Resource Assignments and Allocate More Than 24 Hours per Day

[Paras Rawat]

Allocate More Than 24 Hours per Day: The Daily Cap

A guide to the com.snc.resource_management.allocate_more_than_24hours_per_day property: how the system stops a person being planned for more hours than a day has, how existing bookings reduce what a new assignment can get, and what changes for groups, unassigned demand, task and operational work.

Contents

• What the daily cap means
• Before you begin
• About this task – how the cap is applied
• Procedure – Change the property
• Worked examples – Property = false (cap on, default)
• Worked examples – Property = true (cap off)
• Worked examples – Operational and mixed work
• Behavior reference
• Frequently encountered messages
• Best practices
• Limitations and known constraints
• Related articles

1. What the daily cap means

A day has 24 hours. With the default setting, the system never plans a person for more than 24 hours on a single day, across all of that person's assignments: project tasks and operational work together.

With an 8-hour day (Average daily FTE = 8):

24 hours per day  =  3 FTE

When a request doesn't fit, the system doesn't reject it. It allocates what fits and reduces the assignment's Effort to match.

No error is shown unless nothing at all could be allocated.

Property value	Behavior
false (default)	Cap on: at most 24 h per person per day; any excess is dropped and the effort is reduced
true	Cap off: the full request is allocated, even above 24 h per day

 

2. Before you begin

Role required: pps_admin to view or change the property. resource_user or resource_manager to create the assignments it affects.

Setup used in every example

• Calendar: Jan 6 – Jan 10, 2025 (Mon–Fri, 5 working days)
• Every resource works Mon–Fri, 8 hours per day; Average daily FTE = 8; allocation interval = 60
• No employee-date limits (everyone is employed all month)

The resources used in the examples

Resource	Schedule	Notes
Alex	Mon–Fri, 8 h/day	Used in the single-user examples. Existing bookings are stated in each example.
Casey	Mon–Fri, 8 h/day	Group member, no other bookings
Robin	Mon–Fri, 8 h/day	Group member, no other bookings

The group used in the examples is the Design Team (Alex, Casey, Robin).

How to read the examples

Every example follows the same layout:

• Scenario: the situation in plain words.
• Conditions: the property value in effect, and what the resource has already booked on those days. This tells you how much room is left before the 24-hour limit.
• On the form: the fields you fill in on the resource assignment form, and what each value means.
• What the system does when you select Save: the calculation, step by step.
• What you see after saving: the Effort field, any message, and the hours planned on each day.

Terms used in the examples

Term	Where you find it	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	System property com.snc.resource_management.allocate_more_than_24hours_per_day	false (default): a person can't be planned for more than 24 hours on one day across all assignments. true: no daily limit.
Already booked	The person's other assignments	Hours the person already has on that day from any project or operational work
Room left	Calculated	24 hours − hours already booked on that day. This is the most a new assignment can add when the property is false.
Effort type / Effort	Fields on the form	FTE is a share of an 8-hour day (1 FTE = 8 h, 3 FTE = 24 h). Hours is a total for the whole window.
Assignment type	Field on the form	User: one named person. Group: the system creates one child assignment per member.
Unassigned	A group is set but Resource is empty	Demand that hasn't been given to a named person yet
Allocated hours	Field on the Resource Allocation record	The total hours actually planned, the sum of the daily records

 

 

3. About this task – how the cap is applied

For each person, on each working day:

1. Fill the person's normal free hours first   (schedule hours − hours already booked)
2. Anything still left over:
     property = false → may go above the schedule, but only until the day reaches 24 h in total
     property = true  → spread over the working days with no ceiling
3. Anything that still doesn't fit (false only) is not allocated
4. The assignment's Effort is set to what was actually allocated

So:

Room for a new assignment on a day = 24 h − hours already booked that day (on any assignment)
Largest FTE you can add             = room ÷ 8

Who is capped:

Assignment	Capped?
User assignment (task or operational)	Yes
Group child assignment (one per member)	Yes, each member separately
Unassigned (group set, no person)	No: there's no person to protect yet

 

 

4. Procedure – Change the property

• Enter sys_properties.list in the filter navigator.
• Search for Name = com.snc.resource_management.allocate_more_than_24hours_per_day.
• Set Value to false (cap on) or true (cap off).
• Select Update.

