Work Management

When you’re drowning in work, what's your first instinct? On this week's Product Thinking Podcast, I tackle something crucial: pushing back on unsustainable workloads. And while there is no single solution for this problem, often the obvious option of growing the team is not the ideal approach. I've seen companies add more people to solve workload problems. Instead of designing clear decision frameworks, they hire project managers to coordinate chaos. Rather than building systematic feedback loops, they keep adding more researchers to the team. Here's what I've learned: treat workload management as a design problem, not a resource problem. Instead of scaling linearly with headcount, you can achieve exponential improvements through smart systems. Automate the repetitive work. Eliminate the inefficiencies. Optimize the workflows that are burning people out. Because adding people without fixing broken processes doesn't just fail to solve the problem, it often makes it worse. More people means more coordination overhead, more communication complexity, and more opportunities for things to break. The best product teams I know solve capacity issues by getting smarter about their systems, not just growing the headcount. What's your experience been? Are you solving capacity challenges with people or with better processes?

In one of my recent career coaching sessions with working professionals who have decided to pursue higher studies, a learner shared his challenge of balancing work, family, and study. He felt overwhelmed by the demands of his job, academic responsibilities, and personal life. This is a common concern, and it's essential to address it to achieve a healthy work-life balance. 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤-𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 1. 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬: Begin your day by listing tasks in order of importance. Focus on high-priority tasks first to ensure critical work gets done, reducing stress later in the day. 2. 𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Define specific work hours, study time, and personal time. Communicate these boundaries with colleagues, professors, and family members to avoid interruptions and maintain a clear distinction between different aspects of your life. 3. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬: Leverage tools like calendars, to-do lists, and time-tracking apps to organize your day efficiently. Apps like Trello, Asana, or Google Calendar can help manage tasks and deadlines for both work and study. 4. 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬: Incorporate regular breaks into your daily routine to recharge. Short breaks during work or study hours can boost productivity and prevent burnout. 5. 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬: Don't hesitate to delegate tasks when possible. Sharing responsibilities at work and at home can free up time and reduce your workload, allowing you to focus on essential tasks. 6. 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: Focus on one task at a time to enhance productivity and reduce errors. Multitasking can often lead to decreased efficiency and increased stress. 7. 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: Schedule time for hobbies, exercise, and relaxation. Prioritizing self-care is crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Implementing these time management techniques can significantly improve your ability to balance work, family, and study, leading to greater satisfaction and well-being. Remember, finding the right balance is an ongoing process, and it's okay to adjust your approach as needed. 💙 #worklifebalance #timemanagement #productivitytips #selfcare #boundarysetting #focus #stayorganized #careercoaching #professionaldevelopment #lifetips

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦'𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲? 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠! ✅ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠? Capacity planning in Scrum involves forecasting the amount of work a team can handle in a Sprint, considering available hours and potential challenges. It’s crucial for optimizing the team's workload and ensuring sustainable development pace. ✅ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠? Here’s a streamlined guide to effective capacity planning: ◾ 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬: Start by determining the total hours available from each team member for the upcoming sprint, deducting time for meetings, breaks, and other non-development activities. ◾ 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Recognize that not everyone works at the same pace or has the same skills. Adjust the capacity based on individual efficiencies and expertise areas. ◾ 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚: Look at past sprints to gauge how much work your team can realistically handle. This helps in setting more accurate future forecasts. ◾ 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬: Always leave some buffer for unexpected challenges like sickness, technical debt, or scope changes. ✅ 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 Imagine your team is planning for a two-week sprint: ▪ Total hours available per member: 80 hours ▪ Meeting and non-development time: 10 hours ▪ Effective hours per member: 70 hours Assuming you have a team of 5, the total effective hours are 350. If your historical velocity shows that your team can handle 100 story points in 300 hours, you can plan for a slightly higher scope in the current sprint, but always keep a buffer. This systematic approach not only ensures that you don't overcommit but also helps in balancing the team's workload, leading to better productivity and less burnout. ➕ 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞? 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬! ➕ 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐭, 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤: https://lnkd.in/gpS_qQ8r #scrum #scrummaster #agile #agilecoach

