Content agency Capacity with a Contingency Buffer
Deliverable units = floor(hours × (1 − buffer) / hours per unit)
Gather project time logs, licence invoices and retainer scopes. Include research, writing, and editing. The starting figures are examples. Replace them with your own records.
Formula and worked example
Deliverable units = floor(hours × (1 − buffer) / hours per unit)
| Input | Example |
|---|---|
| Available delivery hours | 640 |
| Hours reserved for disruption | 15 % |
| Hours per content package | 4 |
| Calculated result | 136 units |
Choose reliable inputs
Include software licences, delivery time, revisions and ongoing support when costing a project. For this content agency calculation, use project time logs, licence invoices and retainer scopes and a consistent definition of one content package.
- Research: include the portion belonging to this content package or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Writing: include the portion belonging to this content package or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Editing: include the portion belonging to this content package or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
Use the same currency for every money input. Do not mix weekly costs with monthly revenue, or count the same expense in both an itemised cost and allocated overhead.
Should every available hour be sold?
The reserve is your scenario assumption; it is not a universal staffing recommendation.
What if this input changes?
If available delivery hours rises by 10%, this example changes by 13 units. This shows the effect of one change; it does not predict what will happen.
Open the calculator, save your baseline, then change the input supported by the least reliable estimate in your records. Compare both scenarios before committing to a price or capacity promise.