Workload Distribution

This guide explains how to effectively distribute work across your team using Rally's ASSIGN template.

It shows you how to balance workload based on real team capacity while keeping everything synchronized with Jira.

1

Preparation

Start by creating a Rally session with the items you need to distribute.

These items should ideally have story point estimates from a previous ALIGN session.

If they don't, you can quickly add estimates right in the assignment session.

2

Setting Up Your Assignment Session

When selecting the ASSIGN template, you'll specify the work period - either a sprint or lean cycle - and set its duration.

This helps Rally accurately track team capacity and workload distribution.

3

Team Capacity Input

As team members join the session, they'll start by indicating their capacity for the specified time frame.

Each person also inputs their estimated time to complete individual items.

This gives you a realistic view of who has bandwidth for which tasks.

4

5

Understanding Team Assignment Health

The Assignment Health tab at the top of your session provides a clear overview of your team's capacity and current workload. You can see:

• Who has available bandwidth

• Which team members are approaching capacity

• How workload is distributed across the team

6

Distributing Work

With clear visibility into team capacity, begin assigning items to team members.

Rally helps you make informed decisions by showing how each assignment impacts team workload.

Watch the Assignment Health indicators to ensure you're maintaining balanced distribution.

7

Automatic Jira Updates

As you assign work, Rally automatically updates the corresponding Jira tickets and notifies assignees.

There's no need for manual updates or separate communications - everything stays synchronized.

Pro Tip: Monitor the Assignment Health tab throughout distribution to maintain optimal team balance and prevent overallocation.