Should we assign tasks by availability or by skill?
Assignment fitConsider capability, authority, availability, and support together. The nearest free person may not be able to complete the work safely or efficiently without additional guidance.
What to do now
- Define the task's capability needs
- Check suitable people's actual availability
- Assess training or pairing options
- Assign work with realistic support and timing
When to escalate
Escalate when
The task requires specialist competence that is unavailable.
Who decides
The resource owner and project manager
Example
A junior analyst handles a bounded task with review while a qualified specialist owns the high-risk design decision.
Mistake to avoid
Using headcount as a substitute for capability.
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
- How do we plan for leave without invading privacy?Availability visibility gap
- The resource plan is monthly, but tasks change daily. How should they connect?Planning-granularity mismatch
- Our team lacks a required skill. Should we train or outsource?Capability gap decision
- The project manager assigns every task in an agile team. Is that necessary?Overcentralized work coordination