Capacity Planning is the process of right-sizing the 'Total Project Demand' with the forecasted Team Capacity. Most UX teams have no idea what their capacity is. Fewer still have a process for calculating it and using it during quarterly planning activities with their counterparts in Product Management & Engineering to ensure teams don't commit to more work than they can handle.
AI reveals a hidden, outdated assumption: that humans will continue to serve as the "digital glue," manually connecting disparate systems, teams, and decisions. For decades, enterprise software perpetuated a model of sequential handoffs, in which people managed data entry, reconciled conflicts, chased approvals via email, and updated spreadsheets. This structure was manageable when uncertainty was low and delayed decisions were affordable.
If a doctor ran the front desk, took vitals, performed X-rays, handled referrals, dealt with insurance, and did the paperwork, they'd only have time to see a few patients each day. They wouldn't have time to advance their craft, and they certainly wouldn't do their best work. Instead, a doctor's office organizes work so the doctor can focus on patient care. Delegating tasks doesn't mean the doctor avoids other responsibilities. It means the organization depends on the doctor to apply their expertise where it matters most.
For much of the modern corporate era, brand has been treated as surface area. A story told outward. A set of signals designed to persuade, attract, and differentiate. When companies spoke about brand, they were usually talking about perception: how they looked in the market, how they sounded, how they were received. That framing made sense in a world where markets moved a little more slowly, organizations were stable, and leadership could afford to separate strategy from culture, product from meaning, execution from belief.
Traditionally, leaders and managers often treat technology as a tool or capability that can help get work done more efficiently, but doesn't drastically change the nature of that work. Email, for instance, allows for faster communication. The supply chain management (SCM) system reduces supply chain costs, shortens delivery cycles, and ensures that products are delivered to customers quickly and accurately. Increasingly, however, this view is out of date. In recent years, the role of technology in shaping organizations has undergone revolutionary changes.
That cycle is breaking down. Not through top-down mandates, but because of AI. New research shows that the workweek is changing for AI-enabled teams in measurable and sustainable ways. Employees are executing high-value work on Mondays and Fridays, meetings are consolidating towards the middle of the week, and engagement levels are climbing. The implications reach far beyond scheduling: AI is beginning to influence pacing, workflows, and even how leaders think about organizational design.
These places have incredibly sophisticated performance frameworks, coaching programs, design systems, review processes. They've invested years into building cultures where the average quality bar is high and talent is supposedly evenly distributed across their teams. And yet. When something orbit-shifting comes up, a decision that could reshape their trajectory, a gnarly opportunity they need to nail, leadership doesn't just route it through the normal channels. They call the same handful of people. Every single time.
A BearingPoint survey of 1,000 plus global execs found half report 10 to 19 percent workforce overcapacity due to "early-stage automation and limited role redesign" as AI is rolled out in their businesses. "Roles centered on routine analysis, process execution, transactional support, and repetitive knowledge work - including back-office operations, customer service, and entry-level financial or HR support - are becoming increasingly redundant," said the report.
While 2023 research from Visier demonstrated that 83% of workers admit to " productivity theater"-performing busy work that creates the appearance of output without meaningful results-that same year, the World Economic Forum declared creativity to be the second most critical skill for our workforce by 2027. The collision of these realities signals a fundamental shift that smart organizations can no longer ignore.
With more than 15 years of experience in human resources, Drew has helped companies navigate Pre-IPO readiness, mergers and acquisitions, culture shifts, and reorganizations to position businesses for major growth-all through the lens of people. He doesn't just talk about HR as a support function. For Drew, it's a strategic engine that drives performance, shapes culture, and supports transformation at every level.