The harsh truth? You chose big goals, so you can't expect it to be easy. Your feeling overwhelmed, I get that. Here’s the good news: ↳ It means you’re on the right track. Your plate is full... that’s a sign of ambition. But burnout is real. And you can’t afford to ignore it. If you handle your workload wisely you: ↳ Protect your well-being. ↳ And set yourself up for sustainable success. Here are 5 simple strategies that helped me: 1. Gratitude: Why it matters: → It rewires your brain to focus on positives. → It turns challenges into growth opportunities. → It keeps you grounded in the chaos. How to: Morning Reflection: • Write down 3 things you’re grateful for. Gratitude in the Moment: • Pause and find something to be thankful for. End-of-Day Recap: • Review your day and note what went well.   2. Prioritization: Why it’s crucial: → Not every task is of equal importance. → Effective leaders focus on what matters most. How to: The Eisenhower Matrix: • Divide tasks into Urgent and Important categories. • Use Trello or Asana for task management. The 80/20 Rule: • Identify the tasks that drive results. • Use data analytics to track true impact. Time Blocking: • Allocate time for high-priority tasks. • Use Google Calendar to protect those blocks.   3. Delegation: Why it’s key: → You can’t do it all—nor should you. → Trusting your team lightens your load. How to: Identify Strengths: • Know your team’s strengths and weaknesses. • Assign tasks using Slack or Teams. Communicate Clearly: • Provide clear instructions and expectations. • Use project management tools for clarity. Follow Up, Not Micromanage: • Check in to offer support as needed. • Use task tracking to monitor progress.   4. Mindset: Why it matters: → The journey is mental as well as physical. → Being positive turns obstacles into stepping stones. How to: Reframe Challenges: • See obstacles as learning opportunities. • Use e-learning platforms to upskill. Visualize Success: • Spend time visualizing your goals daily. • Map out steps with visualization apps. Practice Self-Compassion: • Be kind to yourself when things falter. • Reflect using digital journals.   5. Balance: Why it’s non-negotiable: → Sustained success requires both hard work and rest. → A burned-out leader can’t lead effectively. How to: Set Boundaries: • Define clear working hours and stick to them. • Use RescueTime to manage screen time. Prioritize Health: • Make time for exercise, sleep, and health. • Use fitness trackers to meet goals. Schedule Downtime: • Plan breaks and vacations as you would meetings. • Relax with apps like Calm or Headspace.   Now, it's time to put them to use. Because you can cry about having a lot on your plate... But you don't have to. What’s one tool that helps you manage a full plate? 👇 Share your tips in the comments!

❓📍How do you calculate the capacity and velocity of a scrum team? Calculating the capacity and velocity of a Scrum team is essential to understand their productivity and plan future sprints effectively. 👉Here's a step-by-step guide: #️⃣CalculatingTeamCapacity Team capacity represents the total amount of work a team can handle during a sprint. To calculate team capacity, follow these steps: 1️⃣Estimate individual capacity: Ask each team member to estimate their available work hours for the upcoming sprint, considering factors like vacations, meetings, and other commitments. 2️⃣Calculate total available hours: Add up the individual available hours to get the total available hours for the team. 3️⃣Apply a utilization factor: Multiply the total available hours by a utilization factor (usually 0.6-0.8) to account for meetings, overhead, and unexpected tasks. This gives you the team's effective capacity. #️⃣CalculatingTeamVelocity Team velocity represents the amount of work a team can complete during a sprint. To calculate team velocity, follow these steps: 1️⃣Track historical data: Collect data on the team's past sprint performance, including the number of story points or hours completed. 2️⃣Calculate average velocity: Calculate the average velocity over the past 3-5 sprints. This helps smooth out variations and provides a stable baseline. 3️⃣Adjust for changes: If there have been significant changes to the team, such as new members or changes in process, you may need to adjust the velocity calculation accordingly. 👉Example Calculations Suppose we have a team of 5 members, each with 40 hours of available time for the sprint. #️⃣TeamCapacityCalculation: 🔸Total available hours: 5 members * 40 hours = 200 hours 🔸Utilization factor: 0.7 (assuming 30% of time is spent on meetings and overhead) 🔸Team capacity: 200 hours * 0.7 = 140 hours #️⃣TeamVelocityCalculation: 🔻Historical data: 🔸Sprint 1: 30 story points completed 🔸Sprint 2: 35 story points completed 🔸Sprint 3: 40 story points completed 🔻Average velocity: (30 + 35 + 40) / 3 = 35 story points per sprint 👉By calculating team capacity and velocity, you can better plan and manage your Scrum team's workload, ensuring they're working efficiently and effectively. #scrummaster #scrumframework

