Balancing Workloads and Team Allocation on Kanban Boards for Better Outcomes02 Dec 2024

Project management is often weighed down by team burnout, progress-stalling bottlenecks, and the chaotic reshuffling of tasks as priorities evolve. At the heart of these issues lies a common root cause: unbalanced workloads and ineffective resource allocation. However, a simple yet powerful solution may be right in front—a Kanban board.
By harnessing the potential of balanced workloads and strategic team allocation, you can elevate your Kanban board from a simple task tracker to a productivity powerhouse and achieve better outcomes.

Why do workloads need balancing?

Imagine your team working on a product launch. The designer is juggling seven tasks, drowning in revisions, while the developer is twiddling her thumbs waiting for the final UI. The problem? An uneven workload. This imbalance not only delays the project but also frustrates team members who either feel underutilized or overwhelmed.

Kanban boards stand out for their effective use of Work in Progress (WIP) limits, a key feature that drives efficiency. Capping the number of tasks in a process step/column, or that an individual can take on at once is key. In the example above, limiting the “In Progress” column to two tasks per team member could prevent task accumulation, freeing the designer to focus on quality rather than quantity, while ensuring the developer is ready to move forward when the design lands.

How to optimize resource allocation?

It can be very tempting to assign tasks based on who has the lightest workload - who is free. But optimization isn’t about availability; it’s about alignment. When you allocate tasks based on skill, capacity, and priority, the impact can be exponential.

Consider a marketing team preparing for a new campaign. The copywriter prepares email copy faster than anyone, yet the campaign strategist is the master of high-conversion call-to-actions. Instead of assigning both emails to the copywriter, you split the task: the copywriter drafts the body, while the strategist polishes the CTA. By playing to the team members' strengths, you're not only improving the output quality but also cutting down on revision cycles.

To visualize this on your Kanban board, try tagging tasks with the required skills (e.g., “copywriting”, “strategy”, "technicals") and match them to team members’ expertise. Now, the board doesn’t just show to-dos — it becomes a strategic tool for resource allocation.

Balancing team workloads with Kanban

A balanced workload won't only help you manage tasks — it'll help you keep the entire system healthy. The following are a few practical techniques to try:

• Daily standups
  During a short standup, review the Kanban board together and ask: Who’s at capacity?, Which tasks are stuck?, Are there clusters of overdue cards?
  For instance, a blocked Review column might mean the QA team needs help, or it could highlight that upstream work is skipping a quality check. By addressing such patterns daily, you prevent small hiccups from snowballing.
• Visualize dependencies
  Use the online Kanban Tool to connect cards that depend on one another. For example: a development task can’t start until its design counterpart is approved. Stack tasks in a tree-like dependency to make the required flow crystal clear. This visibility ensures resources are allocated where and when they’re most needed, and helps you avoid bottlenecks.
• Process measurement
  A Kanban process thrives on metrics. By tracking the lead time - how long it takes for a task to move through the board, and the cycle time - how long a task is actively worked on, you can identify inefficiencies within the team's sharing of the workload, and within the process itself. If items assigned to a particular person consistently take twice as long, it might indicate that they're overburdened, or unequipped to handle the work.

Kanban as a kitchen

Consider your Kanban board as a bustling kitchen during dinner service. The chefs - team members - can only handle so many orders - tasks - at once without chaos. If one chef is overloaded making appetizers while others stand idle, the entire operation slows down. But with proper resource allocation: assigning specific dishes to the right chefs, you get a balanced workload, faster service, and a less frustrated team.

Now imagine adding visual cues to the mix: color-coded tickets for different courses, clear instructions on each dish, and a manager overseeing the flow. Suddenly, the kitchen isn’t just productive, but humming with efficiency. That’s the magic of a well-maintained Kanban board.
No wonder some of the most popular fast-paced restaurants use Kanban for order processing!

Supercharge collaboration with the capable Kanban Tool

• Advanced filters:
  Make sure your Kanban board enables you to filter tasks by assignee, priority, type, tag, stage, or a custom value unique to your workflow. It will help you assess workload distribution at a glance.
• Automation:
  Set up automatic alerts when, e.g., cards sit idle for too long, their due date is missed, or when a set number of working hours is exceeded on a given type of task.
• Track working time:
  Kanban Tool gives you seamless time tracking to note how long tasks take to complete, and how much time specific team members spend on different task types. It will enable you to make data-driven decisions about how to allocate resources, split tasks between team members, or adjust the WIP limits.

The ripple effect

Optimizing workloads and balancing team assignments on your Kanban board creates a positive ripple effect that extends far beyond task management:

• Happier teams: Overwork leads to frustration, and being underutilized breeds disengagement. Balanced workloads foster a more motivated and engaged team, where everyone feels valued and productive.
• Predictable delivery: Smoother workflows and fewer bottlenecks enable accurate deadline forecasting, enhancing trust with customers and business partners.
• Higher-quality results: Aligning tasks with team members' strengths leads to superior outcomes, fewer revisions, and greater stakeholder satisfaction.

A Kanban board isn’t just a tool for organizing tasks — it’s a dynamic system that drives collaboration, productivity, and quality. By prioritizing balanced workloads and smart resource allocation, you’ll cultivate an environment where work flows seamlessly, teams excel, and outcomes consistently improve.