How many appointment starts can you offer?
Find the room and trained check-in seat for each start.
The question
You plan the morning appointment capacity for a fictional outpatient service. The scheduling lead approves any extra capacity before it can be offered.
| Planned starts | Rooms | Check-in seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 09:20 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 09:40 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 10:00 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Each start needs one room and one trained check-in seat in its own 20-minute block. Starts cannot move between blocks. No more rooms are available today.
“Count the bookable starts and explain where one extra seat would help.”
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: How many starts are bookable?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Count seven from the lower of the two daily totals
Tempting, but it misses something. The extra room and the extra seat are available at different times.
Count all eight planned starts
Tempting, but it misses something. The approved plan still needs a room and a trained seat for each start.
Count six by matching resources in each block
The strong move. The block limits are 2, 1, 1 and 2.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Six. The four blocks support two, one, one and two starts.”
Why it works: The room and trained check-in seat have to be available in the same block.
Step 2: What limits the middle blocks?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Separate the 09:20 staffing gap from the 09:40 room gap
The strong move. This shows exactly which resource would let each block add a start.
Request a room for 09:20
Tempting, but it misses something. Two rooms are available then. There is one trained seat.
Move a confirmed 09:40 start into 09:20
Tempting, but it misses something. The case fixes the starts to their approved blocks.
See how a strong candidate says it
“At 09:20 the check-in seat is the limit. At 09:40 it’s the room. I’ll keep confirmed starts in place.”
Why it works: The limiting resource changes by time even though the morning totals are equal.
Step 3: Where would you use the extra seat?
One trained colleague can add one check-in seat at either 09:20 or 09:40. They can cover only one block.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Assign it to 09:40
Tempting, but it misses something. Three seats still serve at most one room in that block.
Assign it to 09:20, subject to approval
The strong move. The room and extra seat coincide, so it adds one start.
Count the extra seat in both blocks
Tempting, but it misses something. The colleague is available for one of the two blocks.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’ll ask the lead to add it at 09:20. That makes two starts possible in that block and raises the total to seven.”
Why it works: The second room is already available at 09:20. At 09:40 the room still limits the block to one start.
Step 4: What can the lead offer?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Offer both middle starts immediately
Tempting, but it misses something. The 09:40 room limit still applies and staff cover needs approval.
Report seven starts without naming the time
Tempting, but it misses something. The lead needs to know where the one extra start is available.
Release one 09:20 start through the lead after approval
The strong move. This limits the offer to verified new capacity.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Once the lead confirms the cover, they can release one additional 09:20 start. The 09:40 block still has one room.”
Why it works: The lead owns the approved release. The added seat changes only the block it covers.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Ask the scheduling lead to assign the extra seat at 09:20.
- Because
- That time has both a room and another planned start. The approved cover raises bookable capacity from six to seven.
- What would change it
- If the extra seat is only available at 09:40, the plan stays at six under these room limits.
Common traps
- Adding daily room and staffing totals without matching their times
- Offering capacity before the owner approves it
Check your answer
- Which resource sets each block’s limit?
- How many starts does the added seat create?
- Who can release it?
- Which start remains blocked after the change?
Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026