Skip to main content
Sign in
Deutsch (Deutschland) Español Français Italiano Português

Resource Allocation

Heather Hazell
  • Updated

Resource Allocation shows how engineering effort is distributed across key work categories by analyzing real Git activity and project management data. LinearB calculates allocation based on issue activity for each contributor—providing a factual, audit-ready view of where engineering time is actually invested.

TL;DR

  • Allocation is calculated per person, per issue, per day.
  • If multiple issues are active for a developer in a day, the day is split equally.
  • 30 working days = 1 FTE.
  • Initiatives, epics, and parent items inherit allocation from their children.
  • Supports Jira + Azure Boards (data available for the past 6 months).

Overview

Resource Allocation reveals where engineering effort is being directed across initiatives, issue types, projects, epics, or other PM fields. The calculation is completely automated—no time tracking, surveys, or tagging required.

Allocation answers questions such as:

  • Which initiatives are receiving the most engineering time?
  • How is work distributed across teams and categories?
  • Are we investing enough in roadmap, quality, or customer commitments?
  • How do our allocations trend over time?

Before You Begin

  • Required Access: Admin or Editor
  • Required Integrations: Git + Jira or Azure Boards
  • Teams must be mapped so contributor allocation rolls up correctly
  • Issue hygiene matters: consistent workflows, labels, and associations improve accuracy

How Allocation Works

1. Allocation is calculated daily

Each day, LinearB determines which issues a developer actively worked on (issue activity or Git activity). The day is then divided equally across those issues.

Daily Allocation Example:
Developer A works on 3 issues on Monday.

Monday Allocation:
  Issue 1 → 1/3 day
  Issue 2 → 1/3 day
  Issue 3 → 1/3 day

Multiple active issues = equal split. Single active issue = full day to that issue.

2. Allocation aggregates over time

Daily allocation is summed over the selected timeframe (week, month, quarter, etc.).

Weekly Example:
Developer works on 5 initiatives every day for 7 days.

Per day: 1/5 per initiative  
Weekly total: 7/5 = 1.4 days per initiative  
FTE Conversion: 1.4 / 7 = 0.2 FTE per initiative

FTE Formula: 30 days = 1 FTE

3. Parent items inherit allocation

Allocation rolls upward:

  • Issues → Epics
  • Epics → Initiatives
  • Initiatives → Portfolio themes (if applicable)

If work is done on a child issue, the parent receives that allocation.

4. Allocation is derived from real activity

An issue becomes “active” for the day if:

  • It has an “In Progress” status with recent updates, or
  • There was Git activity on the issue’s branch

Weekends count if work continues or if the issue remains active during that time.

5. Supported breakdown fields

You can view Resource Allocation by:

  • Projects
  • Issue Types (Jira)
  • Work Item Types (Azure Boards)
  • Initiatives (Jira)
  • Epics
  • Features (Azure Boards)
  • Custom Fields (Jira)
  • Fields (Azure Boards)
  • Labels (Jira) / Tags (Azure Boards)

You can enable/disable breakdown fields using the Configure panel.

Using the Resource Allocation Dashboard

Summary View

Shows overall allocation by category or field. Useful for understanding high-level distribution of engineering time.

Work Unit Breakdown

Metrics included:

  • Epics/Issues: count of active work items
  • % of Total Work: proportion of total FTEs
  • Effort (FTE): total FTEs for the timeframe
  • Estimated Cost by FTE: uses average salary to estimate cost
  • Issues With No Epics: highlights unlinked issues
  • FTE Allocation by Issue Type: distribution across issue types
Category Drill-Down

Displays every issue and epic contributing to a category with full traceability.

Team View

Breaks allocation down by team to show how each group contributes to the selected slice of work.

Time Trends

Visualizes shifts over time—helpful for understanding changes in priority, customer demand, or roadmap investment.

Scoping Resource Allocation with Project Filters

Project filters let you define and reuse a consistent scope (for example, a project, initiative, or grouped activity set) across Forecasting, Resource Allocation, and Investment Strategy. Use them to keep everyone looking at the same slice of work.

Project Filters vs. Filter Sets

LinearB supports two types of saved filters:

  • Project Filters – For well-defined projects with a specific business scope and delivery target.
  • Filter Sets – For groups of activities without a fixed end date (for example, a product area, customer segment, or ongoing initiative).

Both can be applied to Resource Allocation to scope the dashboard to just that slice of work. Saved filters do not store a timeframe—they inherit the current timeframe from the module.

