Capacity Planning Prompts: Scenarios Without Spreadsheet Hell

A capacity model with 200 cells embeds 200 assumptions, only a handful of which the planner can recall on demand. AI doesn't replace the spreadsheet — it interrogates it. The right prompt forces the assumptions out into daylight where they can be debated.

Scenario-sweep prompt

Sensitivity over precision

1. 1A model that's 80% accurate but tells you which 3 inputs matter is more useful than one that's 95% accurate but opaque
2. 2Force the model to rank input sensitivity for every scenario
3. 3Treat large jumps in output from small input changes as a red flag — the model is fragile, not the future
4. 4Re-run the scenarios when key inputs are updated; freshness > sophistication

The big idea: capacity planning isn't a forecasting problem; it's an assumption-surfacing problem. AI is best at surfacing.