10 Best Capacity Planning Software Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 20 tools reviewed.
Get free help from our project management software advisors to find your match.
There are so many different capacity planning tools that making a shortlist of the best can be tricky. You want to optimize your use of resources while considering historical data, current workloads, and future projections - and need the right tool for your projects and team. I've got you covered! In this post, I use my personal experience of having planned hundreds of projects, using many different platforms with large teams, and complex projects, and share my picks of the best capacity planning software.
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The Best Capacity Planning Software Comparison Chart
Here is a table where you can compare all the tools we just covered in the overviews.
Tools | Price | |
---|---|---|
Parallax | Pricing upon request | Website |
ClickUp | From $7/user/month | Website |
Scoro | From $26/user/month (min 5 seats) | Website |
Kantata | Pricing upon request | Website |
monday.com | From $8/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Runn | From $10/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Productive | From $9/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Saviom | Pricing upon request | Website |
Resource Guru | From $4.16/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Hub Planner | From $7/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareHow To Choose Capacity Planning Software
With so many different capacity planning software solutions available, it can be challenging to make decisions on what capacity planning software is going to be the best fit for your needs.
As you're shortlisting, trialing, and selecting capacity planning software consider the following:
- What problem are you trying to solve - Start by identifying the capacity planning feature gap you're trying to fill to clarify the features and functionality the capacity planning software needs to provide.
- Who will need to use it - To evaluate cost and requirements, consider who'll be using the software and how many licenses you'll need. You'll need to evaluate if it'll just be the project management professionals, or the whole organization that will require access. When that's clear, it's worth considering if you're prioritizing ease of use for all, or speed for your capacity planning software power users.
- What other tools it needs to work with - Clarify what tools you're replacing, what tools are staying, and the tools you'll need to integrate with, such as accounting, CRM or HR software. You'll need to decide if the tools will need to integrate together, or alternatively, if you can replace multiple tools with one consolidated capacity planning tool.
- What outcomes are important - Consider the result that the software needs to deliver to be considered a success. Consider what capability you want to gain, or what you want to improve, and how you will be measuring success. For example, an outcome could be the ability to get greater visibility into performance. You could compare capacity planning features until you’re blue in the face, but if you aren’t thinking about the outcomes you want to drive, you could be wasting a lot of valuable time.
- How it would work within your organization - Consider the software selection alongside your workflows and delivery methodology. Evaluate what's working well, and the areas that are causing issues that need to be addressed. Remember every business is different — don’t assume that because a tool is popular that it'll work in your organization.
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Hub Planner
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.2 -
ClickUp
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.7 -
Miro
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.8
Best Capacity Planning Software Reviews
Here’s a brief description of each capacity planning app to showcase each tool’s best use case, some noteworthy features, and screenshots to give a snapshot of the user interface.
Parallax is a service operations software with resource management, sales and pricing, project financials, and business intelligence functions. The software helps project managers better understand their current and future resource needs, track business financials, and monitor business performance and efficiency. All of this supports informed capacity planning and management.
This software solution is particularly suited to professional service providers, digital agencies, and software development firms. It tracks the availability of resources across different teams over time and provides an overview of upcoming tasks and projects, helping project managers plan ahead rather than react to immediate needs. Users can assign tasks with confidence as they can see which team members have the most available time at any given moment. For organizations juggling multiple projects, deadlines, stakeholders, and clients, this software can be a great solution for keeping everything on track.
The financial features of the product help users manage budgets across projects and resources. Features like service offer templates and project financial tracking and forecasting support more consistency in costs, profit, and budgets. Users can also track performance and finances using the business intelligence features.
The platform has native integrations for Asana, Harvest, Hubspot, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Oracle NetSuite, Salesforce, and Tempo. Book a free demo through the site and receive a quote for your use case.
Clickup is a configurable project management system that helps managers determine if they have sufficient capacity to deliver projects on time and take on new work. The software offers a lot of features, but you can adapt it to work as a capacity planning tool with ease.