Create and reuse filters

In Resource Allocation (and in Forecasting and Investment Strategy), the Project Filter menu is ont he top of the dashborrd next to + Add Fitler.

  1. Set the filters on Resource Allocation to the scope you want.
  2. Open the Project Filter menu and select Save Filter.
  3. Enter a name, choose Project or Filter Set, and set visibility (Private/Public).
  4. Click Save.

The filter is now available under View and Manage Filters and reusable across Resource Allocation, Forecasting, and Investment Strategy.

View, edit, duplicate, delete

Click more at the top right of the dashboard. Use View and Manage Filters to see all filters you can access:

  • Projects tab – Project filters, with Name, View (Public/Private), Target date, and Owner.
  • Filter Sets tab – Grouped activity filters, with Name, View, and Owner.

Only the filter creator or a platform administrator can edit or delete a filter. If you see the Edit / Trash icons on hover, you have permission.

If you cannot edit a filter but want a variant:

  • Open the filter, then use Duplicate Current Project from the Project Filter menu.
  • Rename and adjust your copy, then save it with your own visibility settings.
Use filters across modules & share with others

To open the same scope in another module:

  1. Open a Project Filter in Resource Allocation.
  2. In the Filter Definition Area, click the Module Navigation Arrow.
  3. Select Forecasting or Investment Strategy.

To share a filter:

  1. Open the desired Project Filter.
  2. Copy the URL from your browser’s address bar and send it to teammates.

Teammates must have access to the underlying module and data. Use Public visibility for shared “golden” filters you expect others to rely on.

Best Practices

  • Use consistent, clear labeling and issue hierarchies across Jira/Azure Boards.
  • Review “Unallocated” regularly to spot workflow gaps.
  • Align initiatives with OKRs or strategic programs.
  • Use Team View to ensure resource balance aligns with expectations.
  • Keep filters current: Retire or update filters when project scope or ownership changes.
  • Duplicate, don’t overwrite: If you lack permissions, create your own copy instead of asking others to change theirs.

Resource ALlocation - FAQs

How does LinearB calculate work allocation?

Allocation is calculated per person, per issue, per day. For each developer-day:

  1. Identify all active, assigned issues for that developer on that date.
  2. Split the day equally across those issues (e.g., 3 issues → each gets 1/3 of a day).
  3. Repeat for every day in the reporting period.

The unit is days and FTE, where 30 days = 1 FTE.

Do weekends and holidays count in allocation?

Yes. Allocation reflects where effort is attributed, not exact working hours. If an issue remains active and assigned through a weekend or holiday, those calendar days are included in the allocation.

When is an issue considered active?

An issue is active on a given day when:

  • It is assigned to the developer, and
  • It is in an In Progress–type state with recent activity (ticket updates inside a trailing window), or
  • There is direct Git activity referencing the ticket (commits, branches, PRs) on that day.
Why are there more contributors than FTEs?

FTE is a measure of total effort, not headcount. It is:

  • Sum of allocated days across all contributors ÷ 30.

It is common to see more contributors than FTE because:

  • People take vacations, holidays, and leaves.
  • Some engineers work part-time.
  • Developers split time across multiple initiatives, so each initiative only receives a fraction of their day.
How often does the Resource Allocation dashboard update?
  • The in-app Resource Allocation dashboard refreshes daily at 6:30 AM UTC.
How are subtasks treated in Resource Allocation?

Subtasks roll into their parent issues:

  • Assignment and activity on a subtask contributes to the parent story’s allocation.
  • The parent rolls up further into epics, initiatives, or higher-level planning items.
Can we add custom fields to Resource Allocation?

Yes. There are two steps:

  1. In the LinearB app, add the custom field in Resources → Allocation → Configure → + Custom field.
  2. In the Cost Cap sheet, use the Setup and Classification by custom field tabs to map those values to capitalizable/non-cap logic or to groupings (e.g., investment strategy).

Troubleshooting

PRs or Issues labeled “Uncategorized”
  • No associated PM item
  • Tags/labels missing
  • Inactive or improperly linked epics
Teams missing from Allocation
  • Team has no active issues during the selected timeframe
  • Developers not mapped correctly to teams
Unexpected allocation values
  • Multiple initiatives remain active for long periods
  • Parent issues misconfigured in PM tool
  • Developers assigned to too many simultaneous issues

Related Features

Comments

0 comments

Article is closed for comments.