Capacity planning redesigned from a spreadsheet bottleneck

Context

This client was running complex multi-project planning through a single large spreadsheet. The operational intent was strong, but the tool structure made forward visibility and coordination increasingly difficult.

What Needed Attention

• The core planning file had 635 date columns and was difficult to navigate or maintain.
• At least 36 staff and 33+ active projects needed concurrent visibility.
• Resource forecasting, conflict detection and scenario planning were constrained by spreadsheet mechanics.

How We Worked

• Documented current-state planning practice in detail, including roster, leave and project allocation dependencies.
• Assessed platform options against real planning requirements, not feature checklists alone.
• Designed a future-state workflow integrating capacity, allocation and reporting logic.
• Prepared an implementation path that balanced operational continuity with staged improvement.

Outcomes

• The business gained a clear map from current-state pain points to implementable workflow changes.
• Capacity planning requirements were translated into concrete system and process decisions.
• Leadership had stronger visibility of the trade-offs between spreadsheet persistence and platform transition.

Engagement Profile

Structured assessment and design engagement with leadership and operational stakeholders.

Evidence Base

• Capacity planning assessment artefacts based on live operating files.
• Requirements matrix for platform suitability and future-state fit.
• Future-state workflow design covering rostering, allocation and reporting.

Client details are anonymised; metrics are drawn from project records and de-identified artefacts.