List everything the person has on, with rough hours. Compare it with the hours they really have after meetings. Then, together, decide what to drop, what to delay, what to move to someone else, and what to split. Tell the people affected. Then find out why it happened, so it does not happen again.
Signs someone is drowning
- They work evenings and weekends, and still miss dates.
- Their work quality drops: more mistakes, more rework.
- They stop replying, or reply very late.
- They say "it's fine" when you ask.
Do not wait for them to tell you. Many people never will.
Step 1: List everything
Sit down together. Write every task, project and recurring duty, with a rough number of hours this week and next.
Step 2: Compare with real capacity
| Hours this week | |
|---|---|
| Working hours | 40 |
| Meetings | 12 |
| Email and admin | 6 |
| Available for tasks | 22 |
| Tasks listed | 41 |
Here the person has nearly twice the work they have time for. No amount of effort fixes that.
Step 3: Decide, together
For each task, choose:
- Drop. It does not matter enough right now.
- Delay. It matters, but not this week.
- Move. Someone else can do it, with a brief.
- Split. Do the most important part now, the rest later.
- Keep. It must be them, this week.
Keep the total under about 80% of their available hours.
Step 4: Tell people
Anyone waiting on a delayed or moved task needs to know. The manager should send these messages, not the overloaded person.
Step 5: Find the cause
Why did it happen?
- They are the only person who can do certain work.
- Work comes to them directly, bypassing planning.
- Their tasks come back for rework often.
- Estimates were too low.
Fix the cause, or it will be back in a month.
Check capacity before it breaks
Use the sprint capacity calculator before each planning session, not just in a crisis.
See overload before it becomes burnout
M-Tracker shows capacity by person, including planned and tentative hours, and can send a team lead a weekly alert when someone is overbooked for this week and next. No screenshots and no activity tracking.
Where M-Tracker fits
M-Tracker gives every task a clear brief and every finished piece of work a first review, in plain words, before it reaches the manager. No screenshots, no scores.
Try M-Tracker free14-day trial. No credit card. No employee surveillance.
Questions people ask
What if everyone is overloaded?
Then the team has too much work. Take it to your manager with the numbers and a list of what to drop.
What if they refuse help?
Explain that it is about the work and the team, not their ability. Start by moving one task.
Work you can trust, without redoing it.
Your team gets feedback before work reaches you, or your client.
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