Capacity Calculator
Assesses whether a CSM's portfolio is manageable by computing the weighted workload across all accounts. Raw account count is a poor measure of capacity -- a CSM with 30 enterprise at-risk accounts is more loaded than a CSM with 80 healthy SMB accounts. This skill computes the actual demand.
How to Use
Provide:
- Your account list with: name, ARR, segment/tier, health status, renewal proximity, and any special circumstances (active escalation, expansion in progress, onboarding)
- Your available hours per week (typically 35-40 after internal meetings and admin)
- Any upcoming capacity constraints (PTO, projects, training)
Capacity Model
Step 1: Compute Per-Account Demand
Each account consumes a different amount of CSM time based on its characteristics:
Base demand by segment:
| Segment |
Base Hours/Month |
Rationale |
| Enterprise |
8-12 hours |
Multi-stakeholder, strategic, deep engagement expected |
| Mid-Market |
3-5 hours |
Regular cadence, moderate complexity |
| SMB |
1-2 hours |
Light touch, digital-first with periodic check-ins |
| Scaled/Tech-Touch |
0.5 hours |
Automated primarily, engage on signal only |
Demand multipliers:
| Factor |
Multiplier |
Rationale |
| Health: Strong |
0.7x |
Less intervention needed. Standard cadence |
| Health: Healthy |
1.0x |
Baseline management |
| Health: At Risk |
1.5x |
Additional investigation, intervention, monitoring |
| Health: Critical |
2.5x |
Save play, frequent touchpoints, escalation management |
| Renewal in 90 days |
1.3x |
Renewal preparation, commercial conversations, stakeholder engagement |
| Active escalation |
1.5x |
Escalation management, internal coordination, customer communication |
| Onboarding (first 90 days) |
1.5x |
Intensive engagement, training, milestone tracking |
| Expansion in progress |
1.2x |
Commercial preparation, stakeholder engagement |
Per-account demand = Base hours * Product of applicable multipliers
Step 2: Compute Total Portfolio Demand
Sum the per-account demand across all accounts. Compare to available capacity:
| Metric |
Computation |
What It Means |
| Total monthly demand |
Sum of all per-account demands |
How many hours your portfolio requires |
| Available monthly capacity |
Available hours/week * 4.3 |
How many hours you have |
| Capacity utilisation |
Total demand / Available capacity |
How loaded you are |
| Buffer |
1.0 - Capacity utilisation |
How much room you have for the unexpected |
Step 3: Classify Capacity Status
| Utilisation |
Status |
Interpretation |
| <70% |
Underloaded |
Room for more accounts or deeper strategic work on existing accounts |
| 70-85% |
Healthy |
Sustainable workload with buffer for surprises |
| 85-95% |
Stretched |
Manageable but no buffer. Any new escalation or at-risk account will push into overload |
| 95-110% |
Overloaded |
Not sustainable. Something is being dropped -- usually the proactive, strategic work that prevents future crises |
| >110% |
Critical |
Unsustainable. Active harm to accounts is occurring through neglect. Immediate rebalancing or support needed |
Step 4: Identify Rebalancing Opportunities
If overloaded, the skill identifies:
| Lever |
How |
Trade-Off |
| Move accounts to a peer CSM |
Transfer lowest-ARR, healthiest accounts that require the least relationship continuity |
Relationship disruption on the transferred accounts |
| Shift accounts to scaled/tech-touch |
Move healthy low-ARR accounts to a lower-touch model |
Reduced relationship depth. Monitor for health changes |
| Defer strategic work |
Delay account strategy, multi-threading, and proactive initiatives |
Short-term relief at the cost of long-term portfolio health |
| Request temporary support |
Ask for a colleague to take on escalation management or QBR prep for specific accounts |
Coordination overhead. Customer may interact with an unfamiliar CSM |
| Make the headcount case |
Use the capacity data to justify additional hiring |
Timeline: 2-6 months to hire, onboard, and ramp a new CSM. Not a quick fix |
Output Format
## Capacity Assessment: [CSM Name]
**Date:** [date]
### Portfolio Summary
| Segment | Accounts | Base Demand (hrs/mo) |
|---------|----------|---------------------|
| Enterprise | [n] | [hours] |
| Mid-Market | [n] | [hours] |
| SMB | [n] | [hours] |
### Demand Modifiers
| Factor | Accounts Affected | Additional Demand (hrs/mo) |
|--------|------------------|--------------------------|
| At Risk | [n] accounts | +[hours] |
| Critical | [n] accounts | +[hours] |
| Renewal <90 days | [n] accounts | +[hours] |
| Onboarding | [n] accounts | +[hours] |
| Active escalation | [n] accounts | +[hours] |
### Capacity Status
- Total demand: [hours/month]
- Available capacity: [hours/month]
- Utilisation: [%]
- Status: [Underloaded / Healthy / Stretched / Overloaded / Critical]
- Buffer: [hours/month available for unplanned work]
### Top Demand Accounts
[5 accounts consuming the most CSM time, with demand breakdown]
### Recommendations
[Rebalancing suggestions if overloaded, or strategic opportunities if underloaded]
Using This for Headcount Justification
The capacity model produces the evidence a CS leader needs to make a hiring case:
| Data Point |
What It Shows |
| Utilisation >95% sustained for 2+ months |
The team is structurally overloaded, not just having a busy month |
| At-risk accounts not getting intervention time |
Revenue is being left unprotected because CSMs do not have capacity to run save plays |
| Proactive work at zero |
Multi-threading, account strategy, and adoption planning are not happening because all time goes to reactive work. This is a leading indicator of future risk |
| New accounts cannot be properly onboarded |
Growth is creating churn risk because new customers do not get the onboarding attention they need |
Frame the ask as: "At current utilisation, we are deferring [X hours/month] of proactive work that protects [EUR Y] in ARR. A new hire at [cost] would recover [Z] hours of capacity and reduce the unprotected ARR."
