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Four Calculation Modes

The Gantt offers four modes for computing resource load, each suited to different planning strategies. The mode is selected via the Resource Load Calculation parameter.
ModeInternal valueCell showsBest for
Leaf Items CountnumNumber of leaf-level work itemsSimple task-based tracking
Estimate + SpenttimeTotal hours (remaining + spent)Complete effort picture
Remaining EstimateremainingRemaining hours onlyForward-looking capacity planning
Assignment AllocationallocationPercentage of team assignmentTeam-based allocation tracking

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Leaf Items Count

The simplest mode. Each leaf-level work item (a work item with no children) assigned to a resource counts as “1” in the load calculation. Parent work items are excluded because their children already represent the actual work. For example, if Robert has two leaf-level tasks scheduled for the same week, his resource view cell for that week shows “2”. This mode does not consider task duration or estimated effort — it is purely a count of assigned items. The Items per resource parameter sets the threshold above which a cell turns red to indicate overallocation. If the limit is 3 and a resource has 4 items in a period, the cell turns red.

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Estimate + Spent

This mode sums the remaining estimate and time already spent on each work item, providing a complete picture of both planned and actual effort. The total effort is distributed evenly across the scheduled days of the task. For example, if a task has 80 hours of time spent and 16 hours of remaining estimate over a 10-day schedule, the total is 96 hours. Dividing by 10 days yields 9.6 hours per day shown in the resource view.
The Gantt distributes effort evenly across the full task duration. It does not weight spent time toward past days or remaining time toward future days. This is a design choice that provides a consistent view, but it may differ from user expectations.

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Remaining Estimate

This mode considers only the effort still required to complete each task, ignoring time already spent. The remaining estimate is spread across the scheduled days starting from today and into the future only. For example, a task with 6 days of remaining estimate scheduled across 10 calendar days yields 4.8 hours per day. Past days show no load since the remaining work is projected forward. This mode is especially useful for forecasting. It answers the question: “How much work does each person still need to deliver?”

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Assignment Allocation

This mode uses team-based assignment percentages rather than individual work item estimates. Each user is assigned a percentage of work within each team (via team assignment work items), and the resource view shows the combined allocation across all teams. For example, if Mark is assigned 35% in Team Alpha and 10% in Team Beta, his total allocation is 45% for the overlapping period. If the total exceeds 100%, the cell turns red to indicate overallocation. This mode requires team assignments to be configured and the Load Team Assignments calendar option to be enabled.

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How Working Calendars Affect Calculations

When working calendars are enabled, the resource load calculations respect non-working days and per-user schedules. The available working hours per day are determined by the user’s calendar (or the global calendar as a fallback). A standard day provides 8 working hours by default. For the time-based modes (Estimate + Spent and Remaining Estimate), the calculation uses each resource’s actual available hours when computing how many hours a task occupies within a given day. For example, if a user’s calendar shows only 4 hours on Fridays, the allocated hours for that day are halved compared to a standard 8-hour day. Days marked as non-working (weekends, holidays, time-off) appear as grey cells in the resource view, indicating zero available capacity.

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Color Coding

Resource view cells use color coding to communicate workload status at a glance:
ColorMeaning
Green (default #4CAF50)Within capacity — workload is acceptable
Red/OrangeOver capacity — resource is overallocated
GreyUnavailable — non-working day per calendar
The color thresholds are configurable via the resource markers color configuration, which accepts CSS color values for the ok (within-capacity) and over (over-capacity) states.
The resource load calculation considers work item resolution status, not just remaining time. Switching from Estimate + Spent to Remaining mode can change visible values because the modes use different fields. Be sure to understand which Polarion fields drive each mode before comparing results.

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Choosing the Right Mode

diagram Most teams start with Leaf Items Count for its simplicity, then move to Remaining Estimate or Estimate + Spent as they adopt time tracking in Polarion. Assignment Allocation is best suited for organizations that manage team capacity through formal assignment percentages.
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  • prod-gantt-src/com.nextedy.polarion.gantt.client/src/js/markers.js
  • prod-gantt-src/com.nextedy.polarion.gantt.client/src/js/config.js
  • prod-gantt-src/com.nextedy.polarion.gantt/src/com/nextedy/polarion/gantt/model/Config.java
  • prod-gantt-src/com.nextedy.polarion.gantt/src/com/nextedy/polarion/gantt/widget/GanttWidget.java
  • prod-gantt-src/com.nextedy.polarion.gantt.client/src/js/columns.js