Clickup’s resource management features enable you to project timelines and budgets, allocate the right resource to any task, and avoid human resource shortages. The tool’s dashboards enable you to identify skill gaps and poor resource scheduling practices, helping you improve your capacity planning process.
One of the things that make Clickup stand out from its competitors is its rich template library. There are dozens of templates to choose from, and you can use them to automate task management operations, calculate billable hours for invoicing, or create workflows.
Clickup integrates with over 1000 apps, including Slack, Gmail, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Zoom, GitHub, Toggl, Airtable, Salesforce, and more.
Clickup costs from $5/user/month. The platform offers a free forever plan for personal use. You can try out the paid solution for free for 30 days.
Scoro is an all-in-one work management platform that offers capacity planning solutions designed to assist businesses in managing their resources and workload.
The tool offers an agile Gantt chart feature that provides real-time updates for capacity planning. You can see live overviews of your team's workload and schedule tasks accordingly. Furthermore, when dependencies are created between tasks, Scoro automatically updates timelines and workloads, so you can avoid manual entry and overbooking scenarios.
One standout feature is the fact that Scoro goes beyond capacity planning and integrates multiple business functions within a single platform. These features include project management, sales and pipeline management, CRM, quoting and billing, reporting, and customizable dashboards.
Scoro integrates with Dropbox, PayPal, Expensify, Stripe, Google Calendar, Jira, Slack, Xero, QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Exchange, Asana, and more.
Pricing starts from $26/user/month with a free trial available.
Kantata (formerly Mavenlink + Kimble) is a resource management tool that enables managers to automate workflows, optimize their resource allocation, and improve their team’s operational performance.
The tool is great at organizing your data. The software’s dashboards allow you to compare your plan against your team’s timesheets and progress, giving you an accurate view of your performance and profitability.
The best thing about using this software is that it offers a real-time view of what every member of your team is doing. You can see when someone is struggling with a task, so you can prioritize the task and allocate more resources to speed up its completion.
Kantata (formerly Mavenlink + Kimble) integrates with multiple apps, including Microsoft 365, Oracle, Google Docs, Slack, JIRA, QuickBooks, and more.
Kantata (formerly Mavenlink + Kimble) offers customized pricing upon request. You can access a free 10-day trial and request a demo.
monday is an open platform that enables team leaders to create their own capacity planning solution. The tool’s visual interface allows you to pick and choose the modules and integrations you need to use to create the perfect management software for your business.
With monday, you can project roadmaps, assign available resources, assess your team’s capacity, and automate workflows. The great thing about this solution is that it’s adaptable, so you can tailor it to your organization’s needs.
The tool’s time projection ability enables you to estimate how long it would take to complete a project with the resources at your disposal. You can also see how long it takes to deliver different projects, which can help with pricing your work.
Thanks to its project management and forecasting functionalities, monday enables you to determine your team’s current and future capacity with a high degree of accuracy.
monday integrates with dozens of apps, including Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Zapier, Jira, and more.
monday costs from $6/user/month. The platform offers a free-forever version for up to two users. You can also try out the pro version for free for 14 days.
Runn is a resource and capacity management platform that helps project managers optimize their team’s workload according to their business needs.
With Runn, you can plan and forecast capacity so you can schedule your projects accordingly. The tool’s calendar enables you to access your resources in real-time and see the involvement of every team member. The software also helps you differentiate between billable and non-billable work, making it easier to price your services and raise invoices.
Runn’s highlight is its capacity forecasting feature. This feature helps you determine whether your team has the skills and resources to take on certain projects, and how new work would impact your team’s workload.
Runn integrates with multiple tools, including WorkflowMax, Harvest, Clockify, and more.
Runn costs from $10/user/month. You can access a free trial for 14 days. The solution also offers a free-forever plan for up to five users.
