What the Utilization > Overview Report can tell you
Utilization shows how much of a person’s available working time is being used for productive work, especially billable work. It’s always expressed as a percentage of available capacity.
How to Navigate the Utilization > Overview Report
(1) Filters and Customization
In the top left, you'll find Filters which you can use to segment your data (with options for Department, Role, Stage, Financial Model, Project Status, Worker Type and People Tags).
On the right side of the page, you'll pick out the Date Range, as well as the data type (Hours, Percent) and period (Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly).
Lastly, in green in the far-right corner, you can create a Saved View for easy access to the filter-state you've chosen in the future!
(2) Total Callouts
It will show you totals for Actual, Planned and Target Utilization, as well as the overall Variance between Actual/Planned, Actual/Target and Planned/Target. This is where you'll go to see the full story of the data you've chosen.
(3) Graph
The Graph on this page is a visual representation of the data set you've chosen, over the timeframe you've selected. You'll see Actuals, Plans, your upcoming Pipeline, as well as Billable and Target Capacity.
(4) Drill Downs/Search/Columns
Between the Graph and the Data set that it's pulling from, there are a few additional customization options. On the left side, you'll see Drill Down options - using these, you can view your data by Department, Role or Person in order to get a more broad or granular perspective.
On the left side, you'll see the Variance Key that helps you understand coloring in the Data Set below, and also an eye icon you can click on to hide/reveal different columns in the data set.
Finally, you'll see a Search function to look for a single Department/Role/Person and a CSV option to save your data set for future reference.
(5) Data Set
At the very bottom of the page is where you'll see the Data Set you've selected. While you can customize the columns, here are the basic data points that are revealed by the Utilization > Overview Report*:
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Billable Capacity - The maximum hours/percentage for Billable Projects (T&M, Fixed Bid, Fixed Retainer, Mixed)The total amount of time a person could bill during the reporting period, based on their availability and billability settings — not on what they actually worked. It’s the denominator used when calculating utilization.
Parallax looks at the individuals available working time (Settings/Profile/Schedule) then the date range of the report and looks to see if any time off has been used (Pto, Holiday, etc)
Determining Capacity:
Available Hours = Scheduled Hours − PTO − Holidays
Billable Capacity = Available Hours × Billable %
Example:
40 hrs/week over 4 weeks = 160 hrs
Minus 16 hrs PTO → 144 available hours
Now Parallax looks at person's Billable % (80%, 100%)
Example: 144 available hours x 80% billable capacity = 115.2 billable capacity hours
Utilization % = Billable Hours Logged ÷ Billable Capacity
So if:
Billable Hours = 92
Billable Capacity = 115.2
→ Utilization = 79.9%
- Target Utilization - The Target Goal that was set
- Planned Pipeline - Planned hours on pipeline deals
- Planned Backlog - Planned hours on Active projects
- Planned Utilization - The Plans that were allocated to meet that Goal
- Actual Utilization - The Actuals that were executed in Timesheets
- Planned v. Capacity - Tells you if your plans align with your Billable Capacity
- Planned v. Target - Shows you if your Plans align with the Goal you've set
- Actual v. Target - Highlights if the Actual hours are in line with your Goal
- Actual v. Planned - Tells you if Plans are being met or not
- Planned Pipeline - Amount of Planned Utilization that is in Sales Pipeline (Planned Utilization - Backlog Pipeline). (This column is hidden by default)
- Backlog Pipeline - Amount of Planned Utilization that is in Active Projects (Planned Utilization - Planned Pipeline). (This column is hidden by default)
Parallax Tip: Need a reminder on how a Data set is calculated?
Unsure how a metric is being defined? Just hover over a Column header to see the definition that's being used!
These options work together to help you highlight where you may be missing your Target Utilization goals, but also why you may be missing them, by highlighting where Plans aren't being successfully actualized or are properly aligned with the goal.
Overview of Billable Capacity, Utilization and Targets KB Article HERE
Billable Capacity = the total amount of time a person could bill during the reporting period, based on their availability and billability settings — not on what they actually worked.
To Export the information, please use the Printer icon located as shown for csv, Excel or copy options.