Use the Buffer Management section below the grid of programs and teams to enter capacity buffers for a specific team for the PI. For example, you could create a “Conference” buffer of 1 team week (or 6 member weeks), for a team that will not contribute for one full week during the PI, due to attending a learning conference.
   
   
   
7. Use the Specialists section at the bottom of the panel to identify the capacity gained by a team when bringing in an outside team member to provide specialized skills or knowledge:
   1. Enter a name for the specialty in the Specialist Name field.
   2. Select a team that needs the specialty in the Team dropdown.
   3. Click the plus icon to create the Specialist. 
   4. Specialists show on their own line under the team.
   5. Entering a FTE capacity in the Planned FTEs column for the specialist’s row will roll-up to the team and program levels, and will impact Planned Capacity values.
   6. You can remove a specialist by clicking on the red X that displays to the right of its name, under the Specialists section.
      
      
8. Inside the grid of programs in the middle of the panel, view and set the capacity for each:
   1. Current FTEs: The number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) available for the program or team. This is sourced from the number of team members and their allocation percentages, set on a team’s Details panel. For example, if a team has two members, each with a 50% allocation, the team will show 1 FTE.
      
      • Individual sprint allocations, set on a sprint’s Details panel, do not affect this value.
      • Values of 0 in a team’s allocation settings panel are counted as 100% allocation.
      • Values in the Defect Allocation column do not impact FTE calculations. 
        
        
        
        
   2. Planned FTEs: The number of FTEs planned to be available for the program or team. This value will initially be 0. Edit the values within a team row to update planned FTEs. You can plan for increased or decreased team/program members this way. If you expect your staffing levels to remain the same, you can click the User Current FTE link at the bottom-right of the panel to copy values from the Current FTEs column.
      • If Specialists have been created, they display as a row below the team. Enter a planned capacity value for the row to represent how much capacity the specialist adds to the team by joining during the PI. 
   3. Total Buffer: The total number of buffer weeks assigned to the team or program from the Buffer Management section below. 
   4. Planned Capacity: The number of team or member weeks (depending on the portfolio’s estimation settings) of capacity available for the PI. This is the amount of capacity you will forecast against on the main section of the Forecast page. Calculated as:
      • Member weeks:
        ((Planned FTEs) * (Number of weeks in the PI/override weeks)) - (Total Buffer value)
      • Team weeks:
        ((((Planned FTEs) * (Number of weeks in the PI/override weeks)) / 6 )) - (Total Buffer value)
   5. Needed Capacity:  The sum of team/member week forecast estimates already entered on the Forecast page, or the Forecast tab of epics and capabilities assigned to the selected PI and programs. Generally, this number will be 0, as forecasting is the first time estimates are made. However, program and portfolio leaders may enter forecast estimates directly on work items when there are known needs prior to this activity. 
      • Stand-alone feature estimates entered on the main tab of their Details panels are also included.
      • A warning displays if the needed capacity exceeds the planned capacity.
9. Click the Save button at the bottom of the panel to save your changes. You’re now ready to enter forecast estimates on the main section of the page.