Note: The setting is read when hours are calculated. Existing assignments aren't changed until their effort or dates are edited.

5. Worked examples – Property = false (cap on, default)

Example 1: Exactly at the cap (3 FTE)

Scenario: For one critical week, Alex is booked on the Website Overhaul project for three times his normal day. That is 24 hours a day, which is everything a day can hold.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	false (default)	A day can't go above 24 hours in total
Alex – already booked Jan 6 – 10	0 h per day	No other assignments
Alex – room left per day	24 h	24 − 0

On the form

Field	What you enter	What it means
Plan type	Task	Project work
Task	Website Overhaul	–
Assignment type	User	One named person
Resource	Alex	–
Start date / End date	2025-01-06 / 2025-01-10	5 working days
Effort type	FTE	A share of an 8-hour day
Effort	3	3 × 8 = 24 hours per day

What the system does when you select Save

• Turns the FTE into hours. 3 FTE × 8 = 24 hours per day. Over 5 days that is 120 hours.
• Fills Alex's normal day first: 8 hours per day.
• Places the remaining 16 hours per day as over-allocation. This is allowed because the day total (24 h) doesn't go above the 24-hour limit.
• Writes back the effort. Everything fitted, so the effort stays 3 FTE.

What you see after saving

• Effort: 3 FTE (unchanged). Allocated hours: 120. No message.

Date	Day	Already booked	This assignment	Day total
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	0.0	24.0 each	24.0
Total		0.0	120.0	120.0

Key Takeaway: 3 FTE fits exactly (3 × 8 = 24 h/day). Being over the schedule is allowed; being over 24 h isn't.

Example 2: Above the cap (4 FTE)

Scenario: The project manager tries to book Alex for four times his normal day, 32 hours a day, which is more than a day holds.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	false (default)	A day can't go above 24 hours in total
Alex – already booked Jan 6 – 10	0 h per day	No other assignments
Alex – room left per day	24 h	24 − 0

On the form: Same as Example 1, except Effort = 4 (Effort type FTE), which is 4 × 8 = 32 hours per day.

What the system does when you select Save

• Turns the FTE into hours. 4 × 8 = 32 hours per day; × 5 days = 160 hours requested.
• Fills each day up to the 24-hour limit. Only 24 of the 32 hours fit on each day.
• Drops what doesn't fit. 8 hours per day × 5 days = 40 hours are not allocated.
• Writes back the effort from what was actually allocated. 120 hours ÷ (8 × 5) = 3 FTE.

What you see after saving

• Effort: 3 FTE (you typed 4). Allocated hours: 120. No message is shown.

Date	Day	Requested	Allocated	Dropped
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	32.0	24.0 each	8.0 each
Total		160.0	120.0	40.0

Key Takeaway: The save succeeds, the excess 40 h is dropped, and the effort is reduced without any error message. Always re-read the Effort field.

Example 3: An existing booking reduces the room

Scenario: Alex already spends his full day on another project, Mobile App. The project manager of Website Overhaul adds Alex for 3 FTE on the same days.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	false (default)	A day can't go above 24 hours in total
Alex – already booked Jan 6 – 10	8 h per day	1 FTE on Mobile App
Alex – room left per day	16 h	24 − 8

On the form: Same as Example 1 (Task Website Overhaul, Resource Alex, Jan 6 – Jan 10, Effort type FTE, Effort 3).

What the system does when you select Save

• Turns the FTE into hours. 3 × 8 = 24 hours per day requested.
• Checks what Alex already has. 8 hours per day on Mobile App, so only 16 hours per day of room is left.
• Allocates what fits. 16 hours per day × 5 days = 80 hours. The other 8 hours per day are dropped.
• Writes back the effort. 80 ÷ (8 × 5) = 2 FTE.

