Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by your incoming workload that you have no idea where to even start?
Us too. 🥵
Properly planning and managing your team’s capacity is key to avoiding this form of anxiety. The hard part is finding and maintaining the perfect work limits—how much can each member reasonably handle without jeopardizing key project deadlines and deliverables?
There are tons of capacity planning tools designed to help you overcome this very obstacle.
Capacity planning tools help businesses make strategic and realistic business plans by tracking your current employee’s capacities and forecasting what would happen if you hired more people. By accurately managing their workforce, companies can make more informed decisions regarding goals, output, and most importantly, their people. 🫱🏼🫲🏾
This post covers everything you need to know before investing in your next capacity planning software including the top 10 capacity planning tools, key features, pros, cons, pricing, and customer ratings!
This Article Contains:
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat is Capacity Planning Software?
The best capacity planning tools can forecast usage growth, track system health, identify areas for improvement, and suggest upgrades or additions that will improve performance.
Key Features to Look for in a Capacity Planning Tool
Scalability: Opt for a capacity planning tool that can effortlessly scale up or down as per your business requirements. The tool should be able to accommodate fluctuations in the volume of workload and number of users, seamlessly adjusting to both growth and downsizing scenarios.
Automation: The tool should have robust automation features to allow for reduced manual inputs, improved consistency, and time-saving. It should be capable of automating repetitive tasks and processes, thus increasing efficiency in capacity planning.
Accuracy: The capacity planning tool should be capable of providing precise information. This is critical for making informed decisions about resource allocation, workload distribution, and identifying possible bottlenecks in your workflows.
Optimization: The tool should assist in optimizing resources to deliver maximum productivity. It should prevent both under-utilization and overloading of resources while ensuring that all the important tasks and projects are adequately staffed and completed on time.
Visualization: Visualization features such as simple interfaces, dashboards, graphs, and charts can greatly assist in understanding resource capacity. These elements offer an easy-to-grasp overview of your resource allocation and productivity at a glance, allowing you to spot trends and make changes as needed.
Collaboration: A strong capacity planning tool should promote collaboration among your team members, ensuring that everyone is on the same page when it comes to resource allocation, deadlines, and overall project status. It should also allow for easy and effective communication to facilitate teamwork and alignment.
Flexibility: Look for tools that are adaptable and can cater to the unique needs of your business. This includes customizability in terms of reports, layouts, and configurations. The tool also needs to be easy to use and navigate, which will facilitate seamless adoption across your organization.
Security: The tool should provide robust security measures to ensure your sensitive data is protected. This includes data encryption, secure user access controls, and compliance with privacy regulations.
Reporting & Analytics: The capacity planning tool should contain comprehensive reporting and analytics features. This allows businesses to gather insights, understand trends, and make data-driven decisions. The reports and analytics provided should be real-time, easy to understand, and customizable to your business’s specific needs.
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Does a Capacity Planning Tool Do?
Capacity planning software helps companies evaluate their resource needs to keep up with demand fluctuations in the market.
These tools are used by managers, higher-ups, and department heads to oversee workforces and determine the amount of work that can be completed with your current staff. It also allows you to see how many employees you currently have and whether they are being overworked or underutilized.
Another major benefit of capacity planning tools is the ability to predict the number of new hires your company can or will need to make in the following year, and how the cost may impact the business.
Other significant advantages of using capacity planners include:
- Eliminating the guesswork from resource planning & resource leveling
- Easily identifying any existing or potential bottlenecks
- Streamlines the capacity planning process
- Managing workloads and productivity
- Automating routine resource scheduling systems
- Ensuring you have the capacity to meet demands
The key ingredient here is—you need a dedicated capacity planning tool to pull off this type of productivity. A capacity planning template in Excel isn’t going to cut it!
Summarize this article for me pleaseBest 10 Capacity Planning Tools & Software in 2024
Choosing a capacity planning tool from the thousands of software available today might sound like a daunting task, but it’s important to approach the matter with a clear idea of exactly what you need.
Before you toss your pennies at just any old capacity planning software, here are a few main features to keep an eye out for:
- Real-time reporting and analytics to gather actionable data
- Automation capabilities to save time on mindless actions
- Integrations—lots and lots of integrations!
