Team workload management is essentially the process you should do in assigning tasks to team members and monitoring whether they have the adequate time and skills to perform their tasks.
It is something that people in workplaces are familiar with. After all, factors like the readiness of the resources, task priorities, and deadlines for each task process are things that project managers should consider when they manage workloads.
More specifically, here are the 4 tips in using tools for team workload management purposes
Source: quora.com
1. Check your team members’ capacities
It is never okay to jump right into the workload management area when you are still unsure about your members’ capacities. Resources and understanding the particular project aspects are two factors you should consider in checking the members’ capabilities.
After being sure about the capacities, you can input the availability numbers in software like Teamhood. Then, the same software will give you a picture of each team members’ free time to do other projects.
2. Priorities first, skills last
Have you ever heard of assigning the most skillful team members first? Even though competent team members can be valuable assets for your organization, reminding yourself that nobody is a superhuman is an essential thing in executing the workload management processes.
Think about this one: Deadlines will cost your money and the likelihood to get similar projects in the future every time you neglect them. By realizing this, you will know to prioritize the most urgent things for the entire members before assigning the available team members.
Sorting the team member’s skill sets and availability is not the end of the stages. Instead, ask for inputs from other members once they have done their parts.
3. Make sure the benchmarks are all set
Source: betterthansuccess.com
Now that you have mapped your team member’s availability and skills, it is time for you to set up the benchmarks according to the project needs and your member’s qualifications.
For example, you may wish to set the target points per item of completed projects. Your workload management tool may suggest to you how your team members have contributed to the project completions by giving the pie charts that state the percentage of completion.
By setting the benchmarks, you will not only have the picture of which team members are overachievers and which ones are underachievers. It will also let you know how the team’s capabilities are to fulfill the entire project’s needs.
4. Re-assign when you need to
Not every team member’s performance can satisfy our needs. Sometimes, some team members keep underperforming despite many warnings we have issued them.
At the same time, re-assigning team members are not something you can execute in one sitting. You will have to consider how many you have left of your resources. From there, your evaluations should stem from both the individual team members’ contributions and the resources that you have.
For instance, you can consider repeating Step 3 to change the benchmarks if you cannot replace the team members with someone else. Perhaps, you need different sets of benchmarks. Only use recruitments of new members in emergency settings.
Techniques for workload management
Source: sesamehr.com
Finding a good balance in task lists and ensuring that the workload is equally distributed to all team members is something that managers and leaders have to deal with on a daily basis. In addition to seeking an equitable distribution, it is also intended that team members learn to work smarter, optimizing processes to the maximum and managing the workload in the most effective way for the business.
Finding oneself in situations of work overload, on a continuous basis, can lead to the dreaded work syndrome known as burnout or physical exhaustion. To solve this situation, which can affect entrepreneurs, managers and employees, there are 7 techniques to manage the workload more effectively. Applying them is synonymous with reducing workload, reducing pending tasks and saving time.
How to manage workload efficiently
1. Plan your workload
Workload planning is the best way to keep teams productive and increase their performance. Effective planning will help reduce stress on members, reduce burnout and lead to fewer errors.
To manage the work properly, you must first establish an estimate of the resources you have available to complete the project. In this initial phase, it is important to understand how many people are available and how much time they can devote to each task. Bitrix24’s task and team manager is very useful when you need to manage different volumes of work in a team.
2. Review the workload periodically
Once workload planning has been established, it is important to periodically review it, as it may change based on changes in personnel and/or business needs. Even if workload planning has been done thoroughly, it is essential to follow up as part of the work routine.
To easily re-adjust workload planning, Bitrix24 includes workflow management functionality that features a visual business process designer. Processes are sorted by status and are sequential, allowing you to conveniently see at what stage each task is at.
3. Identify overworked personnel
Source: blog.planview.com
To perform good workload management within a team, it is essential to detect those people who have an excessive number of tasks. When delays occur in the delivery of a project, it is important to verify if the people involved in this area are overworked, and cannot fulfill part or all of the assigned tasks.
To check the feasibility in workloads, Bitrix24 software includes Gantt charts that allow you to visualize tasks and subtasks quickly. The Gantt chart specifies in detail who is responsible for a task and the chronology of the task. Thanks to this, potential or existing delays can be detected at a glance, and you can identify whether this is the result of an excessive workload.
4. Keep track of time
One of the most successful work management techniques is time tracking and monitoring. Supervisors who assign their employees how much time to spend on a task are the ones who get the best results.
Tracking time with the help of Bitrix24 is very simple, as thanks to the green “Start time tracking” button you can determine how much time is spent on a task from start to completion. In addition, the pause button allows you to interrupt the tracking and get maximum accuracy in time tracking.
Define daily priorities
During a working day, in which time is limited, tasks must be determined on a daily basis. Therefore, before starting the day, it is crucial to set the priorities for the day by reviewing the pre-established schedule.
For more information about this topic you can just click at https://teamhood.com/project-management-resources/workload-management/.
