Test the future
before you fund it.
Scenario and what-if planning lets leadership compare alternative portfolios — by priority, schedule, and budget — against the same capacity constraint set. Decisions move from debate to evidence before headcount is committed.
Scenario B — Optimize & Balance. Funds everything the organization can actually staff. No shortfall, 98% utilization, high confidence.
Hatched = work committed beyond real capacity. All three scenarios draw on the same 20-program, 176-FTE example portfolio — the constraint set stays fixed; only the funding decision changes.
Three futures side by side on one constraint set — pick one and read its full outcome and its delta against the recommended plan.
It is the comparison of alternative portfolios — different priorities, schedules, or budgets — against the same resource-capacity constraints, so leadership can see the trade-offs of each option before committing.
What goes in, what comes out
A scenario starts from the demand and capacity model you already maintain in PDWare: programs, priorities, skill demand, budgets, and real availability. Change one lever — defer a program, add contractors, move a deadline — and the funded portfolio, utilization, shortfall, and investment recalculate against the same constraints.
The output is a side-by-side comparison leadership can act on: which portfolio delivers more value within the capacity the organization actually has.
- Funded
- Below the waterline
| Name | PKey | Pri | Total | 1/1/2025 | 2/1/2025 | 3/1/2025 | 4/1/2025 | 5/1/2025 | 6/1/2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1002 Project | 250004 | 3 | 376,888.00 | 32,912.00 | 32,912.00 | 31,416.00 | 32,912.00 | 32,912.00 | 31,416.00 |
| C1001 Project | C1001 | 3 | 72,556.00 | 8,602.00 | 7,480.00 | 7,854.00 | 16,456.00 | 16,456.00 | 15,708.00 |
| B1001 Project | B1001 | 4 | 60,620.80 | 8,228.00 | 8,228.00 | 7,854.00 | |||
| C1004 Project | C1004 | 4 | 194,838.48 | 8,946.08 | 7,779.20 | 8,168.16 | 16,456.00 | 16,456.00 | 15,708.00 |
| B1002 Project | B1002 | 5 | 557,458.80 | 26,941.20 | 23,608.00 | 24,788.40 | 34,196.80 | 34,196.80 | 32,642.40 |
| B1004 Project | B1004 | 5 | 94,222.00 | 8,228.00 | 8,228.00 | 7,854.00 | |||
| Legacy East | LEGE | 6 | 395,190.00 | 23,225.40 | 20,196.00 | 21,205.80 | 22,215.60 | 22,215.60 | 21,205.80 |
| Legacy West | LEGW | 7 | 166,827.60 | 10,322.40 | 8,976.00 | 9,424.80 | 9,873.60 | 9,873.60 | 9,424.80 |
| A1003 Project | A1003 | 8 | 786,991.60 | 36,128.40 | 26,928.00 | 31,416.00 | 37,848.80 | 37,848.80 | 23,562.00 |
| A1001 Project | A1001 | 9 | 761,442.16 | 59,400.88 | 51,811.20 | 54,401.76 | 56,992.32 | 56,992.32 | 54,401.76 |
From April, priority 5 and below falls under the waterline.
Optimized scenario planning
Beyond manual what-ifs, PDWare's optimized scenario planning produces a best-case portfolio to compare against the current one. It is one of the platform's rapid-planning features — a starting point that shows how far the current plan sits from what the constraint model says is achievable.
Scenarios need a real constraint model
What-if analysis is only as honest as the capacity data underneath it. Because PDWare implements resource management first, every scenario is tested against true skills, availability, and cost — not against assumptions. That is the difference between a scenario and a spreadsheet copy.
Questions scenario planning answers
- If we fund the top ten programs, where do the overloads appear?
- What does deferring one program free up — and for whom?
- Which portfolio delivers more strategic value within the same capacity?
- What happens to the plan if budgets tighten mid-year?
Compare alternative portfolios against one constraint set. PDWare's optimized scenario planning produces a best-case portfolio to weigh against the current plan — before committing headcount or budget.
Common questions
What is what-if scenario planning in portfolio management?
How is PDWare's scenario planning different from copying a spreadsheet?
Compare portfolio scenarios.
Watch scenarios recalculate against your constraint set — funded set, shortfall, utilization, investment.
More capabilities: Resource capacity planning · Strategic resource allocation · Agile resource planning · Project accounting & financials · Portfolio Waterline · The PMO & resource management