What Allocation shows
Where the Roadmap is binary, in or out, Allocation is proportional: every feature receives a share of a total in proportion to its weighted value. It is the output for portfolio and program decisions, where the question is not “which of these” but “how much of the budget each”. Allocation exists in Weighted projects only, since the shares come from stakeholder votes. It unlocks once the project has a budget.Setting the budget
Set a total in hours, in money, or both, in the settings card at the top of the Allocation tab, which is there even before a budget unlocks it, or in Project Settings under Allocation Budget. Each total is independent, and the same percentage share applies to both when both are set. On the Allocation tab, a changed total is saved with the Save button that appears under it, or with Enter; Escape cancels. The money total is shown in the project’s currency, picked beside the money field when you create the project, in the settings card at the top of this tab, or in Project Settings (USD by default; CAD shows as CA$, EUR as €). The currency only changes how amounts are labelled: changing it never converts the number. The Decision Report’s tables follow a change at once; its written summary and any shared link keep the currency they were generated with, so regenerate the report after changing it. With the roadmap’s effort unit in hours, the allocation hours follow the capacity by default, so you enter the number once. Choose Use a different number to set an allocation total that differs from the roadmap capacity; Cancel goes back to following it.How the split works
Each feature’s share is its weighted value divided by the sum of every feature’s weighted value. A feature that carries 30 percent of the total value receives 30 percent of the hours and 30 percent of the money. Effort plays no part in the split itself: this is a value split, not a value-for-effort ranking. The tab sets your effort estimates beside it, though (see below). Until there are votes, every feature receives an equal share, so the tab is never empty. When features are organised into groups, the tab shows each group’s combined share with its children beneath it.Reading the tab
The header states the result: the total, and how it divides. A Worth checking list flags the usual caveats, for example a large share resting on a disputed need. The table answers two questions side by side, under two headings. Hover any column heading for a one-line reminder of what it holds. Receives (split by value) is what the split gives each feature:
Needs (from estimates) is what the feature’s own estimates ask for. It appears once your features have efforts:
Read a row left to right: a feature that receives 12% and needs 25% is short. The two Share columns are comparable in any effort unit, so this works whether effort is in hours or points.
- A Needs share 1.5 times the Receives share or more is shown in amber: the feature needs more than it receives. Worth checking names the largest gap, for example “Program 1 needs 25% of the estimated effort and receives 12% of the total”.
- A feature whose Receives share is well above its Needs share receives more than its estimate needs, which is budget that could move elsewhere.
- If the estimates add up to more hours than the total being split, Worth checking says so once: every feature then receives less than its estimate, and amber marks only the ones furthest behind.
Tips
- Allocation is a starting point for a conversation, not a payroll instruction. Round the numbers in the room; keep the shares.
- If one feature takes most of the budget, check Coverage: a row full of 5s inflates value.
- Export project data includes the allocation sheet alongside the scores and the roadmap.