What you see after saving

• New assignment's Effort: 2 FTE (you typed 3). Allocated hours: 80. No message.

Date	Day	Already booked (Mobile App)	This assignment (Website Overhaul)	Day total
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	8.0	16.0 each	24.0
Total		40.0	80.0	120.0

Key Takeaway: The cap counts everything already booked for the person. Room = 24 − 8 = 16 h/day = 2 FTE.

Example 4: Group assignment, each member capped separately

Scenario: The project manager books the whole Design Team (3 people) for 10 FTE for one week, the equivalent of ten full-time people.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	false (default)	Each person's day can't go above 24 hours
Alex, Casey, Robin – already booked	0 h per day each	No other assignments
Room left per person per day	24 h = 3 FTE	The most each member can take

On the form

Field	What you enter	What it means
Plan type	Task	–
Task	Website Overhaul	–
Assignment type	Group	The system splits the work between the members
Group	Design Team	Alex, Casey, Robin
Start date / End date	2025-01-06 / 2025-01-10	5 working days
Effort type	FTE	–
Effort	10	For the whole team

What the system does when you select Save

• Splits the effort between the members. 10 ÷ 3 = 3.33 FTE each (26.6 hours per day).
• Caps each member separately. Each person's day can hold only 24 hours (3 FTE), so each member gets 3 FTE.
• Drops what doesn't fit. 0.33 FTE per member, 1 FTE in total, isn't allocated.
• Re-calculates the group's effort as the total the members actually received: 3 + 3 + 3 = 9 FTE.

What you see after saving

Member	Share requested	Allocated	Hours per day	Total hours
Alex	3.33 FTE	3 FTE	24.0	120.0
Casey	3.33 FTE	3 FTE	24.0	120.0
Robin	3.33 FTE	3 FTE	24.0	120.0
Group	10 FTE	9 FTE		360.0

Key Takeaway: Each member hits the cap on their own, so the group delivers 9 FTE, not 10. The group's effort shows what was actually allocated. To get 10 FTE you need a fourth member (or the cap off).

Example 5: Unassigned demand isn't capped

Scenario: The project needs 4 FTE of design work for a week, but no named person has been chosen yet. The project manager records it against the Design Team as unassigned demand.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	false (default)	Applies only to named people
Resource	(empty)	There is no person whose day could be overbooked

On the form

Field	What you enter	What it means
Plan type	Task	–
Task	Website Overhaul	–
Assignment type	User	–
Group	Design Team	The team the demand belongs to
Resource	(leave empty)	No named person yet, so this row is unassigned
Start date / End date	2025-01-06 / 2025-01-10	5 working days
Effort type	FTE	–
Effort	4	4 × 8 = 32 hours per day

What the system does when you select Save

• Turns the FTE into hours. 4 × 8 = 32 hours per day; × 5 = 160 hours.
• Skips the 24-hour check. With no named person, there is nobody to protect.
• Allocates the full request.

What you see after saving

• Effort: 4 FTE (unchanged). Allocated hours: 160.

Date	Day	Resource Allocation Daily – Hours
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	32.0 each
Total		160.0

Key Takeaway: Unassigned rows show the full demand. The cap applies once a named person is assigned.

Example 6: The person is already full (illustration)

Scenario: Alex is already booked for 24 hours a day on other work. Another project manager tries to add him for 1 FTE on the same days.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	false (default)	–
Alex – already booked Jan 6 – 10	24 h per day	3 FTE on other assignments
Alex – room left per day	0 h	24 − 24

On the form: Same as Example 1, except Effort = 1 (Effort type FTE), which is 8 hours per day.

What the system does when you select Save

• Turns the FTE into hours. 1 × 8 = 8 hours per day requested.
• Checks the room left. 0 hours on every day.
• Can't allocate anything. The effort becomes 0.