Helping your team cope with stress looks like kindness. Fixing the workload is the real leadership. High performers are used to having a lot on their plates. But there are times when it really is too much. Sometimes the workload can be more than what people can handle, or the team's been working intensely for months and is running out of energy. A lot of companies respond by offering wellness apps, spa vouchers, or stress management workshops. That treats the symptoms, not the root cause. The best way to prevent burnout isn't teaching people how to cope with more stress. You need to redesign the work to create less stress. Here are 10 ways you can do that: 1️⃣ Cap work in progress ↳ Stop running everything at once. If something new starts, something else pauses or stops. 2️⃣ Plan from capacity ↳ Plan work based on the time and people you have available. Leave room for any curveballs. 3️⃣ Reduce meeting load ↳ Cut back on recurring meetings where possible. Protect blocks of uninterrupted time for deep work. 4️⃣ Name the real priorities ↳ Define the top 1–3 outcomes for the week. Be explicit about what’s getting done. 5️⃣ Remove bottlenecks ↳ Make ownership and decision authority explicit. Reduce waiting caused by handoffs and approvals. 6️⃣ Set response-time norms ↳ Be clear about what needs a fast response and what doesn’t. Make it explicit to the whole team. 7️⃣ Design around energy ↳ Pay attention to pacing across the day and week. Sustained output beats constant intensity. 8️⃣ Eliminate unnecessary repeat work ↳ Use templates and automation for repetitive tasks to free up energy for high-level decisions. 9️⃣ Build recovery into the plan ↳ Schedule coverage so time off is actually possible. Ease the load after major pushes. 🔟 Reduce decision overload ↳ Cut down the number of decisions you have to make each day. Use clear defaults so the team takes ownership. Wellness perks might help in the short-term, but they won't fix how the work is structured. Talk to your team, ask what challenges they're facing, and work through the solutions to relieve their stress. Which one of these would make the biggest difference for your team right now? For more posts on leading in ways that support sustainable performance, follow Clif Mathews. ---- 📨 Every week, 16,000+ execs learn how to define their own success via socials and in my newsletter, Second Summit Brief. Sign up here so you don't miss out: bit.ly/SecondSummitBrief 🔁 Repost to help another leader shift from managing stress to removing it.

Resetting Utilisation Without Creating Burnout Utilisation patterns exist in waves. For example, in one organisation, managers were distributing work unevenly. There was also over-commitment from some teams and many teams were under-utilised. This created problems for teams that affected project delivery, team morale, and ultimately, revenue. When looking through the People Practice lens, we understand it's better to look at what behaviours we see; not just the data in the spreadsheet. Through this analysis, we were able to determine that: • Managers were assigning work to their teams in an uneven manner. • Teams were over-committing themselves because they had work assigned to them that had an unclear expectation. • The utilisation data was inaccurate because the teams were not updating their logs on a weekly basis. • Team members were over-utilised or under-utilised based on the skills that they had. We used this information to re-design how we looked at utilisation. In particular, we: • Rebuilt how we mapped roles to capabilities. • Established utilisation checkpoints every week. • Set an expectation that timesheets would be completed accurately every week and provided guidelines on how to comply with this expectation. • Balanced the workload of each team based on their skills. After 6 weeks of being implemented, teams could see the results: ✔ Teams felt much more in control of their workload. ✔ Teams had stabilised their workload. ✔ Teams were much better able to forecast revenue. ✔ Project Managers can commit to actual delivery on time. ✔ Burnout risk was significantly reduced. Utilisation is not just a spreadsheet. It is a behavioural and operational approach to improve utilisation within your organisation will have a knock-on effect across the entire organisation. #Utilization #OperationalEfficiency #COOFramework #DeliveryExcellence #ExecutionExcellence #PeopleOperations #StrategicHR #WorkforceOptimization #SustainablePerformance #OrganizationalEffectiveness #ChangeLeadership #LeadershipInAction #BusinessTransformation #CapacityPlanning #FutureOfWork

We've helped 3,000 different agencies get a crystal-clear view of their team's workload—helping them better utilize their team's time and significantly increase utilization (by more than 29% 😮). Here's our formula for getting a more accurate workload view in your project management system. 1️⃣ Build your processes and save them as templates If you build process templates for everything that you do and leverage time estimates, due dates, and assignees, you'll get much more accurate tasks in your system to actually populate your workload view. 2️⃣ Every task must have a time estimate Workload views are built on time estimates. Every task should have a time estimate on it. 3️⃣ Your task's due dates should be the DO dates When the due date is the DO date (the date it should be worked on and completed), your time estimate will only fall on one date, providing a much more accurate time estimate for a specific task. 4️⃣ Every task should only have ONE assignee Having two assignees on a task can sometimes split the time estimate among assignees or add the time estimate to each assignee's workload, which may not be realistic. Not to mention, having two assignees on a task leads to tasks slipping through the cracks, so just don't do it. 5️⃣ Get rid of start dates Because your due dates are DO dates, you shouldn't need start dates. Your tasks should be broken up into smaller bite-sized pieces. Start dates just split up time estimates evenly across days, which isn't always realistic. 6️⃣ Remap overdue tasks Make sure your team is moving tasks when they fall overdue. If they have a bunch of overdue tasks that still need to be done, these won't reflect accurately on the workload view if their due dates are in the past. 7️⃣ Optimize your process templates monthly Make sure you set up a process for optimizing your process templates. Create dashboards to help you compare time tracked to time estimates. You want to use data to get your time estimates as accurate as possible. 8️⃣ Live by the rule of "if it's not in our PM system, it doesn't exist" Every task needs to be in the PM system to make your workload view accurate. This includes meetings, professional development, etc. 9️⃣ Document OOO time You should be creating tasks in your PM system that fill up someone's workload when they are out of the office and can't take on any work. 🔟 Hire a PM champion to audit your workspace daily Every task needs to have an assignee, due date, and time estimate to populate the workload view. Without these ingredients, tasks won't show up, and your workload view will not be accurate. Hire a champion to QA your workspace regularly. If you use ClickUp, you can create an amazing QA view that helps you audit your workspace and get needed details on all tasks easily. ---- 👉 I've got a full training and PDF guide on this. Want it? Let me know in the comments and I'll send it your way. ---- #projectmanagement #agencylife #operations #workload

