Capacity Planning: Workforce availability
Objective. Read the availability and shrinkage assumptions that turn nominal headcount into effective FTE, and insist shrinkage is the customer's real figure.
This screen answers: how much of our nominal headcount is actually available after shrinkage, leave and training? It is the biggest single swing on the supply side.
See it in the demo
What this screen answers
The customer question is: of the heads we have, how many are genuinely available to do forecast work once leave, training and shrinkage are taken out. A CSM must validate this; a rep uses it to explain why nominal headcount overstates capacity.
The task
Review the availability and shrinkage assumptions that convert nominal heads into effective FTE for the scope. The job is to confirm the shrinkage figure is the customer's real, measured number, not a placeholder.
How to read it
Availability and shrinkage are the largest swing on the supply side - effective FTE is well below nominal headcount, and the gap is this assumption. The classic misread is using nominal headcount as available capacity, which silently overstates supply by the shrinkage percentage. Shrinkage especially must be the customer's real figure; a placeholder here distorts the whole balance. Read effective FTE, never nominal heads, against the requirement.
Honest limits
The customer's real shrinkage and availability must be confirmed with the customer - this is an assumption, not a measurement. It is distinct from measured adherence: what people actually did against schedule is observed in RTA, not assumed here. A planned availability figure is not a promise of attendance.
Interpretation check
Availability and shrinkage are the biggest swing on supply; effective FTE is well below nominal heads, and shrinkage must be the customer's real figure, not a placeholder.
Practical task
Review the availability/shrinkage assumptions for a scope, compute the gap between nominal heads and effective FTE, and note the shrinkage figure to confirm with the customer.
Self-check
Why is using nominal headcount as available capacity a mistake?
It ignores shrinkage, leave and training, so it overstates supply by the shrinkage percentage. Only effective FTE should be set against the requirement.
Which availability input most distorts the plan if wrong, and who validates it?
Shrinkage. The CSM validates it is the customer's real, measured figure rather than a placeholder, because it swings effective FTE heavily.
How is planned availability different from adherence?
Planned availability is a supply assumption; adherence is what people actually did against schedule, which is observed in RTA, not assumed here.
Verified vs demo. Screen is live in the demo at /#/availability; exact controls and figures are SME-validation-pending.