Dashboard Design
Part of BI for operations management
Building a capacity report from actual workload
Turn incoming work and backlog goals into effort, compare them with usable hours and slots, and show the assumptions behind a capacity gap.
Build a capacity report by estimating effort for incoming work and a chosen backlog-reduction goal, then compare it with resources available in the same period. Case counts alone are insufficient when work types differ in time or skills.
Separate demand, activity and capacity
Demand is work requesting service. Activity is work performed.
Available capacity is what the team can provide with its usable people, time and other required resources under stated assumptions. Recent completions provide context about past activity; they do not automatically measure maximum capacity.
Choose a planning period and work unit. A weekly report might show new requests by type, open work selected for completion, observed handling effort, usable staffed hours and specialist slots.
If a task requires an accredited employee or a particular room, report that constraint rather than pooling all hours as if they were interchangeable.
Estimate effort from observed work
Group work into types with meaningfully different effort. For each, use recorded handling time or another defensible estimate from a suitable period.
Check whether the estimate includes rework, documentation and coordination. If recording is incomplete, label it provisional and review a sample with the people doing the work.
For each work type: Required handling hours = expected new cases × estimated hours per case + planned net backlog reduction × estimated hours per case.
The backlog-reduction term is additional work beyond keeping up with new entries. Adjust the plan if withdrawals, re-entries or other movements materially change the expected queue.
In a hypothetical example, 100 straightforward requests at half an hour each and 20 complex requests at two hours each imply 90 handling hours. The figure excludes unmeasured duties, so it is not a ready-made roster.
| Report line | Measure to enter | Check before using it |
|---|---|---|
| New demand | Expected cases by type and period | Are all intake channels represented? |
| Backlog goal | Net reduction by type in the same period | Is it additional to new demand? |
| Effort | Observed or reviewed hours per case | Does it cover the work the plan expects? |
| Available resource | Usable staffed hours and constrained slots | Account for leave, other duties and dependencies. |
| Gap | Required effort against comparable usable capacity | Show assumptions and uncertainty. |
Pros and Cons of Using Observed Handling Times
- ProsReflects real-world effort; supports evidence-based planning; aligns with ATO and PCG reporting standards.
- ConsMay miss rework or coordination time; requires validation; limited reliability if records are incomplete.
Calculate usable capacity
Start with scheduled hours or slots and account for leave, training, supervision and other duties. Check whether equipment, rooms, access or specialist roles limit what can actually be completed.
Convert hours into work capacity only under an explicit effort assumption; a slot and an hour are not interchangeable units.
Leave room in scenarios for variable arrivals, complex work and interruptions. Show overtime or borrowed staff separately if they are not dependable ongoing resources.
Show timing and uncertainty
Monthly totals can hide a weekday or seasonal shortage. Display demand and usable capacity at the interval when allocations can change. Show a range when arrivals or effort estimates vary, especially if based on limited records.
Before using the report for an allocation, compare a fixed period with source case counts, rosters and selected handling-time records. Check feasibility by skill group.
After a change, compare arrivals, completions and aged open work with the plan. More completions alone do not establish that the queue or service time improved.