Luckily we’ve done our homework and scoured the web for the top 10 capacity planning tools on the market today. Take a look through this carefully curated list to start forecasting your team’s workload ASAP.
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is the ultimate project management software for teams of any size to manage projects, collaborate smarter, and bring all of their work together across apps into one centralized hub. With hundreds of customizable features, ClickUp is the ideal capacity planning software for overseeing workloads, managing resources effectively, and boosting overall efficiency.
There are over 15 flexible ways to visualize your work in ClickUp including its unique Workload view, and custom real-time reporting for an instant high-level overview of your progress. Teams and entire businesses across industries rely on ClickUp to understand their capacities and identify areas of improvement. And yet, there is still so much more that ClickUp can do for you! 😍
ClickUp features
- ClickUp Whiteboards to brainstorm, develop, and execute your ideas on a highly visual and actionable canvas connected directly to your ClickUp workflow
- More than 100 ways to automate your daily actions across ClickUp
- ClickUp Views to manage resource allocation, tasks, projects, and workflows including Calendar, List, Gantt, and Workload view
- Flexible time tracking across devices and browser windows with a global timer, time estimates, due dates and start dates, billable time, time reports, and more
- ClickUp Goals feature to stay on track with clear timelines and progress tracking
- Dashboards and real-time reporting to manage assets, track progress, and calculate virtually anything using over 50 customizable widgets
- Over 35 ClickApps to tailor your tasks, processes, and entire Workspace to your needs
- Pre-built templates for resource and capacity planning. Get started with the ClickUp’s Resource Planning Template!
ClickUp pros
- Hundreds of intuitive and customizable features to boost productivity
- A feature-rich Free Forever Plan for teams of any size
- User-friendly interface and navigation
- Over 1,000 integrations to streamline processes and bring all of your work together
- Hundreds of pre-built templates for any use case
- 24/7 customer support, webinars, and detailed Help Docs to learn the Platform with
ClickUp cons
- Workload view not offered in Free Forever Plan
- Tons of powerful features can pose a bit of a learning curve
- Not all views are available in the mobile app…yet!
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever Plan: Unlimited tasks, members, and more at absolutely no cost
- Unlimited Plan: $7 per member, per month
- Business Plan: $12 per member, per month
- Enterprise: Contact ClickUp for custom pricing
ClickUp user ratings
- G2: 4.7/5 (5,260+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,300+ reviews)
2. Resource Guru
Resource Guru is resource management software and capacity planning tool that helps identify overloaded human resources when there’s high demand but low resource availability. This app can integrate with your ERP and CRM software and offers popular work management features to manage tasks along with your project resources. There is a collaborative element to this software that lets you see who’s working on each task and when they’ll be finished.
Resource Guru features
- Scheduling to distribute resources equally among team members to avoid overloading
- Monitor the utilization and resource allocation with a resource calendar
- Leave management to oversee your team’s time off and adjust workloads accordingly
- Booking Clash streamlines reservation systems to avoid double-booking
Resource Guru pros
- Filter out a resource using custom fields like skills, department, etc.
- Drag and drop interface easy resource scheduling
- An availability bar that shows you who’s free and when
Resource Guru cons
- No free version offered
- Lacks native integrations with popular workplace tools
- No Gantt chart functionality
Resource Guru pricing
- Grasshopper Plan: $2.50 per person, per month
- Blackbelt Plan: $4.16 per person, per month
- Master Plan: $6.65 per person, per month
Resource Guru user ratings
- G2: 4.7/5 (190+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (410+ reviews)
Bonus: Production scheduling software!
3. DELIMAWorks Manufacturing ERP
Formerly IQMS, DELIMAWorks Manufacturing ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is a capacity planning app for large companies in automotive, packaging, and other discrete manufacturing industries.
This capacity management tool allows first data and manufacturing activity tracking, monitoring, and tracing throughout the supply chain. However, as it’s mostly a manufacturing capacity planning tool, DELIMAWorks Manufacturing is not the best solution for software development and other project management teams.
