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Operations & constrained capacity

Capacity & Opportunity Cost Calculator

Compare two simple whole-job priority schedules under a single entered bottleneck and demand limits.

158 / CAPACITY & OPPORTUNITY COST

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INPUT GROUP 01

Entered assumptions and matching units

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Read the method and example

YOUR CALCULATION

Compare two simple whole-job priority schedules for one bottleneck.

A contribution per bottleneck hour

40

B contribution per bottleneck hour

50

A jobs in the higher-contribution tested schedule

10

B jobs in the higher-contribution tested schedule

80

Contribution in the higher tested schedule

$4,800.00

Difference between the two tested schedules

$600.00

Unused bottleneck hours in that schedule

0 hr

Two priority schedules

Two priority schedules
OrderA jobsB jobsHours usedContribution
A first4020100 hr$4,200.00
B first1080100 hr$4,800.00

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Illustrative inputs loaded. Replace them with your own assumptions.

How the capacity & opportunity cost calculator works

For each priority order, fill the first job type up to demand and available whole-job capacity, then fill the second type using remaining hours. Contribution is jobs times contribution per job. The displayed schedule is the higher-contribution result of the A-first and B-first tests.

Contribution per bottleneck hour explains the relative rates, but indivisible jobs can leave unusable gaps. Neither tested greedy order is guaranteed to be the globally optimal integer allocation; the difference is only between these two schedules.

Use revenue less your consistently classified variable cost as contribution. Common fixed costs, multiple bottlenecks, linked orders, customer substitution and setup losses are excluded. Demand is a limit rather than a sales forecast.

Worked example

At 100 hours, A earns $80 in two hours with demand 40; B earns $50 in one hour with demand 80. A-first contributes $4,200. B-first completes 80 B and 10 A for $4,800, a $600 difference. At 80 hours the higher tested contribution is $4,000.

Sources and assumptions

The source material explains the underlying calculation or pricing structure. Entered prices, costs, schedules and scenario choices are your assumptions; this tool does not obtain supplier quotes or predict actual results.

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