The Capacity Problem

In our sector, “capacity” has become a catch-all term to describe the resources we have to work with. We hear it all the time: “We’d love to take that on, but we just don’t have the capacity.” “Oh, we wanted to finish that project, but it turned out we just didn’t have the capacity.”

But what does that actually mean? And why do we keep hiding behind it?

So much of my work with clients revolves around finding the resources to improve their visitor experience—or making the most of the resources already in place. When we talk about capacity, it’s much more useful to break it down and identify exactly what’s missing.

Capacity equals…

• Money. More often than not, this is the big one. Money can buy most of the other resources we lump under “capacity,” but in government and non-profit settings, turning money into other resources isn’t always straightforward.
• Time. Sometimes, we literally have more money than time. Or we have strings attached to our time so that that it can’t be converted into human resources where we actually need them. In workplaces where hiring is slow or staffing is restricted, time often becomes the limiting factor.
• Expertise. Many organizations want to do the thing—but don’t know how. Or they have the knowledge scattered across different teams but lack a methodology to pull it all together. (Hint: I can help you with this.)
• Motivation, energy, and goodwill. This one is huge, hard to quantify, and often uncomfortable to talk about. Sometimes, all the resources are in place, but there’s resistance to change. Or staff are burned out, disengaged, or bogged down in bureaucracy and can’t find the momentum to focus.

Stop using “capacity” as a post-mortem excuse

If you look back on a missed deadline or an abandoned project, resist the urge to say, “Oh, we just didn’t have the capacity.” That’s not helpful. Because a year ago, when you took it on, you thought you had the capacity. So barring major unforeseen events like COVID, someone miscalculated. Someone underestimated the money, time, expertise, or energy required to get it done.

That’s not a “capacity” issue—it’s a resource estimation and allocation problem. And if you don’t acknowledge it, you can’t fix it.

Be specific in the present tense

Don’t say, “We don’t have the capacity to take that on.” Instead, identify exactly what’s missing. Then, go to leadership and lobby for it.

• “We have the time, goodwill, and expertise for this project, but we just need funding.”
• “Everything is in place for Project XX, but we’re missing expertise in one area. Can we get contract funds or a secondment from another team?”

Be specific. Ask for what you need. Take responsibility when resource estimation goes wrong, and learn from it.

And let’s stop using “capacity” as a catch-all term. We can do better than that, can’t we?

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