We are happy to share that the first step in improving the use of Planview for capacity planning in WashU IT is complete. The capacity multiplier value, which allows Planview to calculate the resource’s available capacity, was successfully changed, and the corresponding allocation adjustments have been implemented. This is a key milestone in improving our capacity planning. Making this change was foundational to forecasting IT labor needs for future projects and for improving financial forecasts of toll billing.
We want to thank everyone who has contributed to this significant achievement. Your help has made this possible, and together, we will continue to leverage capacity planning to achieve our organization’s strategic goals.
Supporting Strategic Planning
With the updated allocations, WashU IT is now better equipped to undertake long-range and strategic planning. This enables us to forecast both the resources available and those required for future project work. The capacity planning process is integral to our mission, ensuring that we have the right people, with the right skills, available at the right time to meet our strategic objectives.
Building on Our Success
Our next steps will allow us to build on these improvements. In December, we will:
1. Roll Out the Toll Revenue Forecast Report.
This report will enhance WashU IT’s ability to forecast income from project work, providing a clearer picture of our financial outlook.
2. Share Updated Role Expectations.
We will communicate updated role expectations for the capacity planning process. This will primarily impact Resource Managers (RMs), Project Managers (PMs), and department leadership. This step ensures everyone is aligned and understands their role in vital planning activities.
In January and beyond, we will:
Provide Training on Underutilized Planview Features. To maximize the benefits of our planning tools, we will conduct training sessions focusing on:
– Entering future roadmap projects to enable longer-term planning.
– Setting alerts for allocation changes (PMs, RMs) to improve collaboration in allocating resources.
– Improving the use of contoured allocations (PMs, RMs) to make forecasts more precise.
– Utilizing Planview reports to track and analyze actual hours spent on a project (RMs, PMs) to improve our ability to estimate labor needs.
Please contact the Portfolio Analysts if you have questions about Planview. Contact the project managerwith any questions about the project or visit the Capacity Management project webpage. The project webpage contains more information about the project, including action item requests, training resources, and FAQs. You can also find many more Planview-related resources, including Learn@Work courses, on the Planview PPM Pro webpage.