What you see after saving

• Effort: 0. Allocated hours: 0.
• Error: Resource allocation cannot be updated to 1 fte because Alex is not available.

Date	Day	Already booked	This assignment	Day total
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	24.0	0.0	24.0

Key Takeaway: When there's no room left on any day, nothing is allocated. This is the only case where the cap produces an error message.

Example 7: The cap also applies to Hours (illustration)

Scenario: The project manager books Alex for a total of 150 hours in one week, which is 30 hours a day.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	false (default)	–
Alex – already booked Jan 6 – 10	0 h per day	–
Alex – room left per day	24 h	–

On the form: Same as Example 1, except Effort type = Hours and Effort = 150.

What the system does when you select Save

• Spreads the hours. 150 ÷ 5 days = 30 hours per day requested.
• Caps each day at 24 hours. 6 hours per day are dropped (30 hours in total).
• Writes back the effort as the hours actually allocated: 120.

What you see after saving

• Effort: 120 hours (you typed 150). Allocated hours: 120. No message.

Date	Day	Requested	Allocated	Dropped
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	30.0	24.0 each	6.0 each
Total		150.0	120.0	30.0

Key Takeaway: The cap is on hours per day, so every effort type is affected. This is also the limit on the "leaving employee" squeeze in Part 2: an Hours budget squeezed into fewer days can't go above 24 h/day.

 

6. Worked examples – Property = true (cap off)

Example 8: 4 FTE is allocated in full

Scenario: The same request as Example 2 (Alex at 4 FTE for one week), but the administrator has turned the cap off.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	true	No daily limit
Alex – already booked Jan 6 – 10	0 h per day	–

On the form: Same as Example 1, except Effort = 4 (Effort type FTE).

What the system does when you select Save

• Turns the FTE into hours. 4 × 8 = 32 hours per day; × 5 = 160 hours.
• Fills Alex's normal day (8 h), then spreads the rest over the working days with no ceiling.
• Writes back the effort. Everything fitted, so it stays 4 FTE.

What you see after saving

• Effort: 4 FTE (unchanged). Allocated hours: 160.

Date	Day	Resource Allocation Daily – Hours
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	32.0 each
Total		160.0

Key Takeaway: Compare with Example 2. With the cap off, the 32-hour days are kept as entered.

Example 9: 5 FTE is allocated in full

Scenario: Alex is booked for 5 FTE (40 hours a day) for one week with the cap off.

Conditions: Allocate more than 24 hours per day = true. Alex has no other bookings.

On the form: Same as Example 1, except Effort = 5 (Effort type FTE).

What the system does when you select Save: 5 × 8 = 40 hours per day; × 5 = 200 hours. No ceiling applies, so everything is allocated.

What you see after saving

• Effort: 5 FTE (unchanged). Allocated hours: 200.

Date	Day	Resource Allocation Daily – Hours
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	40.0 each
Total		200.0

Key Takeaway: With the cap off, the system plans days that are physically impossible. Manage this through utilization reports.

Example 10: Stacking assignments above 24 hours

Scenario: Alex already has 2 FTE on Mobile App. With the cap off, the Website Overhaul project manager adds him for 3 FTE on the same days.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	true	No daily limit
Alex – already booked Jan 6 – 10	16 h per day	2 FTE on Mobile App
Alex – room left per day	Not limited	–

On the form: Same as Example 1 (Task Website Overhaul, Resource Alex, Effort type FTE, Effort 3).

What the system does when you select Save

• Turns the FTE into hours. 3 × 8 = 24 hours per day; × 5 = 120 hours.
• Ignores the existing bookings for capping and allocates everything.

What you see after saving

• New assignment's Effort: 3 FTE (not reduced). Allocated hours: 120.

Date	Day	Already booked (Mobile App)	This assignment (Website Overhaul)	Day total
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	16.0	24.0 each	40.0
Total		80.0	120.0	200.0

Key Takeaway: Compare with Example 3. With the cap off, Alex's days reach 40 hours across both projects.

