Client Overview
The client is a federal healthcare organization with a dedicated infrastructure team responsible for maintaining the organization’s technology maturity, including software updates, AWS integration, and hardware management.
The Challenge
The Problem
Over time, the organization’s infrastructure team had become a “catch-all” for orphaned projects and miscellaneous tasks that didn’t fit neatly into other teams’ charters. The team leader found it difficult to say “no,” and as a result, the group was taking on more work than they could handle. Much of this work was invisible to leadership, which meant the team was forced to make critical decisions on high-impact projects without proper guidance or support, leading to burnout and a lack of clear priorities.
The Root Cause
The team’s core problem was a lack of clear boundaries and a defined intake process. Without a system to manage, prioritize, and delegate incoming requests, they were unable to protect their capacity for planned, high-value work. This invisibility of their true workload prevented leadership from understanding the team’s challenges and providing the necessary support.
The Solution
Agile Velocity began by capturing and clarifying the team’s entire workload, including project initiatives, operational support, and unplanned requests. This analysis revealed that a significant portion of their work rightfully belonged to other teams.
Working directly with leadership, a multi-faceted solution was implemented to restore order and control:
- Defining Boundaries: Misaligned work was identified and formally offloaded to the appropriate teams, and a clear scope of responsibility was established for the infrastructure group.
- Structuring Intake: Formal intake processes were created for each type of work, complete with defined service-level agreements (SLAs) to manage expectations.
- Visualizing Work: A Kanban system was introduced to help the team visualize and manage all of their work—both planned and unplanned—in one transparent place.
- Adding Product Ownership: An experienced Product Owner was added to the team to help prioritize work effectively and ensure their efforts remained tightly aligned with shifting organizational priorities.
The Results
Immediate Impact
The impact of creating clear boundaries and visualizing the workload was immediate. The team was instantly unburdened of misaligned tasks, freeing up capacity. The new intake process provided a crucial buffer, allowing the team to stop reacting to every request and start managing their work intentionally. For the first time, leadership had a transparent view of the team’s workload and could provide meaningful support.
Long-Term Outcomes
With clearer boundaries, structured processes, and visual management, the team regained complete control of their workload. This created a sustainable and predictable operating model with several key long-term benefits:
- Restored Trust with Leadership: The transparent way of working rebuilt trust and collaboration between the team and leadership, ensuring they were always aligned on priorities.
- Improved High-Value Outcomes: With their focus restored, the team had the capacity to deliver on their core responsibilities and improve the organization’s technology infrastructure.
- Empowered to Innovate: Freed from the burden of being a “catch-all,” the team was empowered to proactively innovate and propose solutions to challenges that had previously been overlooked due to a lack of time and focus.
Ultimately, the infrastructure team developed a balanced, predictable, and transparent way of working, transforming them from an overwhelmed service desk into a high-performing strategic asset.
Is Your Team a “Catch-All”?
When a team’s boundaries are unclear, burnout and reactive work are inevitable. If your team is struggling to focus on its high-value initiatives, schedule a consultation to see how we can help you restore focus and create a predictable flow of work.