Simulations

New Project Simulation

Phase 1A

Estimate whether a potential new project can fit into current capacity before accepting it. This simulation is read-only and does not update live planning data.

10 days 20 days 30 days 2 months 3 months

Business Explanation

How the simulator converts setup data and current capacity into a date commitment decision.

What decision does this support?

It helps the planner decide whether a potential project can be accepted for the desired start date, and what due date is realistic based on available capacity.

What data is used?

Project templates define the required work. Resource pools, capacity availability, calendars, and existing capacity plans define how much capacity is still free.

What does it not do?

It does not create a live project, reserve capacity, change workflow stages, or overwrite planning data. It is an in-memory decision check.

Calculation Flow

1Inputs

Planner selects the type of new project and the date from which work can start.

2Template

The app finds the matching project category template for the selected complexity.

3Required Work

Workload rows become required hours, minimum skill rules, and daily resource caps.

4Available Capacity

Resource pools and capacity availability decide how many productive hours exist.

5Existing Load

Active and confirmed project allocations are subtracted before the new work is placed.

6Schedule

Stages are scheduled in dependency order. Blank dependency means FS after previous sequence.

7Decision

The output shows the possible start date, due date, lead time, and constraint.

Capacity Formula

Available Hours = Resource Count x Hours Per Day x Productivity Factor x Allocation %

Capacity Availability overrides Resource Pool values for a specific date, department, and skill. If no override exists, the Resource Pool baseline is used.

Resource Constraint Rule

Max Resources Per Day caps how many resources this stage can use on one date.

Minimum Skill means at least one matching-skill resource must still be free.

Extra available capacity beyond the cap is not assumed usable for this project.

Dependency Rule

Stage 1 has no predecessor.

Later stages default to Finish-to-Start after the previous sequence.

Lag days delay the successor after the predecessor completes.

Worked Example

Illustrative example: a planner simulates a Permanent Complex project starting on 2026-07-01. The template requires Design, Joinery, and Paint. Existing project commitments reduce free capacity, and the max-resources-per-day cap prevents the simulator from using more resources than the project can practically absorb.

Stage	Required Work	Capacity Situation	Scheduling Result
Design	24h	16h/day available, 8h/day already committed	8h/day remaining; 24h needs 3 working days
Joinery	40h	16h/day available, 8h/day already committed	8h/day remaining; 40h needs 5 working days
Paint	16h	8h/day available, no existing commitment	8h/day remaining; 16h needs 2 working days

In this example, Joinery is likely the constraint because it needs the most remaining days after existing load is subtracted. The due date is the date when the final Paint hours can be placed.

How to Read the Output

Possible Start Date

The first date on which the first department has remaining capacity for the simulated project.

Due Date

The first date by which all simulated stage hours can be placed into remaining capacity.

Lead Time

Calendar days from desired start date to the simulated due date.

Constraint

The department and skill combination creating the biggest scheduling pressure.

Simulation Inputs

Select the new project assumptions and run the in-memory simulator.

No Simulation Run Yet

Choose category, complexity, and start date, then run the simulation to estimate the earliest achievable due date.