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Slot usage - Difference Between Maximum Utilization and Maximum Slot Utilization

  • August 12, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 14 views
E
Sidekick (Customer)
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Hi Team, 

Iam using IFS cloud & PSO

I have a query regarding the Slot Usage Rule configuration, specifically the difference between Maximum Utilization (%) and Maximum Slot Utilization (%).

I tested both scenarios by setting the utilization to 10%, but in both cases I am getting the same output. I would like to understand how these two fields are expected to behave differently.

Current Scenario

I have 4 FTs with the same skill, and each FT has 8 hours of availability:

4 FTs × 8 hours = 32 FT-hours total availability

With a 10% utilization target:

32 × 10% = 3.2 FT-hours

My expectation is that the system should allow up to 3.2 FT-hours of booking utilization across the overall available capacity, irrespective of which slot the booking falls into.

I have two slots:

  • 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Current Behavior

When the utilization reaches approximately 1.6 hours in the 7:00–11:00 AM slot, the system stops showing the first slot and only shows availability in the 11:00 AM–3:00 PM slot.

This appears to indicate that the 10% utilization is being evaluated at the individual slot level:

  • 7:00–11:00 AM → 16 FT-hours capacity
  • 10% of 16 = 1.6 FT-hours
  • Once this limit is reached, the first slot is blocked, even though the overall utilization has not reached the desired 3.2 FT-hours.

Expected Behavior

I want the utilization to be calculated across the overall FT availability rather than independently for each slot.

For example, if there are 4 tasks/bookings and sufficient capacity is available in the 7:00–11:00 AM slot, the system should continue showing the available 7:00–11:00 AM slots until the overall 3.2 FT-hour utilization limit is reached.

The booking utilization should therefore be distributed across both slots:

7:00–11:00 AM + 11:00 AM–3:00 PM = 32 FT-hours total capacity

and the system should allow up to:

32 × 10% = 3.2 FT-hours total utilization

regardless of whether those 3.2 hours are consumed entirely in the first slot, entirely in the second slot, or distributed across both.

Questions

  1. What is the exact functional difference between Maximum Utilization (%) and Maximum Slot Utilization (%)?
  2. Why do both fields produce the same result when configured with 10%?
  3. Is there a configuration that allows Maximum Utilization to be calculated against the overall 32 FT-hour capacity, rather than independently against each 4-hour slot?
  4. How can I configure the rule so that the 7:00–11:00 AM slot is not blocked at 1.6 hours, provided the overall utilization has not yet reached 3.2 FT-hours?
  5. If this behavior is not supported by the current Slot Usage Rule configuration, what is the recommended configuration or approach to achieve 10% overall utilization across all slots?

The key requirement is: 10% utilization should be calculated at the overall FT-capacity level, not at the individual slot level.

 

Regards,

1 reply

Alexander Heinze
Ultimate Hero (Employee)
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The difference is that the two settings can be applied to two different time windows.

  • Maximum Utilization (%) applies to the "slot usage window".
  • Maximum Slot Utilization (%) applies to the actual appointment slot window.

A slot usage window can be defined using:

  • slot_usage_window_start
  • slot_usage_window_end

If these are not specified, then the slot usage window defaults to the actual slot start and end times, meaning both utilisation checks effectively operate on the same period.

Example:

Suppose you offer a slot:

  • 08:00–12:00

But you configure a slot usage window:

  • 08:00–17:00 (entire working day)

Then:

  • Maximum Utilization (%) controls utilisation across the whole day (08:00–17:00).
  • Maximum Slot Utilization (%) controls utilisation specifically within the offered slot (08:00–12:00).

This capability was introduced as an enhancement so that capacity can be checked both:

  • Across the broader day-level capacity.
  • Within the specific appointment window being offered.

A practical example:

  • Maximum Utilization = 80%
  • Maximum Slot Utilization = 60%

For a morning appointment slot (08:00–12:00):

  • The entire day may be allowed to reach 80% utilisation.
  • The morning slot itself cannot exceed 60% utilisation.

This lets you keep spare capacity available inside popular appointment windows while still allowing the remainder of the day to be more heavily utilised.

 

Now that was the PSO answer. What I see in 26R1 however is that I can maintain Slot Usage Window Start/End, but it doesn’t seem to get sent to PSO as part of the LOAD message, which explains why you don’t see a difference. If you see the same on your instance it may be worth filing a support ticket.

If one of the responses resolves your issue, please use "Best Answer" so that the thread can be closed and others find solutions easier.
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