Example 11: Group gets the full request

Scenario: With the cap off, the Design Team is booked for 12 FTE for one week.

Conditions: Allocate more than 24 hours per day = true.

Alex, Casey and Robin have no other bookings.

On the form: Same as Example 4, except Effort = 12.

What the system does when you select Save

• Splits the effort. 12 ÷ 3 = 4 FTE each (32 hours per day).
• Allocates every member's share in full, because no daily limit applies.
• Re-calculates the group's effort: 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 FTE.

What you see after saving

Member	Share	Hours per day	Total hours
Alex	4 FTE	32.0	160.0
Casey	4 FTE	32.0	160.0
Robin	4 FTE	32.0	160.0
Group	12 FTE		480.0

Key Takeaway: Compare with Example 4. With the cap off, nothing is dropped at member level.

Example 12: Unassigned behaves the same either way

Scenario: With the cap off, 5 FTE of unassigned demand is recorded for the Design Team.

Conditions: Allocate more than 24 hours per day = true. Resource is empty.

On the form: Same as Example 5, except Effort = 5.

What the system does when you select Save: 5 × 8 = 40 hours per day; × 5 = 200 hours, all allocated.

What you see after saving: Effort: 5 FTE. Allocated hours: 200 (40.0 hours on each day).

Key Takeaway for property = true: Nothing is reduced, so every number you type is allocated. Over-booking becomes possible and has to be managed through reports and heat maps.

7. Worked examples – Operational and mixed work

Operational assignments (KTLO, admin, meetings…) follow the same cap, and they share the same 24 hours with project work.

Note: The operational work form offers Hours and % Capacity. These examples use FTE values, as created in the automated tests (for example through an integration), to keep the arithmetic comparable with sections 5 and 6. The same daily limit applies to Hours and % Capacity.

Example 13: Operational assignment above the cap

Scenario: Alex is booked for 4 FTE of KTLO support for one week, with the cap on.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	false (default)	–
Alex – already booked Jan 6 – 10	0 h per day	–
Alex – room left per day	24 h	–

On the form (Operational work view)

Field	What you enter	What it means
Plan type	Operational work	Non-project work
Operational work type	KTLO	Keep-the-lights-on support
Resource	Alex	–
Start date / End date	2025-01-06 / 2025-01-10	5 working days
Effort type	FTE	–
Effort	4	32 hours per day requested

What the system does when you select Save

• Turns the FTE into hours. 4 × 8 = 32 hours per day.
• Caps each day at 24 hours. 8 hours per day are dropped.
• Writes back the effort. 120 ÷ 40 = 3 FTE.

What you see after saving

• Effort: 3 FTE (you typed 4). No message.

Date	Day	Requested	Allocated
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	32.0	24.0 each
Total		160.0	120.0

Key Takeaway: Operational work is capped exactly like project work.

Example 14: Two operational assignments share the cap

Scenario: Alex already has 2 FTE of KTLO support. He is now booked for another 2 FTE of admin work on the same days.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	false (default)	–
Alex – already booked Jan 6 – 10	16 h per day	2 FTE of KTLO (operational)
Alex – room left per day	8 h	24 − 16

On the form (Operational work view): Operational work type Admin, Resource Alex, Jan 6 – Jan 10, Effort type FTE, Effort 2 (16 hours per day requested).

What the system does when you select Save

• Turns the FTE into hours. 2 × 8 = 16 hours per day requested.
• Checks the room left. Only 8 hours per day.
• Allocates what fits. 8 × 5 = 40 hours.
• Writes back the effort. 40 ÷ 40 = 1 FTE.

What you see after saving

• Admin assignment's Effort: 1 FTE (you typed 2).

Date	Day	Already booked (KTLO)	This assignment (Admin)	Day total
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	16.0	8.0 each	24.0
Total		80.0	40.0	120.0

Key Takeaway: Operational assignments count against each other.

