---
title: "Creating Work Plans"
description: "Create and configure work plans to schedule time for team members on specific projects and phases."
url: https://support.mosaicapp.com/en/articles/646-creating-work-plans
collection: "Workload Overview"
updated: 2026-09-11
language: en
---

# Creating Work Plans

Create and configure work plans to schedule time for team members on specific projects and phases.

## Overview

A work plan is a scheduled block of time that assigns a member to work on a specific project or phase. Work plans are the foundation of capacity planning in Mosaic. They appear in both the Workload and Planner spaces and directly impact the heat map, capacity calculations, and project budgets.

## What You See:

When you open a work plan, the modal displays:

-   **Member** — The team member assigned to this plan
    
-   **Project** — The project this plan is for (searchable by name or number)
    
-   **Phase** — The specific phase within the project (if applicable)
    
-   **Hours/Percentage fields** — How time is allocated, with a lock icon showing your constant
    
-   **Start and End dates** — The date range of the plan
    
-   **Description** — Optional text field for notes
    
-   **Tentative checkbox** — Marks the plan as tentative so it can be shown or hidden
    
-   **Comments** — Tag team members with @mentions; they receive email and in-app notifications
    
-   **Scope and Tasks** — Advanced options for more granular planning (covered in later training)
    
-   **Activity Log** — A record of all changes made to this plan
    

## How To Create a Work Plan

1.  Click into a **member's row** in the Workload space to expand it.
    
2.  Hover over any blank cell in the timeline and click the **plus (+) icon**.
    
3.  Select the **project** by typing the name or number.
    

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/fJWJmhxy2hGT7uHME9z6Tarkz7xSOLuOQUxwuokLV34tJPP3hXosRfsZ2Ozkq8AROO39l5bdrwq.png)

4.  If prompted, confirm adding the member to the project.
    
5.  Select the **phase** (if the project has multiple phases).
    
6.  Choose how to schedule time:
    
    -   **Percentage of day or week** — ex. 50% of their day
        
    -   **Hours per day or week** — ex. 20 hours per week
        
    -   **Total hours** — ex. 100 hours spread across the date range
        

7.  Enter the amount. The **lock icon** appears on the field you type in — this becomes your constant.
    
8.  Set the **start date** and **end date** using the calendar picker.
    
9.  Optionally add a **description**, mark as **tentative**, or leave a **comment**.
    
10.  Click **Create**.
     

## Understanding the Lock

The lock icon indicates which value stays constant when you change the dates.

-   If locked on **hours per week** (e.g., 20), changing the dates will change total hours but keep 20 hours/week
    
-   If locked on **total hours** (e.g., 100), extending the date range spreads those hours thinner across more weeks
    
-   You can move the lock to a different field at any time by clicking into that field
    

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/kMMf0X4vL9a4plFyOKGkt5mhh10HbDddeIYi6NL7nhv7qv8NUxXMvaC4SKjfy6vjlyz5rJAXtmI.png)

## Scheduling Modes

-   **Percentage of day** — Allocates a percentage of the member's daily capacity (_this can be toggled to weekly)_
    
-   **Hours per day** — Sets a fixed number of hours per day or week
    
-   **Total hours** — Allocates a lump sum of hours over the full date range
    

If your team typically plans in weekly increments, enable **Default Full Week Planning** in your workload settings. This pre-selects the weekly option and snaps dates to Monday–Sunday increments.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/MXJNjPzmumnQe8zX7gUD9VuXWUiXkI65qbegQqFqp1TKsGqv68SfA4eiUXtgrwMhTQbTC2zUwwH.png)

## Tips

-   **Start broad, refine later** — Create big work plans first, then split them week by week as details become clear using the Split functionality
    
-   **Use tentative plans to test capacity** — Mark a plan as tentative to see impact without committing
    
-   **The calendar shows capacity** — When setting dates, the calendar picker shows gray fill indicating existing plans and red numbers when the member is at capacity
    

## Related Articles

-   [Workload Overview](#workload)
    
-   [Managing and Modifying Work Plans](#managing-and-modifying-work-plans-1)
    
-   [Time Off & Holidays](#time-off-and-holidays-1)