Title

As a campaign manager, I want to configure the split element in a journey by a specific number of people instead of a percentage, so that I can control the volume of messages (e.g., SMS) based on budget constraints.

Context

Currently, Ortto’s journey split element only allows traffic to be divided based on percentage (e.g., 50% left / 50% right). However, in some campaigns—particularly those involving cost-per-message limits such as SMS—we need to cap the number of participants going down a specific path based on an absolute number (e.g., 4,000 people), not an estimated percentage.

This limitation requires a manual, error-prone workaround:

Forecast how many people will reach the split

Calculate the correct percentage to approximate the desired number (e.g., 4000)

Adjust the percentage repeatedly as real traffic deviates from estimates

User Story

As a digital campaign manager

I want to define a fixed number of people who go down a specific branch in a journey split

So that I can stay within message budget limits (e.g., 4,000 SMS sends) without complex manual calculations or ongoing monitoring

Acceptance Criteria

The split element should offer an option to specify "number of people" instead of (or in addition to) percentage

The system should allow defining a fixed cap (e.g., 4,000) for one branch; once the cap is reached, all additional contacts are automatically routed down the other branch

The UI should clearly show how many people have passed through each branch and how close the capped path is to its limit

Optional: Alert or trigger when the fixed limit is reached

Business Impact

This improvement:

Reduces the risk of exceeding SMS budget

Improves control and accuracy of campaign execution

Saves time by eliminating manual estimates and adjustments

Supports compliance and financial planning where message cost limits exist