Capacity planner vs project scheduler

The differences between capacity planners and project schedulers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a capacity planner and a project scheduler. Additionally, a capacity planner has an average salary of $103,430, which is higher than the $85,491 average annual salary of a project scheduler.

The top three skills for a capacity planner include infrastructure, project management and SQL. The most important skills for a project scheduler are project management, primavera p6, and project controls.

Capacity planner vs project scheduler overview

	Capacity Planner	Project Scheduler
Yearly salary	$103,430	$85,491
Hourly rate	$49.73	$41.10
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	19,024	17,065
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a capacity planner do?

In the manufacturing industry, a capacity planner is primarily in charge of overseeing production facilities, developing detailed strategies to optimize their daily operations. They gather and review data from different departments, conduct research and analyses to determine the consumer and market demands, and assess production procedures to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems. A capacity planner utilizes their research findings to develop detailed plans and product roadmaps, including recommendations and solutions against problem areas.

What does a project scheduler do?

A project scheduler is responsible for organizing and managing project schedules, including meetings, appointments, and other related activities involved in the operational production. Project schedulers coordinate with clients and business partners to inform them of the schedule, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and take note of their availability, especially on cancellations and reschedules. They also perform administrative and clerical tasks as needed, such as writing meeting reports, updating clients' information on the database, operating the scheduling management system software, and evaluating progress reports and project deadlines.

Capacity planner vs project scheduler salary

Capacity planners and project schedulers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Capacity Planner	Project Scheduler
Average salary	$103,430	$85,491
Salary range	Between $74,000 And $144,000	Between $61,000 And $118,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Netflix	AstraZeneca
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between capacity planner and project scheduler education

There are a few differences between a capacity planner and a project scheduler in terms of educational background:

	Capacity Planner	Project Scheduler
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Capacity planner vs project scheduler demographics

Here are the differences between capacity planners' and project schedulers' demographics:

	Capacity Planner	Project Scheduler
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between capacity planner and project scheduler duties and responsibilities

Capacity planner example responsibilities.

Manage bandwidth usage on copper-base colocation devices, central office switches and routers.
Manage various projects to implement MRP system correctly and cut supply cost and turn round time from supplier.
Supervise NPI chip fulfillment process - manage wafer starts to meet internal qualification and board level build plan.
Develop capacity planning and performance system for all mainframe and Unix systems
Maintain WAN/LAN IP capacity for S.E.
Provide ERP training to new personnel.

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Project scheduler example responsibilities.

Manage WIP at outside vendors to ensure the timely completion of orders and desire priorities are achieve.
Manage multiple fee pools (CPFF, CPAF, and CPIF).
Deliver assets and manage QA segment for creative team
Make purchase requisitions in MAXIMO program, inventory, accounts payable and manage budget.
Manage daily ERP requirements for work order release to the manufacturing floor to ensure on-time delivery.
Manage logistics activities with suppliers and carry out plans to gather, box and ship material for overseas projects.

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Capacity planner vs project scheduler skills

Common capacity planner skills

Infrastructure, 15%
Project Management, 10%
SQL, 7%
Tableau, 6%
Historical Data, 5%
Data Centers, 4%

Common project scheduler skills

Project Management, 10%
Primavera P6, 8%
Project Controls, 6%
Microsoft Project, 5%
Work Breakdown Structure, 4%
Scheduling Software, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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