Welcome to Portfolio Planner
A resource-constrained project portfolio scheduler that helps teams plan and schedule projects based on resource availability, Work-In-Progress (WIP) limits, and operational constraints.
Quick Start Guide
- Select or Create a Portfolio: Use the dropdown at the top to select an existing portfolio or click "New Portfolio" to create one.
- Add Projects: Go to the Projects tab to add your projects with effort estimates and priorities.
- Configure Resources: In the Resources tab, define your team size and constraints.
- Set Planning Parameters: Use the Settings tab to set your planning start date.
- Run the Scheduler: Click "Run Portfolio Planning" to generate your schedule.
- View Results: Check the Results tab to see the timeline and resource analysis.
Projects Tab
Manage your project portfolio:
- Add Projects: Click the "+ Add Project" button to create new projects.
- Project Fields:
- Name: Project identifier
- Priority: Lower number = higher priority (e.g., Priority 1 is scheduled before Priority 2)
- Program: Optional grouping for color-coding in timeline
- Effort Estimates: Person-months needed for each resource type (BA, PM, Developer, etc.)
- Edit/Delete: Use the action buttons on each row to modify or remove projects.
- Save Changes: Click the "Save" button after making changes.
Resources Tab
Configure your team capacity and constraints:
- Resource Types: Define different roles (BA, PM, Developer, QA, etc.)
- Team Size: Number of people for each resource type
- KTLO % (Keep The Lights On): Percentage of time spent on operational work like meetings, support, and maintenance. For example, 20% KTLO means only 80% of time is available for project work.
- WIP Limit (Work In Progress): Maximum number of concurrent projects per person. For example, WIP=2 means each person works on at most 2 projects simultaneously.
Settings Tab
Configure planning parameters:
- Planning Start Date: When to begin scheduling projects
- Recent Jobs: View history of planning runs with status and timestamps
- Run Planning: Execute the scheduler to generate project timelines
Results Tab
View and analyze your portfolio schedule:
Timeline Subtab
- Interactive Gantt Chart: Visual timeline showing when each project is scheduled
- Color Coding: Projects are colored by program for easy identification
- Sort Options: Sort by program or start date
- Drag-to-Adjust Editing:
- Click "Enable Edit Mode" to manually adjust project dates
- Drag the bar: Move the entire project to a new date
- Drag left edge: Adjust the start date
- Drag right edge: Adjust the end date
- Edited projects are highlighted in yellow
- Click "Save Changes" to persist your adjustments
- Export Options:
- PNG: Export timeline as an image
- CSV: Download project schedule data
Resource Analysis Subtab
- Bottleneck Analysis: Identifies which resource types are constraining your portfolio
- Utilization Report: Shows how resources are being used over time
- Export Markdown: Download the analysis report
Files Tab
Access portfolio data files:
- Input Files: projects.csv, resources.json, config.json, programs.csv
- Output Files: Scheduled projects and bottleneck analysis reports
- Download: Click file names to download for external use
Key Concepts
- Priority
- Lower numbers = higher priority. The scheduler assigns resources to high-priority projects first.
- WIP Limit
- Work In Progress limit controls how many projects a person can work on simultaneously. Lower WIP limits reduce multitasking but may increase overall timeline.
- KTLO
- Keep The Lights On - the percentage of time spent on non-project work (meetings, support, maintenance). This reduces available capacity for project work.
- Person-Months
- Effort estimate unit. For example, 2.0 Developer PM means 2 months of one developer's full-time work.
- Resource Type
- Different roles needed for projects (Business Analyst, Project Manager, Developer, QA, etc.). Each has its own capacity and WIP limits.
- Program
- A grouping of related projects. Programs are used for color-coding in the timeline view.
Typical Workflow
- Create a new portfolio or select an existing one
- Add all projects with effort estimates and priorities
- Configure team resources, KTLO%, and WIP limits
- Set the planning start date
- Run the portfolio planner
- Review the timeline and resource analysis
- Optionally adjust dates using drag-to-edit mode
- Export results (PNG, CSV, or Markdown)
Tips & Best Practices
- Start with realistic estimates: Use historical data when possible for effort estimates.
- Set appropriate WIP limits: Lower limits (1-2) reduce context switching but may extend timelines.
- Account for KTLO time: Most teams spend 15-30% on operational activities.
- Use priorities effectively: Ensure critical projects have lower priority numbers.
- Review bottlenecks: The resource analysis helps identify which skills are constraining your portfolio.
- Save frequently: Changes are only persisted when you click the Save button.
- Check job history: If a planning run fails, check the Settings tab for error details.
Troubleshooting
- Portfolio not loading?
- Check that all required files exist (projects.csv, resources.json, config.json) in the Files tab.
- Planning job failed?
- Review the Recent Jobs list in Settings tab for error messages. Common issues include missing data or invalid resource configurations.
- Changes not saving?
- Make sure you click the "Save" button after editing. Look for the green success message.
- Drag-to-edit not working?
- Ensure "Enable Edit Mode" is toggled on. The edit toggle is located above the timeline.
- Timeline looks wrong?
- Run the planner again to regenerate the schedule. If you've manually edited dates, they may conflict with resource constraints.