Overview Back to top
The workload overlay turns the Resource Scheduler into a capacity-aware planning tool. When enabled, color-coded indicators appear beneath each person for every day on the timeline, giving you an instant picture of who is underloaded, at capacity, or overbooked.
The indicators pull together data from multiple sources — scheduled issue hours, capacity schemes, holiday calendars, and approved leave — so you can see true utilization at a glance without switching between views.
Enabling Workload View Back to top
To activate the workload indicators, click the Workload toggle button in the scheduler toolbar. The button is located alongside the other toolbar controls (date navigation, view scope, filters).
- Click the toggle once to show workload indicators beneath each person row
- Click again to hide the indicators and return to the standard timeline view
- The toggle state persists within your browser session
Color Legend Back to top
Each workload indicator cell is color-coded to convey utilization status at a glance. The following colors are used:
| Color | Utilization Range | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Light Blue | 0 – 50% | Underloaded — person has significant spare capacity |
| Green | 51 – 100% | Healthy — well-utilized within capacity |
| Yellow / Orange | 101 – 120% | Near capacity — approaching overload, monitor closely |
| Red | > 120% | Overloaded — scheduled hours exceed capacity, action needed |
| Blue | — | Leave day — person is on approved time off |
| Purple | — | Conflict — issues are scheduled on a leave or holiday day |
| Orange | — | Holiday — day is marked as a public holiday in the assigned calendar |
| Grey / Striped | — | Non-working day — weekend or off day per the capacity scheme |
Indicator Modes Back to top
The workload indicators support three different calculation modes. Switch between them using the mode selector that appears when workload is enabled.
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Remaining Estimate | The default mode. Distributes remaining hours across future working days only. Past days display zero. Done issues contribute 0 hours. This gives a forward-looking view of how much work is left to do. |
| Original Estimate | Uses the original estimate for each issue (ignoring logged work). Distributes hours across all working days in the issue date range, past and future. Best for comparing the initial plan against capacity. |
| Availability | Shows free (available) hours per person per day. The indicator displays how many hours remain after subtracting scheduled work from total capacity. |
How Remaining Estimate Works Back to top
The remaining estimate represents how much work is left on an issue. Jira calculates it automatically:
Remaining Estimate Formula
Remaining Estimate = Original Estimate − Total Logged Worklogs
- Jira populates the remaining estimate from the original estimate when an issue is created
- As work is logged, Jira decrements the remaining estimate automatically
- The remaining hours are distributed evenly across future working days only within the issue date range
- Done issues contribute 0 hours — once an issue is resolved, its remaining estimate is not counted
- If an issue has multiple assignees, the remaining hours are split evenly among them
- If remaining estimate is zero or not set, the issue contributes nothing to workload
How Workload Is Calculated Back to top
The utilization percentage displayed in each workload cell is calculated using the following formula:
Utilization Formula
Utilization % = (Workload Hours / Available Capacity) × 100
Where:
- Workload Hours — the total scheduled/estimated hours for that person on that day (from issues, allocations, and worklogs depending on the selected mode)
- Available Capacity — the person's working hours for that day, minus any holiday or leave deductions
For example, if a person's capacity scheme assigns 8 hours on a Monday and they have 6 hours of scheduled work, their utilization is 75% (green). If they have 10 hours scheduled, it is 125% (red — overloaded).
Workload Tooltip Back to top
Click any workload indicator cell to open a detailed tooltip showing the capacity breakdown for that person on that day. The tooltip header displays the person's name and date.
Regular Working Day
On a normal working day, the tooltip shows:
| Row | What it shows | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled | Total hours scheduled that day vs total capacity (scheduled / capacity). | 6h / 8h |
| Free | Remaining available hours (capacity minus scheduled). | 2h |
| Capacity | The person's total capacity for that day from their capacity scheme. | 8h |
Leave or Holiday Conflict
When the day falls on approved leave or a public holiday, the tooltip adds extra rows:
| Row | What it shows | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled | Shows dashes (– / –) because no work should be scheduled. | – / – |
| Free | Shows a dash — no free capacity on a non-working day. | – |
| Capacity | The base capacity from the scheme (before leave deduction). | 8h |
| Leave | Hours deducted by approved leave, shown in orange. | −8h |
| Warning | If issues are scheduled on a leave/holiday day, a conflict warning appears. | Work scheduled on leave/holiday |
Capacity with Holidays & Leave Back to top
Available capacity is adjusted automatically based on holidays and approved leave. The following table shows how different day types affect available hours:
| Day Type | Capacity (8h scheme) | Available Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Regular working day | 8h | 8h |
| Public holiday | 8h | 0h |
| Full-day leave | 8h | 0h |
| Half-day leave | 8h | 4h |
| Weekend / non-working day | 0h | 0h |
Display Modes Back to top
Workload indicators can be displayed in two formats. Toggle between them using the display mode selector:
- Hours (h) — shows the absolute number of scheduled hours per cell (e.g., "6h / 8h"). Best for seeing exact hour counts.
- Percentage (%) — shows utilization as a percentage of available capacity (e.g., "75%"). Best for quickly spotting over- or under-utilization patterns across the team.
Practical Tips Back to top
Here are some practical ways to get the most out of workload management:
During Sprint Planning
- Enable the workload view before assigning issues to see each person's current load
- Use the Remaining Estimate mode to focus on future work distribution
- Look for green cells (healthy load) when deciding who has bandwidth for new work
- Avoid assigning more issues to people already showing red (overloaded) indicators
Fixing Overloaded Days
- Identify red cells on the timeline — these indicate days where a person is over capacity
- Drag an issue bar horizontally to shift it to a less loaded day or week
- Drag an issue bar vertically to reassign it to a different team member who has availability
- Use the Availability mode to see exactly how many free hours each person has
Combining with Other Features
- Capacity schemes — set up different schedules for part-time vs full-time team members so workload calculations reflect their actual hours
- Holiday calendars — assign the correct calendar to each team or user so holidays are factored into available capacity
- Leave management — ensure leave requests are approved promptly so the workload view shows accurate availability
- Reports — use the Resource Utilization Forecast report for a detailed breakdown of team capacity over longer periods
Keep Estimates Updated
The accuracy of workload indicators depends on issues having up-to-date estimates. Encourage your team to set original estimates when creating issues and to log work regularly so remaining estimates stay current.
Need Help?
If you have questions or need assistance, our support team is here to help.
Contact Support