Understanding Team Capacity
How we calculate. Available hours = gross calendar hours − PTO − meetings/overhead. The form uses the same arithmetic as the worked examples on this page. See our methodology and accuracy policy.
Real-world scenario: A typical Team Capacity case uses people 5 and working days 10. Enter the same figures below to reproduce the worked path.
What is Team Capacity?
Capacity planning prevents over-commitment. QA leads use it to size exploratory testing, automation, and regression load against real availability.
- Gross hours = people × working days × focus hours/day
- Subtract PTO and ceremonies before committing work
- 100% utilization is unsafe — leave slack for interrupts
The Formula
Worked Example
Common Use Cases
- Sprint planning: cap commitment to available hours
- QA staffing: see if regression fits the sprint
- Holiday sprints: recompute when PTO spikes
Pro Tips
- Use focus hours (e.g. 5–6), not raw 8-hour days
- Include on-call drain in overhead when it is predictable
- Split roles (dev vs QA capacity) for clearer plans
Limitations: Team Capacity results are planning aids for Agile/QA teams—not contractual delivery commitments. Confirm definitions with your scrum/quality playbook.
FAQ
Should standup count as meeting hours?
Yes if you want net focus capacity. Many teams fold all ceremonies into the meeting/overhead input.
Part-time people?
Use fractional people (e.g. 0.5) or reduce days/hours for that person before summing.
Authoritative References
For Agile and software testing practices, consult:
- Scrum.org — Scrum glossary and sprint practices
- ISTQB — software testing glossary
- Agile Manifesto — values behind iterative delivery