How proactively do you manage your team’s workload, especially if you’re running autonomous teams? Do you make the decision to pause work, or do you wait until your team asks you to step in? Or do you leave this fully in their hands?
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VP of Supply Chain in Banking2 months ago
We set the main tasks/plans with priorities at the start of the year. We keep one task/stream for the ad-hoc requests. Then we have periodical meetings (e.g. weekly) with the teams leaders for the progress. At the same time, I keep myself available for escalation in case of sudden increase of workload to intervene and re-negotiate priorities with the business units. For the ad-hoc requests (not in the plans) we discuss them immediately and fit them within the plan in the ad-hoc stream.Chief Technology Officer in Software2 months ago
Actually all 3.Depends on the pod and its structure. A few pods works autonomous and dont need much intervention as delivery is on time and bug free. A few pods needs help to give them directions to be on track again and a few needs regular checks.
As a leader your tole is to elevate the team to the next level so that the dependency is reduced.
VP of Engineering in Insurance (except health)2 months ago
We have a Portfolio team that helps assign prioritization at the enterprise level. From there, each of our teams has a Product Owner and Scrum Master who help to manage the workload at the individual team level. Occasionally, we will need to step in to have teams pause their work (e.g. security incidents or high-priority system problems), but typically we try to leave workload decisions to the teams.Head of Cyber Security in Governmenta month ago
It depends, if you are running a team using agile principles (even if it's an operational team and not a dev team), it can be useful. For example:
Daily Stand-ups: These are essential for understanding the current workload and any emerging challenges. During these brief daily meetings, team members can highlight obstacles or excessive workloads. As a leader, you can listen closely and be ready to address issues promptly. This may involve reallocating tasks or offering additional resources.
Kanban Boards: Tracking work visually through a Kanban board or similar tool allows both you and the team to monitor progress in real-time. This helps in identifying bottlenecks and ensures that work is flowing smoothly. It also empowers the team to self-manage to a large extent, as they can see the status of tasks and adjust accordingly. You can add tasks into a 'Ready' lane so the team can pick them up when they are ready and have the capacity.
Retrospectives: Regular retrospectives offer a structured opportunity for the team to reflect on their workload management. It’s a chance to discuss what’s working well and what isn’t, and to make adjustments. Insights from retrospectives can guide future decisions on when to step in or when to trust the team to manage independently.
Proactive Pausing: While autonomous teams are empowered to manage their own work, there are times when you, as a leader, may need to step in proactively. If you notice sustained high workloads, team fatigue, or diminishing quality of output—indicators that might not be immediately apparent to the team—you should not hesitate to pause work or adjust priorities. It’s better to intervene early than to wait until the team requests help, as they might not always recognise the signs of overextension.
Trust and Balance: Ultimately, a balance is needed. Trust your team’s autonomy. You should be involved enough to provide support when necessary, but not so much that you undermine their independence. Use agile tools and ceremonies to maintain this balance, ensuring that the team can work effectively without undue stress.