Capacity Planning - All Things Product Podcast with Teresa Torres & Petra Wille
Listen to this episode on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
In this episode of All Things Product, Petra Wille and Teresa Torres tackle a big question: How does capacity planning fit in an outcome-driven, discovery-first organization? Spoiler alert—it usually doesn’t.
Teresa shares why traditional capacity planning breaks her heart, while Petra offers a nuanced take on how her past teams used it for internal alignment (not control). Together, they explore the clash between rigid planning rituals and the reality of continuous discovery work.
Expect some honest rants, practical reframes, and a few metaphors (yes, rocks, pebbles, and sand make an appearance). If you’ve ever sat through a multi-hour spreadsheet meeting only to fall behind on your roadmap—this one’s for you.
Key Takeaways:
- Why capacity planning often fails outcome-driven teams
- How teams can self-align without overcommitting
- Reframing quarterly planning to support discovery work
- A listener call-to-action: what’s actually working for you?
Resources & Links:
- Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
- Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
Mentioned in the episode:
- Capacity planning
- Product Discovery Basics: Everything You Need to Know
- Yesterday's Weather methodology
- The rocks, pebbles, and sand analogy
- The problem-solution-implementation-discovery model from Petra’s Coaching Illustrations
- Assumption Testing: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
- Shifting from Outputs to Outcomes: Why It Matters and How to Get Started
Join the Conversation:
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