resource-planning
npx machina-cli add skill anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/resource-planning --openclawResource Planning
Help plan and optimize resource allocation across projects and teams.
Planning Dimensions
People
- Available headcount and skills
- Current allocation and utilization
- Planned hires and timeline
- Contractor and vendor capacity
Budget
- Operating budget by category
- Project-specific budgets
- Variance tracking
- Forecast vs. actual
Time
- Project timelines and dependencies
- Critical path analysis
- Buffer and contingency planning
- Deadline management
Utilization Targets
| Role Type | Target Utilization | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IC / Specialist | 75-80% | Leave room for reactive work and growth |
| Manager | 60-70% | Management overhead, meetings, 1:1s |
| On-call / Support | 50-60% | Interrupt-driven work is unpredictable |
Common Pitfalls
- Planning to 100% utilization (no buffer for surprises)
- Ignoring meeting load and context-switching costs
- Not accounting for vacation, holidays, and sick time
- Treating all hours as equal (creative work ≠ admin work)
Output
Produce allocation plans, utilization dashboards, scenario analyses (what if we hire / don't hire / deprioritize), and staffing recommendations.
Source
git clone https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/blob/main/operations/skills/resource-planning/SKILL.mdView on GitHub Overview
Resource Planning helps allocate people, budget, and time across projects and teams. It defines planning dimensions (People, Budget, Time) and utilization targets to guide capacity decisions. It also flags common pitfalls and supports generating allocation plans and dashboards.
How This Skill Works
Collect inputs on headcount, skills, budgets, timelines, and constraints. Compute utilization targets and run what-if scenarios to balance demand and capacity. Produce allocation plans, utilization dashboards, and staffing recommendations, then review with stakeholders.
When to Use It
- When capacity is tight or we're stretched thin and need to rebalance work.
- When planning hires, contractors, or vendor capacity across projects.
- When budgeting and forecasting variances across projects and time is needed.
- When timelines and dependencies require optimization and contingency planning.
- When you want allocation recommendations or dashboards for staffing decisions.
Quick Start
- Step 1: Collect headcount, skills, budgets, and project timelines.
- Step 2: Set utilization targets and run what-if scenarios (hire/don't hire).
- Step 3: Generate allocation plans and dashboards; review with stakeholders.
Best Practices
- Define and agree on utilization targets for each role type.
- Incorporate buffers for vacations, holidays, and surprise work.
- Model what-if scenarios: hire vs. don't hire, deprioritize features.
- Separate planning by dimension (people, budget, time) and align with timelines.
- Review assumptions with stakeholders and update plans regularly.
Example Use Cases
- A product team uses the tool to decide between hiring a contractor vs. rebalancing existing work to meet quarterly milestones.
- An engineering squad publishes utilization dashboards to surface overcommitment and reallocate tasks.
- A PM runs what-if analyses to compare hiring versus deprioritizing non-critical features.
- Budget variance tracking by project highlights where forecasted spend diverges from actuals.
- Planning for vacations and holidays ensures coverage without overstaffing.
