A system and method for performing a resource allocation diagnosis on a distributed computer system includes obtaining a target resource allocation and a snapshot of the distributed computer system, where the snapshot includes configurations and resource usage information of at least some components of the distributed computer system, and generating a resource allocation recommendation based on the target resource allocation and the snapshot by iteratively traversing a resource hierarchy in the distributed computer system. The resource allocation recommendation specifies at least one resource configuration action or at least one capacity expansion action for the distributed computer system to meet the target resource allocation.