What Is Capacity Planning?

Do you ever wonder why your computer crashes when you try to open the same website twice in a row? It's because your computer is experiencing capacity planning. An enterprise IT environment and its core entities/services/components are forecasted and predicted in procuring IT resources, infrastructures and services over a specified period. Capacity planning is a process of forecasting and indicating future requirements. It makes sense when you think about it: if you don't plan for your resource needs and then demand more than what's available, something has to give, and that something is usually your computer! Capacity planning is like a big, complicated math problem. You have to know your current capacity, but you must also look at the future and consider how much that power will grow or shrink. You have to figure out how many resources you'll need and how much will be wasted. You can only sit with a calculator and start plugging in numbers once they match up. That would be too easy! Instead, you need to consider all of the variables (like what kind of growth rate we're expecting) so that when you try solving for X, you'll come up with an accurate answer. Planning for capacity is a lot like preparing for a party. You want to make sure all the guests show up and have a good time, but you want to have a few people showing up at once. It will be hard for them to have fun, but it could also lead to awkward moments. So you ensure that your house can accommodate everyone and that you have enough food and drinks to last until the night's end. And if you run out of something? No worries! You've got a backup supply ready if someone unexpectedly decides they need more than they initially requested. Similarly, when planning capacity for your IT system, it's essential to consider what resources will be required when someone orders them and then arrange to accommodate those requests without having trouble keeping up with demand or running out of resources unexpectedly.