Plan post-production as capacity, not as a list of file names
A long editing list becomes dangerous when projects have different promised delivery dates. The useful question is not only how many shoots are open, but how many post-production hours remain before each client deadline and whether the weekly workload can absorb them in time.
Estimate the whole remaining delivery workload
For each project, enter culling, editing, album or export/delivery hours and the hours already completed. The planner subtracts completed work and uses only the remaining balance. Keep estimates based on your own historical delivery process rather than generic “hours per wedding” assumptions.
Use usable weekly capacity, not every waking hour
Weekly editing capacity should represent hours you can realistically protect for post-production after shoots, admin, sales and personal time. The capacity buffer reduces that further so a small disruption does not immediately break every deadline.
Cumulative workload matters
A project due in two weeks does not own the full two weeks of capacity if another project is due first. The planner sorts projects by deadline and accumulates their remaining hours. It then compares that cumulative workload with the editing hours available by each due date.
Risk means the plan needs a change
A flagged project does not automatically mean the client will receive work late. It means the current entered workload and capacity cannot support all deadlines simultaneously. The response may be to move internal work, reduce new bookings, outsource part of post-production or revise a delivery estimate before the deadline is missed.
Use the backlog before accepting rush work
The weeks-of-backlog metric is useful before adding another session or promising a rush turnaround. It is not a booking calendar by itself, but it exposes whether the post-production side of the business has room for additional delivery obligations.
Frequently asked questions
Should shooting hours be included?
No. This planner is for post-production capacity. Shooting time should reduce the weekly editing capacity you enter if it competes for the same workweek.
Why use a capacity buffer?
It prevents the plan from assuming every available editing hour will be used perfectly.
Can this predict exact completion dates?
It flags deadline capacity risk; it does not build a minute-by-minute calendar.