Enter your assumptions
Formula and units
Scheduled team hours = people × hours per person. Delivery hours = scheduled team hours − unavailable hours. Planned capacity = delivery hours × (1 − buffer / 100). Capacity gap = planned capacity − demand.
Worked example
With three people scheduled for 40 hours each and 30 total hours unavailable, there are 90 delivery hours before buffer. A 10% buffer leaves 81 planned hours. Against 95 hours of committed demand, the gap is −14 hours. The demand-to-capacity ratio is 117.3%; it is a planning signal, not a target.
How to use the result
A negative gap calls for a scheduling or capacity decision. Verify the effort estimates and prerequisites, then consider resequencing, a revised commitment, or qualified support. A positive gap is not automatically sellable time if another required skill or dependency is constrained.
Assumptions and limits
Use total team unavailable hours, not unavailable hours per person. Do not count the same interruption both as unavailable time and in the buffer. The tool assumes one comparable role and period and does not model dependencies or scheduling order.
Turn the estimate into an operating decision
Use source records where possible and label estimates you cannot yet verify. Save the result with the planning period and the person responsible for checking assumptions. After a real operating cycle, compare the estimate with what happened and update the underlying process before treating the model as reliable.
Related implementation resources
Discuss the operating problem
Elixir consulting starts at $5,000 per month, with final pricing based on scope. Bring a recent example, the current workflow, and the person who owns the result to define the appropriate implementation scope.