DELIMAWorks Manufacturing ERP features
- Detailed supply chain planning and management
- Advanced resource planning and resource scheduling system
- The capacity forecasting module gives a snapshot of current capacity and projected demands
- Can quickly identify any bottleneck in the manufacturing workflow
DELIMAWorks Manufacturing ERP pros
- Built-in Gantt chart to track project completion
- Can export data to Microsoft Excel and Word
- Supports real-time collaborative forecasting for future projects
- Has a time and attendance tracker for easy payroll management
DELIMAWorks Manufacturing ERP cons
- There can be a steep learning curve adjusting to its modules
- Dated-looking UI
- Doesn’t integrate with tools like Slack and Google Drive
- Limited flexibility with standard reports
DELIMAWorks Manufacturing ERP pricing
Contact customer support for all pricing information.
DELIMAWorks Manufacturing ERP user ratings
- G2: 4.1/5 (30+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.1/5 (280+ reviews)
Bonus: Best CRM for Manufacturing!
4. Teamup
Teamup is a cloud-based calendar tool to organize teams, schedule work, manage availability, and share events with each other. It’s a strong alternative for managing capacities with additional features to collaborate on documents, share files, and update calendars with multiple users. It also allows you to customize events based on your needs.
Teamup features
- Secure calendar-sharing and collaboration tools
- Activity and attendance tracking
- Reminders for calendar events
- Automated scheduling, booking, and room reservations
Teamup pros
- User-friendly interface
- Custom color coding helps keep track of multiple members on one calendar
- Seamless sync with its mobile app
- Better for smaller teams or departments than for larger companies
Teamup cons
- Lacking a variety of valuable capacity planning features
- Difficult to oversee the progress of specific tasks or projects
- Difficult for larger teams or businesses to make high-stakes decisions
Teamup pricing
- Basic Plan: Free
- Plus Plan: $8 per month
- Premium Plan: $20 per month
- Enterprise Plan: $80 per month
Teamup user ratings
- G2: 4.6/5 (100+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (40+ reviews)
Bonus: Capacity planning in Excel!
5. Kantata
Previously known as Mavenlink, Kantata is a capacity planning software with features to manage resources, budgets, team collaboration, and projects. One of Kantata’s major strengths is its ability to convey progress visually and in multiple ways including charts, diagrams, graphs, and more.
Kantata features
- Real-time reporting for resources, tracked time, project status, and more
- Filtered search to find information fast
- Employee scheduling and management
- Resource utilization tracking
Kantata pros
- Strong database and reporting features for tracking and calculating resource information
- Offers reusable project templates
- Multiple integrations including email integration
- Easy to use with powerful features
Kantata cons
- Lacking in its mobile app support
- Difficulty making changes and edits across the platform
Kantata pricing
- Team: $19 per user, per month
- Professional: $39 per user, per month
Kantata user ratings
- G2: 4.1/5 (1,200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.2/5 (570+ reviews)
6. Toggl
Toggl is an online time tracker that helps businesses measure how long they’ve spent on projects or tasks to determine where they can improve efficiency and understand how profitable their business is. Toggle is a great capacity planning tool for its ability to help teams make strategic business decisions about hiring, manage workflows, and identify areas of opportunity.
Toggl features
- Employee tracking and workload management
- Payroll and billable time tracking
- Offline time tracking
Toggl pros
- Robust time tracking features determine the productivity, success, and cost of your workforce
- Multiple products to manage different areas of capacity planning
- Tons of integrations
- Improves work scheduling and tracking management
Toggl cons
- Limited productivity features to make proactive and effective choices
- Lacking detailed dashboard and reporting tools
- One of the least cost-effective options on this list
Toggl pricing
- Free: For up to 5 users
- Starter: $9 per user, per month
- Premium: $18 per user, per month
- Enterprise: Contact Toggl for pricing information
Toggl user ratings
- G2: 4.6/5 (1,500+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (1,500+ reviews)
7. Saviom
Saviom is a capacity planning software that uses machine learning to aid in resource allocation and forecasting. It offers its own resource planning solution to maximize your assets and ultimately stretch them across more projects.
Saviom features
- Demand forecasting and resource capacity planning
- Scheduling, project management, and workflow management
- Reports and analysis features for current resources including talent
Saviom pros
- Multiple integrations
- Allows you to choose what information to synchronize and how often
- Gantt chart to monitor who’s working on which project
Saviom cons
- Every pricing plan is customized and does not offer a free plan
- Dated-looking UI
Saviom pricing
Contact Saviom for all pricing information.
