NPI, DFM/DFA & Engineering Change worked example

Test Plan Workload at 1% test-station utilization target: a worked example

Suppose test-station utilization target falls to 1%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate test plan workload for npi, dfm/dfa and engineering change using production-ready inputs so teams can compare demand with available capacity and identify overload risk.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Test hours required by the plan: 100 units (held at the documented default)
  • Test-station utilization target: 1 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 1.2)
  • Available test-station hours: 8 units (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Required test plan workload load = test plan workload demand รท test plan workload utilization target.
  • Total load works out to 100 hr at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Hourly equivalent works out to 12.5 hr / hr at these inputs.
  • Input load works out to 100 hr at these inputs.
  • Load factor works out to 1 x at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where test-station utilization target sits at 1.2% and the headline result is 120 hr, this scenario comes in 16.67% below the baseline at 100 hr.
  • It inflates required test hours by a utilization factor to get the true load, then compares that load to available capacity. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Total load: 100 hr (headline result)
  • Hourly equivalent: 12.5 hr / hr
  • Input load: 100 hr
  • Load factor: 1 x

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Test Plan Workload calculator, set test-station utilization target to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.