Productive is a complete workforce management software designed primarily for agencies and other service-based industries. The software's resource planning module helps make the most of every team member's time and keep workload capacities in check. Users can access visual representations of team members’ workload and availability, and use this information to assign tasks and distribute work. Employees can also be grouped by skill sets and departments to enable better resource allocation.
The software's time tracking tool is directly connected to its capacity planning functionality, because employees can log the time they're spending on various tasks and projects. This information feeds into the resource planning tools, supporting smarter scheduling through forecasting and predictive insights. Project managers can use previous project data to forecast future work requirements accurately, including estimated time ranges to complete a tasks and what-if scenarios.
Budgeting and financial planning are also included in the feature set. This can be tied to the capacity and workload planning tools, ensuring teams don't go over budget on projects. Other functionalities included in the software are project management, document management, billing, and reporting tools.
Teams can connect the software with their other SaaS tools like Dropbox, Google Workplace, Jira, Outlook, Microsoft Calendar, Slack, QuickBooks, and Xero. A Zapier integration is also available for configuring additional integrations.
Saviom capacity planning solution helps replace silos of information by recording and consolidating every resource demand on a centralized platform. It enables businesses to analyze resource excesses or shortages and bridge the gap by implementing corrective measures ahead of the curve.
Saviom’s features include resource demand management, forecast capacity vs. demand, foresee utilization, pipeline management, bench management, and forecast project financials.
When you are using the software, you can foresee the utilization of every resource and enhance productivity by mobilizing them from non-billable to billable or strategic work. It also gives you insights on project vacancies and people on the bench to help minimize hiring-firing cycles.
Wanna talk numbers? Saviom helps you track critical project financial indicators such as costs, revenue, profit margins, forecast vs. actuals, and other KPIs in real-time.
Saviom’s integrates with other applications for data imports and exports such as Salesforce, MS Excel, SAP, and more.
Saviom offers pricing details upon request and also offers a 60-day free trial.
Resource Guru is a resource management software that helps you schedule teams, people, and projects. Its drag-and-drop interface lets you assign work in seconds, and its entire UI follows the mantra of being clean and simple.
The software has two things I like a lot. The first is clash management which ensures that you avoid double bookings and overtime while taking into account individual working hours, workloads, and vacation time. The second is the waiting list. This feature keeps tabs on your resources and prevents over-allocation, so every resource has a manageable workload.
Finally, powerful reports give oversight of team utilization rates and capacity, so you know exactly where your time is invested and how much other work you can take on. These reports can then be automatically generated and sent via email to everyone on the team so they stay on track and informed.
Resource Guru integrates with Outlook and Google Calendar directly and with thousands of other platforms via Zapier.
Their martial arts inspired plans start at $2.50/user/month and offer a 30-day free trial.
Hub Planner is a modern, cloud-based resource management and scheduling platform that serves team-based businesses of any size or industry. It offers a wide variety of products besides resource management, including vacation and leave management, timesheets and approval, reporting and analytics, and skills matching. The platform’s main function is to aid project managers when it comes to the management, capacity planning, and monitoring of projects and resources within a central location.
Hub Planner provides a modern resource scheduling and management module that enables project managers to effectively conduct resource capacity planning and scheduling using a simple drag-and-drop mechanism. This makes the process of scheduling teams and allocating resources easier and more efficient Their project and resource planning feature allows managers to set their budgets so they don’t overspend or overextend valuable resources. They can plan their budget in hours and budget in cash. A currency feature is also available, allowing teams to set the proper currency for international projects.
Hub Planner includes a natively optimized mobile application and doesn’t require users to download any additional apps. They log in through any browser or device to access multiple dashboard views that contain all the information they might need, including project and task progress, schedules, as well as resource availability and utilization data.
Hub Planner costs from $7/resource/month and offers a 14-day free trial with unlimited projects and resources; all modules are available for users to pick and install. Businesses can customize their Hub Planner deployment and pay only for the products that they’ve implemented from the main platform. Premium Hub Planner extensions are also available, ranging from smart groups, custom fields, and approval workflows to task checklist creation and task management.
