Slack Detection
Detect members who are allocated to a project but logging far fewer hours than planned.
Slack Detection
Slack detection identifies members who have a significant allocation on a project but whose actual logging rate is much lower than expected. This is a leading indicator of either mis-allocated budget or a member quietly under-delivering.
How it works
The system compares:
- Allocated % — member's budget hours as a percentage of total project budget
- Actual % — member's logged hours as a percentage of total logged project hours
slack = max(0, allocatedPercent - actualPercent)Confidence increases with more data:
| Data available | Confidence |
|---|---|
| < 2 weeks | low |
| 2–3 weeks | medium |
| ≥ 4 weeks | high |
Where it surfaces
- Project card badge — a small chip appears when slack ≥ 20% with medium+ confidence
- Advisor UI — Member Load Insights section on the project page
- Telegram —
project_slacktool for PMs
Example
Andrea is allocated 60% of the Luna project budget (Design) but is only logging at 30% of total project hours over the last 4 weeks. → 30% slack, high confidence.
This might mean Andrea is working on Luna but not logging, or the Design allocation was overestimated. Either way, a conversation is warranted.
Not the same as overload
Slack detection is about under-utilisation relative to allocation on a specific project. A member can be globally overloaded (too many tasks) while also having slack on one project (not logging there).
Use Overload Detection for global capacity issues; use slack detection for project-specific allocation health.