What Is Capacity Percent Max in Project Insight?

The Capacity Percent Max field in Project Insight sets the threshold for over-allocation alerts. It helps determine when Project Insight should warn a project manager, project scheduler, or resource manager that a resource may be assigned more work than allowed.

Capacity Percent Max is found in the user settings screen under the Resource Info tab. To use this field on individual user profiles, the Capacity and Resource Allocation Add-On must be installed and configured to allow individual capacity settings.

In short, Capacity Percent Max controls alert behavior. It does not directly change how over-capacity hours are calculated in resource allocation reports.

When to Use It

Use this article when:

• You need to understand the Capacity Percent Max field.
• You want to control when over-allocation alerts appear.
• You are setting user-specific capacity thresholds.
• You are configuring the Capacity and Resource Allocation Add-On.
• Project managers need to know whether they can override over-allocation alerts.
• You need to understand how Capacity Percent Max differs from Capacity Percent.

Requirements

Before you can use Capacity Percent Max on individual user profiles, make sure:

1. The Capacity and Resource Allocation Add-On is installed.
2. The add-on is configured to allow individual resource capacity limits.
3. The user profile has access to the Capacity Percent and Capacity Percent Max fields under the Resource Info tab.

If you do not see Capacity Percent Max on the user profile, check the Capacity and Resource Allocation Add-On configuration first.

What Is Capacity Percent Max?

Capacity Percent Max is the threshold that triggers an over-allocation alert when the percentage is exceeded.

For example, if a user’s Capacity Percent Max is set to 100%, Project Insight can alert the project manager when a task assignment pushes that user beyond 100% of their capacity.

Capacity Percent Max is an alert threshold. It does not directly affect resource allocation report calculations other than triggering the alert.

Where to Find Capacity Percent Max

To find Capacity Percent Max for an individual user:

1. Open the user profile.
2. Go to the user settings screen.
3. Select the Resource Info tab.
4. Find the Capacity Percent Max field.

If the field is not visible, individual capacity limits may not be enabled in the Capacity and Resource Allocation Add-On configuration.

How Individual Capacity Percent Max Overrides the Default

An individual user’s Capacity Percent Max takes precedence over the default Capacity Percent Max set in the Capacity and Resource Allocation Add-On configuration.

For example, the add-on configuration may have a default Capacity Percent Max of 85%, but a specific user may have an individual Capacity Percent Max of 100%.

In that case, Project Insight uses the individual user’s setting for that user.

How Over-Allocation Alerts Work

The main setting associated with Capacity Percent Max is the option to present an alert when a project manager edits or adds a task that would overallocate a resource.

If this alert setting is turned off, the over-allocation alert will not trigger. When the alert setting is turned on, additional override options become available.

Depending on your configuration, Project Insight can allow:

• Project managers or project schedulers to override an over-allocation alert.
• Project managers to specifically override an allocation alert.
• Resource managers to override an allocation alert.

Does Capacity Percent Max Affect Resource Allocation Reports?

Capacity Percent Max does not directly calculate over-capacity hours in resource allocation reports.

In Project Insight, over-capacity hours are calculated based on Capacity Percent, not Target Utilization, Percent Allocation Default, or Capacity Percent Max.

Capacity Percent Max is used to determine when an alert should appear, not to calculate the report’s over-capacity hours.

Capacity Percent vs. Capacity Percent Max

Capacity Percent and Capacity Percent Max are related, but they are not the same.

• Capacity Percent: Defines the resource’s available working capacity and is used in over-capacity calculations.
• Capacity Percent Max: Defines the alert threshold for over-allocation warnings.

In many cases, Capacity Percent and Capacity Percent Max will match. For example, a user may have both fields set to 100%.

However, some teams may set Capacity Percent Max higher or lower than Capacity Percent depending on when they want alerts to appear.

Example: Giving a Resource More Leeway

A project manager may want an alert to appear only after a resource exceeds a certain threshold.

For example, if a resource has a Capacity Percent of 95%, a manager may want to allow the person to reach 100% before triggering an alert. This gives the resource an extra 5% of leeway before the over-allocation warning appears.

Your organization should decide how much leeway is appropriate based on how it manages workload and capacity risk.

What Happens When a Task Exceeds Capacity Percent Max?

When a task assignment exceeds the resource’s Capacity Percent Max and alerts are enabled, Project Insight can show a validation message when the task is saved.

For example, if a task requires more hours than the resource can support, Project Insight may prevent the task from being saved until the conflict is addressed.

Depending on permissions and configuration, the project manager may be able to:

• Cancel and assign the task to a different resource.
• Change the task hours, dates, or schedule.
• Override the allocation conflict and save the task anyway.

If the project manager chooses to override the alert, the task can be assigned even though it exceeds the resource’s Capacity Percent Max.

Best Practices

• Use Capacity Percent Max to control when over-allocation alerts appear.
• Keep Capacity Percent and Capacity Percent Max aligned unless your team has a clear reason to allow extra leeway.
• Enable over-allocation alerts if project managers need warnings during task assignment.
• Be careful when allowing overrides, especially if over-allocation risk is high.
• Use individual Capacity Percent Max values only when specific users need different thresholds.
• Review Capacity Percent Max alongside Capacity Percent, Percent Allocation Default, and Utilization Percent.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming Capacity Percent Max calculates over-capacity hours in reports.
• Forgetting that Capacity Percent is the value used for over-capacity calculations.
• Turning off over-allocation alerts and expecting Capacity Percent Max warnings to appear.
• Allowing overrides without a process for resolving the over-allocation later.
• Setting user-specific thresholds without confirming the workspace default.
• Confusing Capacity Percent Max with Percent Allocation Default or Utilization Percent.

Related Features

• Capacity and Resource Allocation Add-On
• User Profile Resource Info
• Capacity Percent
• Percent Allocation Default
• Utilization Percent
• Resource Allocation Reports
• Over-Allocation Alerts
• Task Assignments
• Resource Management

Need More Help?

If you are not sure how Capacity Percent Max should be configured for your organization, contact your Project Insight administrator or Customer Success representative. You can also get more help at projectinsight.com/support.