Getting more work is exciting. More inbound work, opportunities. But can you actually handle them? Getting clients is about visibility and marketing. Handling them is about systems and capacity. Many people focus on the first and struggle with the second. That’s why, as work increases: → Replies become slower → Quality becomes inconsistent → Days start feeling crowded This usually isn’t a skill issue, it’s a systems issue. The same applies beyond work. If your routine breaks when a few things go wrong, it means it wasn’t built for load. Here are a few lessons that help: 1️⃣ Build routines for low-energy days Most plans assume ideal conditions. Instead, define a minimum day: What must get done even when you’re tired or distracted? If your system only works on good days, it won’t last. 2️⃣ Separate getting work from doing the work More demand doesn’t mean you must accept everything. Slow down outreach when the delivery load increases. Set clear limits on how much you can take on. 3️⃣ Rely on systems, not memory As volume increases, remembering everything becomes harder. Use: Fixed reply times, simple templates, clear next steps This reduces mental load. 4️⃣ Manage energy, not just time Long days aren’t always the problem. Frequent task switching is. Group similar tasks together. Keep at least one focused work block each day. 5️⃣ Leave space in your schedule A fully packed calendar leaves no room for problems. Try to keep 20–30% of your week open. That buffer helps things stay stable. 6️⃣ Decide what “enough” looks like Growth without limits creates pressure Define: Maximum clients, maximum meetings, maximum weekly workload Clear limits make work sustainable. Before trying to grow further, ask yourself: If my workload increased tomorrow, would my routine still work? That answer usually shows what needs to be improved. What you build should be able to hold what you attract.

If the Load Isn’t Yours, Put It Down It's almost that time of the month where abruptly nothing is done yet. The project which had to end this month is still pending, and the report you had to submit is halfway done. Can you now see the whole month? You have been doing work that has nothing to do with you! Set boundaries to help you do your work: 📌 Understand Your Role: - Clearly outline your job responsibilities and prioritize them. - Review your job description regularly to stay aligned with your primary duties. 📌 Prioritize Tasks: - Identify high-priority tasks and tackle them first. - Use to-do lists or project management tools to keep track of your responsibilities. 📌 Communicate Effectively: - Inform your colleagues and supervisors about your workload. - Politely decline tasks that fall outside your scope or capacity. 📌 Learn to Say No: - Assertively and respectfully decline additional responsibilities that are not part of your role. - Offer alternatives or suggest someone more suitable for the task if possible. 📌 Set Clear Expectations: - At the start of a project or task, clarify your role and what is expected of you. - Regularly update your supervisor on your progress and any potential issues. 📌 Delegate When Possible: - If you have the authority, delegate tasks to others who are better suited or less overloaded. - Ensure that the delegated tasks align with their roles and skills. 📌 Time Management: - Use tools and techniques to manage your time effectively, ensuring you can focus on your primary responsibilities. 📌 Regular Check-Ins: - Have regular meetings with your supervisor to discuss your workload and any potential issues with boundaries. 📌 Take Breaks: - Ensure you take regular breaks to avoid burnout and maintain productivity. 📌 Seek Support: - If you find yourself consistently overloaded, seek support from HR or your supervisor to adjust your workload. Setting clear boundaries is essential to ensure you focus on your responsibilities, complete tasks on time, and avoid feeling overwhelmed. PS: I’m Claudine Umutoniwase, Mental Health Advocate and the Founder Betha Mynds. I work with Organisation to Empower their Employees to Confidently navigate the corporate landscape, Prioritize Wellness, Eatabliah Boundaries & Elevate Communication for an Inclusive & Thriving Workplace #boundaries #workplacewellness #settingboundaries #establishboundaries #boundariesinworkplaces