What it does
Capacity management sets how many people a rotation can take at a site during a block, and tracks how full each slot is as you schedule. It turns "we can only host four residents on Cardiology at Main Hospital per block" into a target the schedule grid checks in real time.
Who it's for
Program administrators and coordinators who plan how many learners each rotation and site can absorb, and rotation coordinators granted capacity-management access for their own rotations.
How it works
Capacity entries. Defined at the intersection of a rotation, a site, and a block, with an optional role dimension for cases like residents versus students. Each entry carries a target, optional min/max bounds, an optional lock, and notes.
Academic period. The matrix covers one period at a time — the one that includes today, or the most recently started one if today falls between periods. The Academic period selector shows and changes it. The matrix waits for periods to load before loading capacity data, offers Try again if periods fail to load, and shows setup guidance if none exist yet.
Seeding and templates. Seed block capacities from defaults kept at three levels — rotation-site, department, and site — then adjust where a specific block differs. The matrix shows filled counts against targets across the whole schedule, so shortfalls and overloads are visible at a glance. Manage reusable role capacity templates via Manage Templates (the old /schedules/capacity/templates URL redirects here). Apply a saved template from the matrix toolbar to set the same role min/max on selected cells.
Enforcement. Assignments in the schedule grid are checked against the matching capacity entry. Placements over the target require a documented override reason, stored with the assignment.
Before you start
You need capacity-management access for the program, or delegated capacity access for the rotations you plan to edit.
Confirm the Academic period selector shows the period you mean to set capacity for.
Decide whether to set numbers cell by cell or seed them first from your rotation-site, department, or site defaults.
Do this
Open the Capacity page (
/schedules/capacity) → the matrix loads for the current or most recently started academic period.If needed, change the period in the Academic period dropdown → the matrix reloads for that period.
On the same page, select a cell for a rotation, site, and block, and enter the target number, and optional minimum and maximum → confirm the cell shows your target.
To apply the same numbers to several cells at once, select cells, then choose Apply Template from the toolbar and pick a saved template → the selected cells show the template's role min/max values.
To manage reusable templates, select Manage Templates → the templates sheet opens; create, edit, or delete templates there.
You're done when
The matrix shows a target for every rotation, site, and block combination you plan to schedule against.
Filled counts in the matrix reflect the assignments already placed in the schedule grid.
Any cell you locked stays unchanged when defaults are seeded again.
Boundaries and limits
Capacity can't be shown or edited without a valid academic period. Loading, retry, and setup guidance appear before the matrix when the period isn't ready.
Capacity checks run only when an assignment has both a block and a site. Assignments without those can't be checked against a capacity entry.
Capacity is advisory-with-override, not a hard block. An authorized scheduler can exceed a target by recording a reason.
Capacity values are checked on entry. Minimum and maximum bounds must be consistent with the target.
Seeding from defaults fills empty cells only. It does not overwrite capacities you already customized.
Locked capacity entries block edits until unlocked.
Filled counts reflect assignments in the platform. Outside commitments the platform doesn't know about aren't counted.
Common questions
Q: What happens when a block is full? A: The grid flags the placement as over capacity and asks for an override reason. Without a reason, the assignment is not saved over the target.
Q: Can different roles have different limits on the same rotation? A: Yes. Capacity entries can be role-specific, so a rotation can take, for example, four residents and two students in the same block.
Q: Do I need to re-enter capacities every academic year? A: Keep your defaults at the rotation-site, department, or site level and seed each new schedule's blocks from them, then adjust exceptions.
Q: Who can change capacity numbers? A: Program administrators, and rotation coordinators whose delegated access includes capacity management for their rotations.
Related articles