How workload planning helps your team work smarter - Part 2

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Hey, Atlassian fam! It's Hind Kadiri from Jaanga, back with part 2 of our series on how workload planning empowers your team. If you missed the first part, you can catch up on it here.

Workload planning might seem simple, but finding the right balance of tasks and resources for your team can take some practice. With unexpected changes and various factors to consider, it can get a bit tricky.

But don’t worry! By following these steps and using a tool like Jira, you’ll set up a solid foundation to test and optimize your team’s workload.

Step 1: List Everything Your Team Needs to Do

Start by getting a complete picture of your team’s workload for the upcoming project. Think about every task, from high-priority and specialized work to admin tasks like checking email or attending meetings.

Ask your team for their input on daily and weekly tasks to ensure your list is as complete as possible before assigning work.

Step 2: Consider Each Team Member’s Work Capacity

Now that you have your list of tasks, it’s time to figure out how much time your team has to work on them.

Understanding your team’s capacity is key to managing workloads in Jira. It’s all about knowing your team’s limits and capabilities to realistically allocate tasks. Here’s how to do it:

Get a Handle on Capacity

• Define Workload Limits: Decide what capacity means for your team. It could be hours per day, story points per sprint, or another measurement that fits your team’s work style.

• Gather Historical Insights: Look at past projects or sprints to see how much work your team can handle without burning out.

Use Jira Tools

• Configure Work Hours: Use Jira’s time tracking and sprint planning features to set individual work hours, so you know how many productive hours are available.

• Leverage Velocity Charts: For Agile teams, Jira’s velocity charts show the average amount of work your team can complete in a sprint, helping you plan better.

Consider Variabilities

• Account for Non-Project Time: Subtract time for meetings, training, and other non-project activities to get a clear picture of available time for project tasks.

• Plan for Absences: Include planned vacations, holidays, and possible sick leaves to avoid overestimating your team’s capacity.

While you don't have to accommodate every personal preference, taking your team’s strengths and availability into account leads to higher-quality work and more engaged employees. It’s a win-win for everyone

Step 3: Assign Tasks Thoughtfully

Now, it’s time to bring everything together by assigning tasks. Start with the highest-priority work and assign it to the team member best suited for each task, considering their capacity and strengths.

Here’s how to schedule work effectively in Jira:

Prioritize and Organize

• Set Clear Priorities: Identify and rank the most urgent tasks first. Use Jira’s priority settings to help organize the work.

• Break Down Projects: Split large projects into smaller, manageable tasks. This makes planning easier and more accurate.

Use Jira’s Features

• Sprint Planning: For Agile teams, use Jira’s Sprint Planning to allocate tasks to sprints based on your team’s capacity and past performance. Make sure not to overload your team.

• Version Releases: Use the Versions feature to assign tasks to specific project releases, aligning with your team’s capacity and task priority.

Stay Flexible

• Include Buffer Time: Plan for some extra time to handle unexpected delays or issues. A good rule is to set aside 10-20% of your team’s capacity as a buffer.

• Be Ready to Adjust: Keep your schedule flexible. As work progresses, use Jira’s drag-and-drop feature to easily re-prioritize and reassign tasks.

Remember, it’s normal to make adjustments along the way due to changes in project scope or team needs. Having a solid plan in place will make these adjustments easier to manage.

Step 4: Keep an Eye on Time and Progress

After setting up your team’s tasks and schedule, the next important step is to track the time spent on tasks and monitor project progress in Jira. This helps keep your team on track and quickly spot any deviations from the plan. Here’s how to do it effectively:

Enable and Use Time Tracking

• Turn On Time Tracking: Ensure time tracking is enabled in Jira so team members can log their hours.

• Encourage Daily Updates: Make it a habit for your team to update their logged hours daily. This keeps your data accurate and helps catch problems early.

Set Up Reports and Dashboards

• Generate Time Reports: Use Jira’s reporting tools to create time tracking reports. These will show how much time was spent on each task, helping you see if everything is balanced as planned.

Monitor and Adjust

• Check Time Spent vs. Estimates: Regularly compare the actual time spent on tasks to the estimates. This helps you identify tasks that are taking longer than expected.

• Adjust as Needed: Based on your findings, adjust schedules and redistribute tasks to ensure deadlines are met without overloading anyone.

Conclusion

Effective workload management isn’t just about assigning tasks; it’s about understanding your team’s capabilities, prioritizing effectively, and staying flexible to accommodate changes. Jira provides the framework to achieve these goals, from initial task listing to tracking progress and adjusting schedules as needed.

With the right approach, you can optimize your team’s performance, reduce stress, and ensure that projects are completed on time and within scope. Embrace these practices, empower your team, and watch as your projects thrive.