Other Capacity Planning Software
Here are a few more that didn’t make the top list but are worth your consideration.
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Selection Criteria For Capacity Planning Software
When selecting capacity planning software, it's crucial to focus on functionalities that align with specific use cases to ensure the software meets buyer needs. Through personal trials and extensive research, I've developed a set of criteria for evaluating these tools based on their ability to serve these core functions and several additional criteria, which I have weighted to reflect their importance to my overall assessment.
Core Capacity Planning Software Functionality (25% of total weighting score): To be considered for inclusion on my list of the best capacity planning software, the solution had to support the ability to fulfill common use cases including:
- Forecasting future resource requirements based on current data and trends.
- Allocating resources to projects efficiently to avoid over or underutilization.
- Tracking the utilization of resources in real-time.
- Identifying bottlenecks and predicting potential project delays.
- Generating reports and analytics for stakeholder review and decision-making.
Additional Standout Features (25% of total weighting score): In a competitive market, additional standout features can differentiate a good capacity planning tool from a great one. This criterion assesses innovative and unique functionalities that enhance forecasting accuracy, integration capabilities, and decision-making processes beyond the standard offerings. I looked for:
- Advanced predictive analytics for more accurate forecasting.
- Integration capabilities with other project management and ERP systems for seamless data flow.
- Customizable dashboards and reports for different stakeholder needs.
- Tools leveraging AI to suggest optimal resource allocation based on past project data.
- Scenario planning features to assess the impact of different decision paths on resource utilization.
Usability (10% of total weighting score): Usability ensures that software can be effectively used by all stakeholders without extensive training. The focus here is on intuitive design, ease of navigation, and the availability of customizable views to enhance user experience and adoption. I prioritized:
- Intuitive interfaces, such as drag-and-drop calendars for scheduling, which simplify complex planning tasks.
- Clean, user-friendly dashboard designs that provide at-a-glance insights.
- Mobile compatibility for accessing data and making decisions on the go.
- Customizable views to cater to different user preferences and roles.
Onboarding (10% of total weighting score): A smooth onboarding process is essential for quick adoption and realization of software value. This evaluation looks for:
- Comprehensive training materials, including videos, templates, and interactive product tours.
- Availability of chatbots and live support for immediate assistance.
- Community forums or knowledge bases where users can learn from each other.
- Structured onboarding programs to guide new users through the software's features and capabilities.
Customer Support (10% of total weighting score): Effective customer support is a cornerstone of user satisfaction and ongoing software success. Consequently, high-quality customer support is non-negotiable, so I made sure to consider:
- 24/7 availability of support through multiple channels (phone, email, chat).
- The presence of a dedicated account manager for enterprise customers.
- Responsiveness and helpfulness of the support team based on user feedback.
- Regular updates and clear communication about new features and improvements.
Value For Money (10% of total weighting score): Evaluating value for money ensures that the software offers a fair balance between cost and features. This assessment compares pricing models, plan flexibility, and overall feature set against the investment required, looking for solutions that offer the best return on investment. Value assessments included:
- Transparent pricing models without hidden costs.
- A variety of plans to suit different sizes and types of businesses.
- Free trials or demos to test functionality before committing.
- Comparison of feature sets against pricing to ensure competitiveness.
Customer Reviews (10% of total weighting score): Customer reviews offer direct insights into the software's performance and user satisfaction. This criterion prioritizes real user feedback on usability, functionality, support quality, and the overall impact on their capacity planning processes, highlighting the software's strengths and areas for improvement. I primarily focused on:
- Overall satisfaction scores and how they compare across products.
- Specific feedback on the software's impact on resource planning efficiency.
- User experiences with the onboarding process and learning curve.
- Testimonials on the effectiveness of customer support and problem resolution.
These criteria provide a structured approach to selecting capacity planning software, ensuring the my recommended tools not only meet standard functional requirements, but also deliver unique value, ease of use, and strong customer support to help users optimize their resource planning and allocation processes effectively.
