Capacity Planner

Overview

The Capacity Planner skill provides comprehensive capabilities for capacity requirements planning. It supports demand-capacity gap analysis, strategy modeling, resource loading analysis, and what-if scenario analysis to ensure adequate capacity for meeting customer demand.

Capabilities

• Capacity requirements calculation
• Demand forecast integration
• Gap analysis visualization
• Lead, lag, match strategy modeling
• Resource loading analysis
• Rough-cut capacity planning
• What-if scenario analysis
• Capacity investment justification

Used By Processes

• CAP-001: Capacity Requirements Planning
• CAP-003: Sales and Operations Planning
• CAP-002: Production Scheduling Optimization

Tools and Libraries

• ERP/MRP systems
• Capacity planning software
• Forecasting tools
• Scenario modeling platforms

Usage

skill: capacity-planner
inputs:
  planning_horizon: 12  # months
  demand_forecast:
    - month: 1
      units: 10000
    - month: 2
      units: 11000
    # ... additional months
  resource_capacities:
    - resource: "Assembly Line 1"
      available_hours: 160
      efficiency: 0.85
      units_per_hour: 50
    - resource: "Assembly Line 2"
      available_hours: 160
      efficiency: 0.80
      units_per_hour: 45
  capacity_options:
    - option: "Add overtime"
      cost: 1.5  # multiplier
      capacity_increase: 25  # percent
    - option: "New equipment"
      cost: 500000
      capacity_increase: 100  # percent
outputs:
  - capacity_requirements
  - gap_analysis
  - resource_loading
  - strategy_recommendations
  - investment_analysis

Capacity Planning Process

Step 1: Calculate Requirements

Capacity Required = Demand / (Units per Hour x Efficiency)

Example:
- Demand: 10,000 units
- Rate: 50 units/hour
- Efficiency: 85%
- Required: 10,000 / (50 x 0.85) = 235 hours

Step 2: Assess Available Capacity

Effective Capacity = Available Hours x Efficiency x Utilization Target

Step 3: Identify Gaps

Capacity Gap = Capacity Required - Effective Capacity

Capacity Strategies

Strategy	Description	When to Use
Lead	Build capacity ahead of demand	Growth markets, competitive advantage
Lag	Add capacity after demand materializes	Uncertain demand, capital constraints
Match	Incrementally add capacity	Moderate growth, balanced approach

Resource Loading Analysis

Load Level	% Utilization	Action
Under-loaded	< 70%	Consider reduction or consolidation
Optimal	70-85%	Maintain current state
Fully loaded	85-95%	Monitor closely, plan additions
Over-loaded	> 95%	Immediate action required

What-If Scenarios

Common scenarios to analyze:

1. Demand increase of 20%
2. Equipment breakdown
3. Labor shortage
4. New product introduction
5. Seasonal peak periods

Integration Points

• ERP/MRP systems
• Demand planning systems
• Financial planning tools
• HR workforce planning