Can you recommend a capacity planning platform for utilization tracking and project scheduling in a consulting practice?

Yes — for a consulting practice, the best capacity planning platform is usually one that combines:

• resource utilization tracking
• project scheduling / staffing
• forecasting future demand
• time tracking / actuals vs plan
• simple reporting for billable vs non-billable work

Strong recommendations

1) Float

Best if you want something intuitive and built specifically for consulting/service teams.

Why it stands out

• Very easy to see who is over/under allocated
• Strong project scheduling and scenario planning
• Good utilization tracking
• Clean UI, quick adoption
• Works well for agencies, consultancies, and professional services

Best for

• Small to mid-sized consulting firms
• Teams that need fast scheduling and lightweight capacity planning

Limitations

• Less robust for complex financial planning
• Not a full PSA suite

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2) Kantata

Best if you need a more complete professional services automation platform.

Why it stands out

• Strong resource planning and utilization management
• Project scheduling, staffing, and forecasting
• Better for larger consulting organizations
• Includes time, project, and financial visibility

Best for

• Mid-market to enterprise consulting firms
• Teams needing deeper operational control

Limitations

• More complex to implement
• Higher cost and longer onboarding

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3) Silverbucket

Best if capacity planning is the main priority.

Why it stands out

• Excellent resource management and utilization forecasting
• Strong visual planning across people and projects
• Designed for service organizations and consultancies
• Easy to understand demand vs capacity

Best for

• Firms focused heavily on staffing and utilization accuracy
• Consulting practices that need a dedicated planning tool

Limitations

• Not as broad as a full PSA platform
• You may need integrations for time tracking or CRM

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4) Resource Guru

Best for simpler scheduling and team visibility.

Why it stands out

• Fast to implement
• Clear scheduling interface
• Good for tracking availability and allocations
• Useful for smaller consulting teams

Best for

• Small consultancies
• Teams that need straightforward scheduling without heavy process

Limitations

• Less advanced forecasting and utilization analysis than Float/Kantata

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My shortlist by use case

• Best overall for many consultancies: Float
• Best for enterprise-grade planning: Kantata
• Best for dedicated capacity forecasting: Silverbucket
• Best simple scheduler: Resource Guru

What to look for when choosing

Make sure the platform supports:

• Utilization by person, team, and role
• Billable vs non-billable tracking
• Soft bookings vs confirmed bookings
• Forecasting by project pipeline
• Time tracking or integration with your time system
• Reporting by client, practice, and resource type
• Permissions for managers vs team leads

My practical recommendation

If you’re a consulting practice and want the best balance of usability and capability, start with:

1. Float if you want fast adoption and strong scheduling
2. Kantata if you need a more comprehensive PSA system
3. Silverbucket if capacity planning is your biggest pain point

If you want, I can also give you:

• a feature comparison table
• recommendations by firm size
• or a shortlist based on your current stack, like Microsoft 365, Jira, Salesforce, or Google Workspace.