Example 15: A project booking reduces operational work

Scenario: Alex already has 2 FTE on the Website Overhaul project. He is now booked for 2 FTE of KTLO support on the same days.

Conditions

Condition	Value	What it means
Allocate more than 24 hours per day	false (default)	–
Alex – already booked Jan 6 – 10	16 h per day	2 FTE on a project task
Alex – room left per day	8 h	24 − 16

On the form (Operational work view): Operational work type KTLO, Resource Alex, Jan 6 – Jan 10, Effort type FTE, Effort 2.

What the system does when you select Save

• Turns the FTE into hours. 16 hours per day requested.
• Counts the project booking. 16 hours per day are already used on Website Overhaul, leaving 8 hours per day.
• Allocates what fits (40 hours) and writes back 1 FTE.

What you see after saving

• KTLO assignment's Effort: 1 FTE (you typed 2).

Date	Day	Already booked (Website Overhaul)	This assignment (KTLO)	Day total
Jan 6 – Jan 10	Mon–Fri	16.0	8.0 each	24.0
Total		80.0	40.0	120.0

Key Takeaway: The 24 hours are shared across project and operational work. Here operational work is reduced because of a project booking.

Example 16: Operational assignment with the cap off

Scenario: With the cap off, Alex is booked for 4 FTE of admin work for one week.

Conditions: Allocate more than 24 hours per day = true. Alex has no other bookings.

On the form (Operational work view): Operational work type Admin, Resource Alex, Jan 6 – Jan 10, Effort type FTE, Effort 4.

What the system does when you select Save: 4 × 8 = 32 hours per day; × 5 = 160 hours, all allocated.

What you see after saving

• Effort: 4 FTE (unchanged). Allocated hours: 160 (32.0 hours on each day).

Key Takeaway: Compare with Example 13. With the cap off, operational work isn't limited either.

8. Behavior reference

Situation	Property = false	Property = true
Request ≤ schedule	Allocated	Allocated
Request above schedule but ≤ 24 h/day in total	Allocated (over-allocation)	Allocated
Request > 24 h/day in total	Capped at 24 h/day; effort reduced; no message	Allocated in full
Existing bookings	Count toward the 24 h	Ignored for capping
Person already at 24 h	Nothing allocated; effort 0; error message	Allocated on top
Group	Each member capped; group total can be below the request	Full request split among members
Unassigned	Not capped	Not capped
Operational work	Same cap, shared with task work	No cap
Effort type	All (FTE, Hours, Person days, % Capacity), because the cap is on hours/day	–

 

 

9. Frequently encountered messages

Message	Meaning
(none) – Effort lower than typed	The request was partly over the cap. The effort shows what fit.
Resource allocation cannot be updated to {effort} {type} because {name} is not available.	Nothing fit, because the person is already at 24 h on every day of the window (or has no availability).

 

 

10. Best practices

• Keep the property false (default) unless your process deliberately creates over-24-hour placeholders and fixes them later. It keeps plans physically possible.
• Re-read the Effort field after every save. A lower number means the person was already booked. Look at their other assignments before adding more.
• For groups, size the request to the members: at most 3 FTE per member at 8 h/day. To staff 10 FTE you need at least 4 members.
• Use unassigned rows for demand without a person yet. They show the full need (they aren't capped) until someone is named.
• Remember operational work counts. KTLO and admin assignments use up the same 24 hours as project work.
• If you turn the cap off, monitor over-allocation with the capacity heat maps and utilization reports. Nothing else will stop it.
• Over-allocation below 24 h is still allowed with the cap on. Use utilization views to catch people planned above their schedule (for example 16 h/day).

 

 

11. Limitations and known constraints

• The cap is per calendar day, not per week. A week can carry up to 120 h for a 5-day schedule.
• Effort is reduced without any message when only part of the request fits.
• Unassigned assignments are never capped. Capping starts when a person is named.
• The cap counts all of the person's existing daily allocations, across projects and operational work.
• The property is global. It affects all Resource Management allocation, not only Planning Attributes assignments.