Fulfillment SLA Capacity Planner

Translate order volume and labor throughput into actionable ship cutoffs. Enter projected orders, team productivity, backlog, and overtime to see how many orders clear same day, when to stop promising same-day service, and how much capacity you need to stay inside your SLA window.

Include all orders due to ship today, including backorders promised for dispatch.
Average combined throughput across picking, packing, and QC (orders per labor hour).
Total staffed hours available for the fulfillment window you are planning.
Time from order placement to ship confirmation promised to customers.
Orders waiting before today's batch begins (open backlog).
Extra labor capacity as a percentage of the staffed window (e.g., 20 boosts a 10-hour shift to 12 hours).
Local start time in 24-hour format to translate the same-day cutoff.

Operational planning estimate—integrate with WMS data for live monitoring.

Examples

  • 1,200 orders, 90 orders/hour, 10-hour window, SLA 24 ⇒ same-day capacity 900 orders, cutoff ~15:30, backlog 300 orders (3.3 labor hours)
  • 850 orders, rate 110, 9-hour window, backlog 120, +20% overtime ⇒ all 850 orders ship by ~16:00 with zero SLA risk

FAQ

How do I include carrier pickup times?

Set the working window to end at the carrier pickup. If pickups shift, adjust the hours or rerun the model to recalculate cutoffs.

Can I model multiple shifts?

Yes—sum staffed hours across shifts or run the calculator for each shift and combine the shipped order totals to build a full-day plan.

What if orders spike during promotions?

Increase the starting backlog and overtime percentages to stress-test peak days, then schedule temp labor or earlier cutoffs to protect promises.

Does the model assume immediate picking after order placement?

Yes—it treats orders as evenly distributed. If you batch release orders, shorten the window to the actual pick-pack time to avoid overstating capacity.

Additional Information

  • Cutoff assumes orders arrive evenly across the window—if volume spikes, shorten the window or pad backlog inputs for peak hours.
  • Overtime percentage multiplies staffed hours; 20% on a 10-hour shift yields 12 effective labor hours.
  • Backlog risk should be communicated to carriers—late handoffs may require premium service levels to honor SLAs.
  • Compare total capacity to SLA duration: if SLA hours are shorter than the work window, any backlog immediately eats into promise time.

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