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Capacity terminology

Published
Topics: Aseptic services

This article provides explanations of common terms used when referring to capacity.

This article forms part of a series
  1. Capacity planning in aseptic services
    1. Developing an aseptic capacity plan
    2. Structuring and populating a capacity plan
    3. Managing aseptic service capacity effectively
    4. Capacity terminology
    5. Incorporating quality related activities into your capacity plan

Contents

  1. Understanding capacity terminology
    1. Capacity plan
    2. Capacity tool
    3. Capacity procedure
    4. Workload
    5. Contingency

Understanding capacity terminology

Terminology associated with capacity planning is often used interchangeably. It is important to define capacity in your own quality system in a manner which is clear for all users to understand.

Capacity plan

A capacity plan defines safe working limits, including actions to take when capacity is breached and appropriate routes of escalation.

The plan should sit within your Pharmaceutical Quality System (PQS) and must be approved by senior hospital management external to pharmacy. This enables pharmacy aseptic unit workload to be visible and be managed as necessary at an organisational level.

The capacity plan may be referred to in some organisations as a capacity policy.

Capacity tool

There are several tools available to help aseptic units calculate how much work can be done within a specific time period, with a defined resource. These tools usually require local data input (for example, details of workload and staffing) to review operational pressures and allow for trending of information. A good capacity tool will allow you to track your daily, weekly, monthly and annual capacity against your overarching plan. This allows you to identify where regular capacity breaches occur and subsequently take action to address them. It also allows you to anticipate increases in demand and restrictions in staffing or equipment.

Capacity procedure

A capacity procedure describes step by step how capacity is managed and recorded on a daily basis. This will include aspects such as how and when data is collected and input into the capacity tool. It should also detail when capacity data is reviewed and how it is used to inform operational decisions.

The procedure should detail when a breach would result in raising a deviation or invoking contingency arrangements.

There may be a separate procedure which supports staff to tailor the tool for local requirements, for example, changing product weightings or adding new categories.

Workload

Workload can also be described as ‘activity’ or ‘demand’. It describes the output requirements of an aseptic unit (for example, the number of items to be made each session).

Contingency

A contingency plan is an essential component of a PQS. It describes actions to be taken when the unit is under stress, due to:

  • planned events such as a shutdown for maintenance
  • unplanned events, for example, loss of power, or a significant unexpected reduction in staff availability

Contingency planning is outside the scope of this article.