Clanker CloudA workload sheet can help a team lead make a decision, but its totals only mean something when availability and estimates use the same period and units. Missing estimates are often the most consequential part of the review.
Clanker Cloud Workspace can prepare a capacity discussion from supplied project exports and availability notes. Use it to reconcile the inputs and show scenarios. Keep assignments and delivery promises with the responsible lead.
Make the planning period explicit
Collect the active work, estimated remaining effort, assigned owner, and deadline where stated. Add the availability the lead wants to use for the same period. Include known leave and existing commitments only when appropriate for the task; avoid unnecessary personal information.
State whether estimates are hours, days, or story points. Do not convert story points to hours without an agreed method. An item with no estimate remains unestimated.
Try a fictional planning packet
Period: next week.
Alex: 20 available hours; 16 hours of estimated work.
Sam: 24 available hours; 28 hours of estimated work.
Task C: unassigned and unestimated.
The lead has not approved any reassignment.
The supplied numbers show four hours of estimated headroom for Alex and four hours of estimated overload for Sam. They do not establish that Task C fits, that the two people have interchangeable skills, or that a reassignment is approved.
Ask for a review table and scenarios
Use this fictional workload and availability packet.
Save capacity-review.csv and planning-questions.md.
Show stated availability, estimated remaining work,
the difference, source, and missing information per owner.
Keep unassigned and unestimated work visible.
Describe possible scenarios with assumptions; do not assign
tasks, change project records, or promise delivery dates.
Ask for the sign convention to be stated. A positive number should have the same meaning in the table and the prose. If deadlines fall outside the period, identify how they were treated.
Review the assumptions with the team lead
Open the saved files in Preview. Check the source rows for the busiest owner and for any item proposed for reassignment. Confirm that availability already accounts for other obligations under your team’s method.
An apparent gap is a discussion point. Dependencies, specialist knowledge, and review time may prevent a task from moving. Ask the Agent to list those unknowns rather than turn a simple arithmetic result into a staffing decision.
Compare a later period only after confirming that the estimate and availability definitions are consistent. Retain the original snapshot so a future review can distinguish planning assumptions from recorded outcomes.
Reuse the method after one checked run
Store the column definitions and review structure in Project instructions. Add fresh exports for the next period. A custom Agent can reuse the method; it does not automatically obtain live access to the project-management system.
For the wider leadership discussion, add the checked numbers to a management review pack. Keep the capacity observation separate from the lead’s decision about priorities, staffing, or delivery commitments.
Common questions
Should missing estimates count as zero?
No. Keep a separate unestimated group. Zero effort is a stated estimate; missing effort is an unresolved input.
Can the Agent move tasks between team members?
The example prepares scenarios only. A real assignment change needs the lead’s decision, a supported connection, and authorization for that action.
Sources
Give your assistant one useful job
Prepare a consistent input table before asking an Agent to compare workload and availability.