What Are Percent Allocation, Capacity Percent, and Utilization Percent?

Percent Allocation, Capacity Percent, and Utilization Percent are related resource planning fields in Project Insight, but they do different things.

Percent Allocation helps set the default project-level allocation for a resource. Capacity Percent is the value Project Insight uses to calculate overcapacity hours in resource allocation reports. Utilization Percent helps show the target amount of a resource’s time that should be used for project work.

When to Use It

Use this article when:

• You are setting up resource planning fields on a user profile.
• You need to understand Percent Allocation Default.
• You are adding resources to a project.
• You want to know why a user appears overallocated.
• You are reviewing resource allocation reports.
• You need to understand the difference between allocation, capacity, and utilization.

What Is Percent Allocation Default?

The Percent Allocation Default field defines what percentage of a resource’s workday should go toward a project by default when that user is added as a project resource.

This field is found in the user profile settings under the Resource Info tab.

For example:

• A user with a Percent Allocation Default of 100% is assumed to be fully allocated by default when added to a project.
• A user with a Percent Allocation Default of 50% is assumed to be half allocated by default when added to a project.

Percent Allocation Default saves time when adding users to projects, but it can be changed project by project.

Does Percent Allocation Default Affect Overcapacity Reports?

No. Percent Allocation Default is mainly informational and does not directly affect over-allocation graphs on a resource allocation report.

In Project Insight, Capacity Percent is the value used to calculate overcapacity hours in resource allocation reports.

This means a user may have a Percent Allocation Default of 50% or 100%, but the report still uses the user’s capacity value when calculating overcapacity.

How Does Percent Allocation Work on a Project?

When you add a new project resource from the project’s Resources tab, Project Insight uses that user’s Percent Allocation Default as the default allocation rate for the project.

You can change this value for each project.

To update the project-level allocation:

1. Open the project.
2. Go to the Resources tab.
3. Find the resource you want to update.
4. Click the default percent allocation value.
5. Change the percentage to the desired value.
6. Save the change.

For example, if John Doe’s Percent Allocation Default is 50%, he will be added to a project at 50% allocation by default. If this project needs more of his time, you can change the project-level allocation to 100%.

How Is Percent Allocation Shown in Reports?

Percent allocation can appear in reports as a comparison between assigned or allotted work and capacity.

For example:

• If a user has 12 hours of allotted work and 40 hours of capacity, that is 30% of capacity.
• If another user has 8 hours of allotted work and 20 hours of capacity, that is 40% of capacity.

This helps project managers compare the amount of work assigned to a user against the user’s available capacity.

What Is Capacity Percent?

Capacity Percent represents the amount of working capacity a resource has available.

Capacity Percent is the value Project Insight uses when calculating overcapacity hours in resource allocation reports.

For example, if a full-time user has 40 available hours in a week, that user may be set to 100% capacity. If a user has reduced availability, their Capacity Percent may be lower.

Use Capacity Percent when you need resource reports to reflect how much time a person actually has available for work.

What Is Capacity Percent Max?

Capacity Percent Max defines the threshold Project Insight uses when determining whether a resource should be treated as over capacity.

For example, your team may decide to warn project managers when a resource exceeds:

• 100% capacity.
• 110% capacity.
• 115% capacity.

Capacity Percent Max helps control when over-allocation warnings appear.

What Is Utilization Percent?

Utilization Percent represents the target amount of a resource’s available capacity that should be used for project work.

This is different from total capacity.

For example, a person may have 100% capacity, but the organization may only expect 80% of that time to be spent on project work. The remaining time may be used for meetings, support, administration, management responsibilities, or other non-project work.

Utilization Percent helps teams create more realistic planning and reporting expectations.

How Are These Fields Different?

• Percent Allocation Default: Sets the default project-level allocation when a user is added to a project.
• Capacity Percent: Defines the user’s available working capacity and is used for overcapacity calculations.
• Capacity Percent Max: Defines the threshold for overcapacity warnings.
• Utilization Percent: Defines the target amount of capacity expected to be used for project work.

In short, Percent Allocation Default helps with project setup, while Capacity Percent is the key value used in resource allocation reporting.

Best Practices

• Use Percent Allocation Default to save time when adding resources to projects.
• Change the allocation percentage at the project level when a specific project needs more or less of a resource’s time.
• Use Capacity Percent to reflect a user’s true working availability.
• Use Capacity Percent Max carefully so over-allocation warnings appear at the right threshold.
• Use Utilization Percent when resources have non-project work that should be accounted for.
• Review these fields together when resource allocation reports do not match expectations.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming Percent Allocation Default controls overcapacity calculations.
• Forgetting that Capacity Percent is the value used to calculate overcapacity hours.
• Using 100% allocation for every user even when some resources are shared across projects.
• Confusing utilization targets with total available capacity.
• Forgetting to update project-level allocation when a resource’s commitment is different for a specific project.

Need More Help?

If you are not sure how Percent Allocation Default, Capacity Percent, Capacity Percent Max, or Utilization Percent 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.