Saviom user ratings
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (10+ reviews)
8. Forecast
Forecast is an AI-powered project and resource capacity planning software to plan, manage, and compare projects against one another. Its highly visual and color-coded interface makes it easy to determine the health of your project and what progress each team member has made. Forecast excels when it comes to managing your most important resource—your people!
Forecast features
- Schedule, workflow, and resource management
- Multiple project views for managing tasks
- Dashboards and calculations for accurate cost, profit, and accounting data
Forecast pros
- The auto-scheduling feature makes it easy to assign tasks based on employee availability
- Multiple project management features
- Intuitive interface
Forecast cons
- Limited integrations
- Lacking key collaboration features
- Can get pricey pretty quickly
Forecast pricing
- Light: $29 per seat, per month with a minimum of 10 seats
- Pro: Contact sales for pricing
- Plus: Contact sales for pricing
Forecast user ratings
- G2: 4.2/5 (20+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (50+ reviews)
9. Runn
Runn is a popular capacity planning tool that gives business owners, project managers, and management teams the data needed to plan and forecast complex projects in real time. This tool also has an inbuilt timesheet to monitor your projects’ progress and compare your plan against actual time worked.
Runn features
- Resource scheduling and capacity management
- Timesheet for planning and reporting
- Analytics tools for identifying and forecasting trends
Runn pros
- Data import and export capabilities
- Allows real-time resource adjustments
- Multiple ways to manage the team using this software
Runn cons
- Minimum API features
- Lacking common permission and sharing options
- Feature integration can take a bit of time
Runn pricing
- Free Plan: Supports up to five people and unlimited projects
- Pro Plan: $10 per person, per month
- Enterprise Plan: Contact sales for pricing
Runn user ratings
- G2: 4.5/5 (1 review)
- Capterra: 4.9/5 (10+ ratings)
10. Resource Management by Smartsheet
Resource Management by Smartsheet—also known as 10,000ft before its rebrand—is a resource management tool used to plan and capacities related to team hiring, utilization, and budget. In true Smartsheet fashion, everything in this software is spreadsheet-based to help you oversee your team’s work across multiple projects and meet project timelines. If you’re a seasoned Excel user but looking for a more intuitive and updated option, Smartsheet may be your new go-to!
Smartsheet features
- Workflow automation and management
- Budget management including formulas and calculations
- Project and task status tracking
- Dashboards can be customized and show live data from your sheets or reports
- View your projects on a grid, card, Gantt, or a calendar view
Smatsheet pros
- Easy to use and share with others, especially if you’re used to working in spreadsheets
- Multiple collaboration options to make your spreadsheets more valuable to the team
- Fast and accessible portfolio-level performance metrics
- Seamless integration between Smartsheet and its resource management tool
Smartsheet cons
- Lacking key collaboration and reporting features
- Limited time tracking features to effectively manage resources
- Less cost-effective than other tools on this list
Smartsheet pricing
- Pro: $7 per user, per month with a maximum of 10 users
- Business: $25 per user, per month with a minimum of the three users
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a quote
Smartsheet user ratings
- G2: 4.4/5 (5,340+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (2,220+ reviews)
Check out these Smartsheet alternatives!
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe Key to Faster, Better, Stronger Capacity Planning
Choosing the right capacity planning tool for your business can be difficult with so many options—but it doesn’t have to be! Your search for the perfect tool starts and stops with the first software on this list, ClickUp. 🙂
Even beyond Workload view, its customizable real-time Dashboards, and 1,000 integrations, ClickUp is loaded with rich capacity planning features to make smarter and more strategic business decisions as quickly as possible. Plus, ClickUp does it all for a fraction of the cost.
Access tons of flexible features, unlimited tasks, unlimited members, 100MB of storage, multiple views, and so much more with ClickUp’s Free Forever Plan. And when you’re ready to uplevel your productivity even further, upgrade to a more advanced pricing plan for as little as $5.
Sign up for ClickUp today to make the most of your resources and forecast your future success.
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