Overview
The Sweet Spot does not guess how busy you are. It calculates capacity based on three things: your production hours, your products’ estimated production times, and the orders you have accepted. Here is how those pieces fit together.The Capacity Formula
Knead uses a straightforward calculation: Capacity used = Total production time of accepted orders for that day Capacity available = Your production hours for that day Capacity percentage = (Used / Available) x 100 If you have set eight hours of production time on a Friday and your accepted orders add up to six hours of work, The Sweet Spot shows that day at 75% capacity.Where the Numbers Come From
Production Hours
You set these in Settings under Production Hours. They define the total time you have available on each day. A day with no production hours has zero capacity and shows as unavailable.Product Production Time
Each product in your catalog can include an estimated production time — you can also set lead time per product to account for advance prep. This is the time it takes you to produce one sell unit of that product. For a dozen decorated sugar cookies, that might be 90 minutes. For a loaf of sourdough, it might be 30 minutes. When a customer orders three dozen cookies, Knead multiplies the per-unit time (90 minutes) by the quantity (3) to get 270 minutes, or 4.5 hours.Per-Load (How Many Come Out of One Session)
Some products bake in fixed batches — you can only fit so many on a sheet or in the oven at once. The Per-load value on a product tells Knead how many units come out of one production session, so the scheduler can plan realistically across the days leading up to a delivery. If the product has a recipe with a yield, Knead pulls the per-load figure from the recipe automatically (you’ll see “From recipe: …”). You can override it with a Per-load override on the product. If a recipe’s yield later drifts far from your override, Knead flags it with “Recipe yield changed — update override?” and a one-tap “Use recipe value” link.Accepted Orders
Only orders with a status of accepted or confirmed consume capacity. Pending enquiries do not count against your available time. This means your capacity bar reflects real commitments, not maybes.Good to know: When you accept an enquiry, the capacity bar updates immediately. Check The Sweet Spot after accepting to see how the day’s availability changed.
Reading the Capacity Bar
Each day’s capacity bar shows the math right on it — for example “6/8h — 75% capacity” — and uses a word and color to communicate status at a glance:| Label | Color | Utilization |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Green | 0 — 34% |
| Light | Green | 35 — 64% |
| Steady | Green | 65 — 74% |
| Busy | Yellow | 75 — 89% |
| Full | Yellow | 90 — 100% |
| Over | Red | Over 100% |
What “Full” Means
A “full” day means your accepted orders account for 100% or more of your available production time. It does not mean Knead will block new orders automatically. You are always in control of what you accept. However, when a day hits 100%, The Board can optionally prevent customers from selecting that date. This depends on your settings. Some bakers prefer to leave the date open and make decisions manually. Others prefer the automatic cutoff.How to Increase Capacity
If you find yourself running out of room, you have three levers:- Extend your production hours. Add an extra hour in the morning or evening to create more available time.
- Improve your production time estimates. As you get faster or batch more efficiently, update the estimates on your products.
- Spread orders across days. When a customer is flexible on dates, suggest a less busy day. The Sweet Spot makes it easy to see which days have room.
What Happens Without Production Time Estimates
If your products do not have production time estimates, the capacity bar has nothing to calculate. It will appear empty regardless of how many orders you have accepted. For capacity tracking to work, add time estimates to your most popular products first, then fill in the rest over time.Related Articles
- Using The Sweet Spot (Calendar & Capacity)
- Setting Your Production Hours
- “Can I Take This Order?” — Using Capacity to Decide
- Building Your Product Catalog
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