Trends In Capacity Planning Software for 2024
In 2024, the landscape of capacity planning software is witnessing significant transformations, driven by advances in technology and evolving user needs. These developments are not only enhancing the core functionalities of capacity planning tools but also introducing innovative features that set new benchmarks in resource optimization. Here, I will discuss several key trends that I believe will shape the future of both capacity planning software and the field of resource management as a whole.
Advanced Analytics and AI Integration
- Predictive Analytics for Demand Forecasting: Tools are increasingly incorporating machine learning algorithms to predict future resource requirements, enhancing the accuracy of capacity planning.
- AI-driven Resource Allocation: Some platforms now leverage AI to automate the allocation of resources, significantly reducing manual effort and optimizing utilization rates.
Integration and Automation
- Seamless ERP and Project Management Integration: The ability to integrate with ERP systems and project management tools is rapidly evolving, facilitating real-time data exchange and comprehensive visibility across all resources.
Novel and Unusual Features
- Real-time Collaboration Tools: Some capacity planning software is introducing real-time collaboration features, enabling teams to plan and adjust resource allocations dynamically.
- Environmental Impact Analysis: A novel feature emerging is the capability to assess the environmental impact of project resource utilization, aligning with growing sustainability concerns.
Declining in Importance
- Manual Data Entry and Updates: As automation and integration capabilities improve, the need for manual data entry and updates is diminishing, with users expecting real-time data synchronization.
- Basic Scheduling Tools: With the rise of AI and advanced analytics, simple scheduling tools are becoming less important, as users seek more sophisticated methods for optimizing resource allocation.
These trends reflect a shift towards more intelligent, integrated, and user-friendly capacity planning solutions. As the technology continues to evolve, the focus on sustainability, real-time collaboration, automation, and more signifies a broader move towards more adaptable and responsible resource management practices.
What Is Capacity Planning Software?
Capacity planning software is a specialized tool designed to assist you in maximizing the resources of your company, including human resources, equipment, and infrastructure. It allows you to forecast resource requirements, identify potential bottlenecks, and ensure that resources are allocated efficiently to meet project demands and organizational goals.
Capacity planning software is essential for strategic project management and resource optimization. By understanding the capacity of each resource, you can make informed decisions about project timelines, resource allocation, and workload distribution – helping you prevent resource overloads or shortages, and ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.
Features of Capacity Planning Software
Capacity planning software plays a critical role in the strategic management of system resources across various industries. It enables organizations to predict IT resource requirements, optimize current infrastructure usage, and plan for future needs. This foresight helps in maintaining efficiency and cost-effectiveness within operations. It is therefore vital to ensure that whatever capacity planning software you choose has the features you need. Here are some of the most important features to look for when selecting the right capacity planning software for you:
- Demand Forecasting - This feature predicts future resource requirements based on historical data. It is essential for anticipating the need for scaling resources up or down, thereby ensuring optimal performance and cost management.
- Scenario Planning - Allows for the simulation of various operational scenarios to understand their impact on resources. This capability is crucial for making informed decisions about infrastructure adjustments before they are needed, minimizing risk.
- Real-Time Monitoring - Provides live tracking of resource utilization. Real-time visibility into system performance helps in quickly identifying and addressing inefficiencies or unexpected demand spikes.
- Historical Data Analysis - Utilizes past performance data to identify trends and patterns. Understanding historical utilization trends is key to predicting future needs and avoiding over or under-provisioning of resources.
- Resource Allocation Optimization - Automatically suggests the most efficient distribution of resources across workloads. Efficient allocation ensures that resources are not wasted, reducing costs and improving overall system performance.
- Capacity Reporting - Generates detailed reports on current and projected resource utilization. These reports are vital for stakeholders to understand capacity needs and to justify investments in infrastructure upgrades or expansions.
- Integration Capabilities - Seamlessly integrates with existing tools and infrastructure. Integration ensures that capacity planning efforts are not siloed but are instead a holistic part of the IT ecosystem, enhancing accuracy and implementation speed.
