Our utilization is high, but delivery is slow. Why?
Utilization-flow trade-offExamine queues, switching, and bottlenecks rather than assuming every available hour should be booked. Some capacity is needed to absorb variation, review work, and resolve interruptions.
What to do now
- Measure work waiting and aging
- Identify the limiting role or stage
- Reduce conflicting starts and overload
- Review throughput and completion reliability
When to escalate
Escalate when
High utilization repeatedly prevents critical reviews or urgent recovery.
Who decides
The resource owner and project manager
Example
A reviewer with no spare capacity becomes the bottleneck for otherwise completed deliverables.
Mistake to avoid
Treating an empty calendar slot as wasted capacity automatically.
Prevent a repeat
Review overload and bottlenecks at the person or skill level before adding more commitments.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Resources
- Tasks
- Timesheets
Compare available capacity, assigned task work and actual recorded effort using the enabled resource and timesheet views. See the platform
Related cases
- When should we release resources from a project?Unclear demobilization
- How do we build backup coverage without doubling staffing?Proportionate resilience planning
- How do we assess a new urgent project without derailing everything?Urgent intake trade-off
- A vendor tool creates lock-in. Is that automatically a bad choice?Unexamined exit trade-off