Quality Gates
- Are the segment classifications accurate? An account labelled "SMB" that actually requires mid-market engagement will undercount demand
- Are the multipliers applied honestly? Tempting to downplay the demand of at-risk accounts to make the number look manageable. The model is only useful if it reflects reality
- Does the buffer account for realistic variability? A month with zero surprises is fiction. 15-20% buffer is the minimum for a sustainable portfolio
- If overloaded, is the rebalancing recommendation specific? "Reduce workload" is not a recommendation. "Transfer 5 SMB accounts (EUR 35k combined ARR, all healthy) to scaled motion to free 8 hours/month" is
Principles
- Account count is a vanity metric. Capacity is a function of ARR-weighted, health-adjusted, event-modified demand -- not the number of logos on the list. 40 accounts is not a meaningful statement without knowing the mix
- Chronic overload is a management failure, not a CSM resilience test. A CSM operating at 110% utilisation for 3 months is not performing heroically -- they are being set up to fail. The capacity model makes this visible
- The capacity model is an argument, not a complaint. Presenting utilisation data with revenue impact and risk quantification is a business case. Saying "I am too busy" is a complaint. The model produces the former
- Underloaded CSMs are an opportunity, not a problem. If utilisation is below 70%, the CSM has room for deeper strategic work, more accounts, or both. Use the capacity data to make that case as well
1---2name: capacity-calculator3description: Assesses whether a CSM's book of accounts is manageable given the mix of account tiers, health states, upcoming events, and strategic demands. Produces a capacity assessment with overload indicators, rebalancing suggestions, and evidence for headcount conversations. Use when asked to assess workload, evaluate book capacity, determine if a CSM is overloaded, justify additional headcount, plan account distribution, or when a CSM or manager needs to understand whether the portfolio is sustainable. Also triggers for questions about CSM capacity, workload management, account-to-CSM ratios, book balance, portfolio sizing, or when to hire.4license: MIT5---67# Capacity Calculator89Assesses whether a CSM's portfolio is manageable by computing the weighted workload across all accounts. Raw account count is a poor measure of capacity -- a CSM with 30 enterprise at-risk accounts is more loaded than a CSM with 80 healthy SMB accounts. This skill computes the actual demand.1011## How to Use1213Provide:14- Your account list with: name, ARR, segment/tier, health status, renewal proximity, and any special circumstances (active escalation, expansion in progress, onboarding)15- Your available hours per week (typically 35-40 after internal meetings and admin)16- Any upcoming capacity constraints (PTO, projects, training)1718## Capacity Model1920### Step 1: Compute Per-Account Demand2122Each account consumes a different amount of CSM time based on its characteristics:2324**Base demand by segment:**2526| Segment | Base Hours/Month | Rationale |27|---------|-----------------|-----------|28| Enterprise | 8-12 hours | Multi-stakeholder, strategic, deep engagement expected |29| Mid-Market | 3-5 hours | Regular cadence, moderate complexity |30| SMB | 1-2 hours | Light touch, digital-first with periodic check-ins |31| Scaled/Tech-Touch | 0.5 hours | Automated primarily, engage on signal only |3233**Demand multipliers:**3435| Factor | Multiplier | Rationale |36|--------|-----------|-----------|37| Health: Strong | 0.7x | Less intervention needed. Standard cadence |38| Health: Healthy | 1.0x | Baseline management |39| Health: At Risk | 1.5x | Additional investigation, intervention, monitoring |40| Health: Critical | 2.5x | Save play, frequent touchpoints, escalation management |41| Renewal in 90 days | 1.3x | Renewal preparation, commercial conversations, stakeholder engagement |42| Active escalation | 1.5x | Escalation management, internal coordination, customer communication |43| Onboarding (first 90 days) | 1.5x | Intensive engagement, training, milestone tracking |44| Expansion in progress | 1.2x | Commercial preparation, stakeholder engagement |4546**Per-account demand** = Base hours * Product of applicable multipliers4748### Step 2: Compute Total Portfolio Demand4950Sum the per-account demand across all accounts. Compare to available capacity:5152| Metric | Computation | What It Means |53|--------|------------|--------------|54| Total monthly demand | Sum of all per-account demands | How many hours your portfolio requires |55| Available monthly capacity | Available hours/week * 4.3 | How many hours you have |56| Capacity utilisation | Total demand / Available capacity | How loaded you are |57| Buffer | 1.0 - Capacity utilisation | How much room you have for the unexpected |5859### Step 3: Classify Capacity Status6061| Utilisation | Status | Interpretation |62|------------|--------|---------------|63| <70% | Underloaded | Room for more accounts or deeper strategic work on existing accounts |64| 70-85% | Healthy | Sustainable workload with buffer for surprises |65| 85-95% | Stretched | Manageable but no buffer. Any new escalation or at-risk account will push into overload |66| 95-110% | Overloaded | Not sustainable. Something is being dropped -- usually the proactive, strategic work that prevents future crises |67| >110% | Critical | Unsustainable. Active harm to accounts is occurring through neglect. Immediate rebalancing or support needed |6869### Step 4: Identify Rebalancing Opportunities7071If overloaded, the skill identifies:7273| Lever | How | Trade-Off |74|-------|-----|----------|75| Move accounts to a peer CSM | Transfer lowest-ARR, healthiest accounts that require the least relationship continuity | Relationship disruption on the transferred accounts |76| Shift accounts to scaled/tech-touch | Move healthy low-ARR accounts to a lower-touch model | Reduced relationship depth. Monitor for health changes |77| Defer strategic work | Delay account strategy, multi-threading, and proactive initiatives | Short-term relief at the cost of long-term portfolio health |78| Request temporary support | Ask for a colleague to take on escalation management or QBR prep for specific accounts | Coordination overhead. Customer may interact with an unfamiliar CSM |79| Make the headcount case | Use the capacity data to justify additional hiring | Timeline: 2-6 months to hire, onboard, and ramp a new CSM. Not a quick fix |8081## Output Format8283```84## Capacity Assessment: [CSM Name]85**Date:** [date]8687### Portfolio Summary88| Segment | Accounts | Base Demand (hrs/mo) |89|---------|----------|---------------------|90| Enterprise | [n] | [hours] |91| Mid-Market | [n] | [hours] |92| SMB | [n] | [hours] |9394### Demand Modifiers95| Factor | Accounts Affected | Additional Demand (hrs/mo) |96|--------|------------------|--------------------------|97| At Risk | [n] accounts | +[hours] |98| Critical | [n] accounts | +[hours] |99| Renewal <90 days | [n] accounts | +[hours] |100| Onboarding | [n] accounts | +[hours] |101| Active escalation | [n] accounts | +[hours] |102103### Capacity Status104- Total demand: [hours/month]105- Available capacity: [hours/month]106- Utilisation: [%]107- Status: [Underloaded / Healthy / Stretched / Overloaded / Critical]108- Buffer: [hours/month available for unplanned work]109110### Top Demand Accounts111[5 accounts consuming the most CSM time, with demand breakdown]112113### Recommendations114[Rebalancing suggestions if overloaded, or strategic opportunities if underloaded]115```116117## Using This for Headcount Justification118119The capacity model produces the evidence a CS leader needs to make a hiring case:120121| Data Point | What It Shows |122|-----------|-------------|123| Utilisation >95% sustained for 2+ months | The team is structurally overloaded, not just having a busy month |124| At-risk accounts not getting intervention time | Revenue is being left unprotected because CSMs do not have capacity to run save plays |125| Proactive work at zero | Multi-threading, account strategy, and adoption planning are not happening because all time goes to reactive work. This is a leading indicator of future risk |126| New accounts cannot be properly onboarded | Growth is creating churn risk because new customers do not get the onboarding attention they need |127128Frame the ask as: "At current utilisation, we are deferring [X hours/month] of proactive work that protects [EUR Y] in ARR. A new hire at [cost] would recover [Z] hours of capacity and reduce the unprotected ARR."129130## Quality Gates131132- Are the segment classifications accurate? An account labelled "SMB" that actually requires mid-market engagement will undercount demand133- Are the multipliers applied honestly? Tempting to downplay the demand of at-risk accounts to make the number look manageable. The model is only useful if it reflects reality134- Does the buffer account for realistic variability? A month with zero surprises is fiction. 15-20% buffer is the minimum for a sustainable portfolio135- If overloaded, is the rebalancing recommendation specific? "Reduce workload" is not a recommendation. "Transfer 5 SMB accounts (EUR 35k combined ARR, all healthy) to scaled motion to free 8 hours/month" is136137## Principles138139- Account count is a vanity metric. Capacity is a function of ARR-weighted, health-adjusted, event-modified demand -- not the number of logos on the list. 40 accounts is not a meaningful statement without knowing the mix140- Chronic overload is a management failure, not a CSM resilience test. A CSM operating at 110% utilisation for 3 months is not performing heroically -- they are being set up to fail. The capacity model makes this visible141- The capacity model is an argument, not a complaint. Presenting utilisation data with revenue impact and risk quantification is a business case. Saying "I am too busy" is a complaint. The model produces the former142- Underloaded CSMs are an opportunity, not a problem. If utilisation is below 70%, the CSM has room for deeper strategic work, more accounts, or both. Use the capacity data to make that case as well
stephenrogan