- Cost Management - Provides insights into the financial impact of capacity decisions. By linking resource utilization with costs, organizations can make budget-conscious capacity planning decisions.
- Customizable Thresholds - Allows setting custom thresholds for alerts on resource utilization. Customizable alerts enable proactive management of capacity, preventing performance degradation before it impacts operations.
- Cloud and On-Premises Support - Compatible with both cloud-based and on-premises infrastructure. This flexibility ensures that organizations can effectively manage capacity across diverse environments.
Choosing the right capacity planning software is essential for organizations looking to optimize their IT infrastructure. The features listed above provide a foundation for selecting a tool that can accurately forecast demand, ensure efficient resource allocation, and support strategic decision-making. By focusing on these capabilities, organizations can maintain high levels of performance and customer satisfaction while managing costs effectively.
Benefits of Capacity Planning Software
Capacity planning software offers a comprehensive solution for managing resources, predicting future demands, and ensuring that the infrastructure aligns with the business goals. Here are five primary benefits that capacity planning software provides to users and organizations:
- Enhanced Efficiency - This software optimizes the use of available resources. By ensuring that resources are allocated effectively, businesses can avoid bottlenecks and underutilization, leading to smoother operations and increased productivity.
- Cost Reduction - Significantly lowers operational and capital expenses. Through precise demand forecasting and resource optimization, companies can minimize unnecessary expenditure on additional resources and reduce the costs associated with over-provisioning.
- Improved Service Levels - Maintains high performance and availability. Capacity planning software helps in predicting demand spikes and ensuring that adequate resources are available, thus maintaining service levels and enhancing customer satisfaction.
- Strategic Decision Making - Supports data-driven infrastructure investments. With detailed insights into future capacity requirements and utilization trends, decision-makers can plan strategic investments in infrastructure that align with long-term business objectives.
- Risk Mitigation - Reduces the risk of system downtime and performance issues. By proactively managing capacity and responding to potential issues before they impact operations, businesses can safeguard against disruptions and maintain continuous operation.
For organizations contemplating the adoption of capacity planning software, these benefits highlight the substantial positive impact it can have on operations. Not only does it enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs, but it also supports strategic planning and risk management. This makes capacity planning software a critical tool for modern businesses striving for resilience and competitiveness in their respective markets.
Costs & Pricing for Capacity Planning Software
Capacity planning software typically offer various plan options to cater to different business sizes, needs, and budgets. From free versions designed for small teams or individuals just starting out, to more comprehensive enterprise solutions packed with advanced features for larger organizations, there's a wide range of options.
Understanding the plan options and their pricing is crucial to making an informed decision that aligns with your business requirements and financial constraints. Below is a summary of the typical plan options and pricing for capacity planning software, designed to help you navigate your choices more effectively.
Plan Comparison Table for Capacity Planning Software
Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features |
---|---|---|
Free | $0 | Basic resource planning, limited projects, standard reporting, community support |
Basic | $10-20/user/month | Enhanced resource planning, unlimited projects, advanced reporting, email support |
Professional | $20-40/user/month | All Basic features, plus resource forecasting, integration capabilities, priority support |
Enterprise | Custom | All Professional features, plus custom integrations, dedicated account manager, 24/7 support, advanced security |
When choosing a capacity planning software, it is important to consider the size of your team, the complexity of your projects, and the level of support you'll need. It's also important to think about future growth; investing in a scalable solution—even if you start with the free plan with the intention to eventually upgrade—can save time and resources down the line.
Capacity Planning Software Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about software capacity planning and capacity planning software.
What is capacity planning?
What key features should I look for in capacity planning platforms?
What's the benefit of capacity planning software?
Can Jira do capacity planning?
What are the three types of capacity planning?
What other resource management tools can I use?
What's Next?
You can learn more about resource planning and workload capacity planning on our site. We also have the deets on 5 capacity planning reports you can prepare for your boss.
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