Lesson 5 of 6
Capacity planning
9 min
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A TCoE serves three kinds of demand at once: SAP release events on a calendar, projects such as roll-outs, and a steady stream of enhancements and fixes. Each has its own peaks, and they collide. Capacity planning is how the TCoE sees a collision three months ahead instead of three days ahead.
Supply: three pools
| Pool | Contoso size | Monthly capacity (planning value) | Lead time to change |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCoE core | 5 people | About 650 hours (5 × 130) | Months: hiring |
| Business test network | 12 key users plus Monterrey | Booked per event; typically 200–400 hours in a regression month | A quarter: line manager agreement |
| Partner call-off | Framework agreement | Up to 1,000 hours a month | 4 weeks' notice under the agreement |
Three supply pools. Each has a different lead time, which is why the plan must look at least a quarter ahead.
Plan the core to about 80% of its theoretical capacity. The remaining 20% absorbs emergency fixes, sickness and the meetings nobody plans. A core planned at 100% is late on everything by the second month.
Demand: three streams
- Calendar demand: feature pack stack updates, SAP Notes and patch checks, year-end regression. Known months ahead from the TCoE calendar in sap-tst-401.
- Project demand: roll-outs, new modules, integration changes. Known from the project portfolio, usually with dates that slip.
- Flow demand: about 120 enhancements a year, plus fixes. Forecast as an average per month with a range.
A worked month
In Contoso's plan, November is the collision month: the next feature pack stack update falls in the same month as Wave 2 system integration testing for company code 1910, and enhancements keep arriving.
| November demand | Hours | Supply | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature pack stack regression (700 h per event) | 700 | TCoE core at 80% | 520 |
| Wave 2 SIT for company code 1910 | 900 | Business test network (booked) | 300 |
| Enhancements (10 a month at 22 h) | 220 | Partner call-off (to be ordered) | 1,000 |
| Total | 1,820 | Total | 1,820 |
Contoso's November plan. The partner call-off must be ordered by early October because of its four-week notice.
Hypercare overlaps
After any go-live, including Wave 2, the same people who tested are needed in hypercare to reproduce production incidents. Treat hypercare as demand on the plan, at least for the test architects and the key users of the affected processes, for four to six weeks. A common failure is to plan the next release regression in the same weeks, using the same key users who are now fighting incidents.
Key-user capacity is per process, not per head
Twelve key users is not one pool of twelve. Each is expert in one or two processes, and a regression month needs the right ones. Plan key-user supply per process, with the dates each person is unavailable, and agree the rules with line managers once a year instead of negotiating every booking.
| Process | Named key users | Never available | Booking rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order to cash | 3, including Maria | Spring fleet-ordering peak | Booked a quarter ahead; at most 30% of their week |
| Record to report | 3 from Dan's team | Month-end and quarter-end close weeks | Never in close weeks; year-end needs CFO approval |
| Procure to pay | 3, including Ana and Omar | Payment run days | Booked a quarter ahead |
| Plan to produce | 2 in Detroit, 1 in Chicago | Plant shutdown weeks | Coordinated with the plant manager |
| Order to cash, company code 1910 | Monterrey group | Mexican fiscal deadlines | Through the Monterrey test coordinator |
Key-user supply by process at Contoso. Counts and names not used elsewhere are illustrative.
Options when demand exceeds supply
- Can the project date move without business harm?Yes → move it and record who agreed · No → next question
- Can partner capacity arrive in time under the call-off notice?Yes → order it now · No → next question
- Can regression scope be reduced safely through release assessment?Yes → reduce, with the residual risk accepted by the owner · No → next question
- None of the above?Escalate to the quality council with options, costs and risks
- MonthlyRolling 3-month planDemand and supply per pool; collisions flagged
- QuarterlyQuality councilNext two quarters reviewed; partner and key-user bookings confirmed
- AnnuallyBudget and calendarCore size, call-off volume and the next year's TCoE calendar
What would you do?
Grace adds a new warehouse project to November. Priya's rolling plan shows November demand now 400 hours above supply, and the partner call-off notice period has already passed. What should Priya do?
- Plan three supply pools (core, business network, partner call-off) with their different lead times.
- Plan the core at about 80% so emergencies and absences do not make everything late.
- Forecast calendar, project and flow demand; treat hypercare as demand too.
- Use a rolling three-month plan; order call-off and book key users before collisions arrive.
- When demand exceeds supply, present options with cost and risk; never cut coverage silently.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Why plan the TCoE core at about 80% of its capacity?
2. Contoso's partner call-off needs four weeks' notice. When should Priya order it for a November collision?
3. Why treat hypercare as demand in the capacity plan?
4. Demand exceeds supply and no capacity can be added. What should the TCoE never do?