Reduced Unplanned Work by 30–35% and Restored Delivery Focus

Reduced Unplanned Work by 30–35% and Restored Delivery Focus

Jul 21, 2025

Jul 21, 2025

The Challenge

Teams were overloaded by constant ad-hoc requests and mid-cycle priority changes. Unplanned work frequently displaced committed scope, creating volatility, missed commitments, and decision friction.

The Approach

I implemented a single-channel intake model and introduced explicit prioritization guardrails. Scope changes required structured trade-off decisions rather than informal escalation. Decision ownership was clarified to reduce reactive overload.

The Outcome

Unplanned work intake decreased by ~30–35%.

Team focus improved, overload dropped, and commitment reliability increased — stabilizing execution without adding process overhead.

The Challenge

Teams were overloaded by constant ad-hoc requests and mid-cycle priority changes. Unplanned work frequently displaced committed scope, creating volatility, missed commitments, and decision friction.

The Approach

I implemented a single-channel intake model and introduced explicit prioritization guardrails. Scope changes required structured trade-off decisions rather than informal escalation. Decision ownership was clarified to reduce reactive overload.

The Outcome

Unplanned work intake decreased by ~30–35%.

Team focus improved, overload dropped, and commitment reliability increased — stabilizing execution without adding process overhead.