TEAMS
One-Armed Paper Hanger
When your key resource becomes the bottleneck
With one arm, they struggled each day,
Juggling tasks in a frantic display.
But with work overload,
Their progress slowed,
And nothing quite went the right way.
The "One-Armed Paper Hanger" describes the situation where key resources are stretched too thin, trying to handle multiple tasks or responsibilities simultaneously. Whether it’s due to understaffing, unclear roles, or over-commitment, these individuals are left feeling overwhelmed, and their productivity declines. This not only impacts the individual but creates a bottleneck for the entire team, slowing down product development and causing inefficiencies.
Symptoms
Frequent bottlenecks. Projects stall or get delayed because certain individuals are unable to keep up with the workload, causing a cascade of missed deadlines.
Increased defects, decreased productivity. Mistakes increase when work is rushed. Less work is completed when key team members are continually task-switching.
Overworked key employees. Critical team members are managing too many tasks or projects at once. They are constantly switching contexts, which results in delays and lower-quality work.
Burnout and frustration. Employees feel overburdened and may become demotivated, leading to higher turnover or disengagement from their work. Productivity decreases as stress levels rise.
Consequences
Missed deadlines. Projects are delayed as overburdened team members struggle to complete tasks on time. This impacts the entire team and slows down overall progress.
Decline in product quality. When key individuals are juggling too many tasks, the quality of their work suffers. This can lead to flawed features, technical debt, and poor customer experiences, ultimately harming the product’s reputation.
Team frustration. The rest of the team becomes frustrated while waiting for bottlenecks to clear. This can lead to tension, a lack of cohesion, and a drop in morale.
Increased turnover. Overworked employees may eventually burn out and leave the company, leading to knowledge gaps and further delays as new hires are onboarded.
Recommendations
Clarify roles and responsibilities. Ensure that each team member’s responsibilities are clear and tasks are distributed evenly. Avoid overloading key individuals with more work than they can handle.
Prioritize and Delegate. Reevaluate the workload and prioritize the most critical tasks. Delegate non-essential or lower-priority tasks to other team members or external resources to alleviate pressure on key employees.
Increase staffing where necessary. If certain key individuals are consistently overburdened, consider adding additional resources or hiring to fill gaps. This prevents burnout and ensures that all tasks are adequately managed.
Implement process improvements. Streamline workflows and eliminate unnecessary steps to make processes more efficient. Look for unnecessary documentation, meetings, and ceremonies that prevent individuals from focusing on the most impactful work.
A one-armed paper hanger may be busy, but they're not efficient. By redistributing the workload, cross-training team members, and enabling key resources to focus on high-impact tasks, you can avoid bottlenecks, improve productivity, and reduce stress on the team. Remember, an effective product team is one where no single person is holding up progress.
