Planning Tasks
Planning tasks is about matching the right people to the right work at the right time.
The basics
Section titled “The basics”When you assign someone to a task, you’re making a decision: this person, with these skills, is available during this window to do this work.
Planning helps you make these decisions systematically instead of ad hoc.
What to consider
Section titled “What to consider”Skills and qualifications. Does this person have the certifications or training required for the work? Don’t assign high-voltage electrical work to someone who isn’t qualified.
Availability. Is this person already booked? Are they on vacation? What’s their current workload? Check utilization before adding more work.
Location and logistics. If the work is at a specific site, does it make sense for this person to travel there? Are they already working nearby?
Dependencies. Does this task need to wait for something else to finish first? Is someone else depending on this being done?
Making assignments
Section titled “Making assignments”When assigning work:
- Look at what qualifications the task requires
- Find team members with those qualifications
- Check their availability during the task window
- Consider their current workload (utilization)
- Make the assignment
It sounds simple because it is—the hard part is having accurate information about your team’s skills and availability, which is why keeping the employee directory updated matters.
Adjusting plans
Section titled “Adjusting plans”Plans change. Someone gets sick. A task takes longer than expected. Priorities shift.
When that happens:
- Reassign work to available team members
- Adjust timelines to be realistic
- Communicate changes to everyone affected
The point isn’t to have a perfect plan—it’s to have a plan you can adapt.
Related: Managing Employees for team setup and qualifications. Utilization Tracking for monitoring workload.