Question 1

How technical is the setup?

Accepted Answer

Resource Planner installs and configures via the SharePoint App Catalog like any other SPFx web part. Auto-provisioning means the two SharePoint lists (DemandItems and CapacitySlots) get created automatically on first install; no PowerShell or manual schema work is needed. Most property-pane settings are dropdowns or toggles.

Question 2

How do I deploy a SharePoint web part?

Accepted Answer

Acquire Resource Planner from the Microsoft commercial marketplace, then upload the .sppkg to your tenant's App Catalog and tick 'make available across the tenant'. Edit any page, add the web part from the gallery, configure its properties, and publish. The Get Started page has a step-by-step walkthrough.

Question 3

Where is data stored?

Accepted Answer

Inside your own Microsoft 365 tenant, in two standard SharePoint lists called DemandItems and CapacitySlots. Resource Planner reads and writes those lists; nothing is stored in an external database. If you uninstall Resource Planner, both lists and every record remain unchanged.

Question 4

What does the licensing check transmit?

Accepted Answer

Only your Microsoft 365 tenant ID and the Resource Planner app ID, over HTTPS, to validate your subscription with the SaaS licensing service. No demand content, no capacity data, no people data leaves your tenant.

Question 5

Why are some cells slate-coloured?

Accepted Answer

Slate indicates 'no capacity data' for that team-role-quarter combination. The traffic-light comparison needs both demand AND capacity entries; if no CapacitySlots row matches, the cell is slate instead of green/amber/red. Open Manage capacity and add a row for that team-role-quarter.

Question 6

A demand item I created isn't appearing in the right row

Accepted Answer

The board groups by exact Team + Role string match. If the demand item says 'Engineering / Developer' and the capacity entry says 'Tech / Developer', the system treats them as different rows. Standardise the labels (perhaps by agreeing a team/role naming convention with your team owners) and the cells line up.

Question 7

Can two demand items in the same cell be different priorities?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The cell total is the sum of EffortDays regardless of priority. Priority is per-item, not per-cell, and it informs the conversation about which item to defer or descope when a cell is over-allocated. Click into the cell to see the contributing items with their individual priorities.

Question 8

Can we change the default departments and quarter list?

Accepted Answer

On Enterprise. The default install ships with seven departments and a default quarter range out to 2027. On Enterprise, admins can configure both lists from the property pane: add departments, rename them, extend the quarter range. On Essentials and Standard, the default lists apply.

Question 9

Does Resource Planner work in Microsoft Teams?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as a tab on any channel (Standard tier or higher). Add the SharePoint page to a Teams tab, or use the dedicated Resource Planner Teams app if installed. The Teams tab and the SharePoint page are the same board, viewed in two places.

Question 10

How does the Decision Planner integration work?

Accepted Answer

Resource Planner and Decision Planner read each other's SharePoint lists. On Standard or higher, a demand item carries a reference to a Decision Planner record so the audit trail joins up across the two products. On Enterprise, the integration is bidirectional: capacity gaps can trigger decision prompts, and decisions can trigger automatic demand-impact reminders. Both products work standalone; the integration adds value when both are installed.

Question 11

How does the 30-day Enterprise trial work?

Accepted Answer

Every fresh install will include a 30-day Enterprise licence by default once the Marketplace listing is live, so every feature is available out of the box. You can evaluate the capacity panel, drill-down, filters, cross-site dashboards, Decision Planner integration, and audit history before deciding on a tier.

Question 12

Where can I find out about the latest features?

Accepted Answer

The Updates page tracks what is in the build queue, what is being enforced today, and what comes next. The MVP build phases there list what is currently in flight.

Support

Common questions

Troubleshooting checklist

Web part not appearing in the gallery?

Board is empty after install?

All cells are slate-coloured?

Demand items land in different rows than I expected?

Licence validation error?

Where to look next

Get Started

Features

Updates

Need a hand with capacity modelling or rollout?