workload-balance

name	workload-balance
version	1.0.0
description	Detects uneven distribution of in-progress work across team members and flags overloaded or underloaded individuals.
category	sprint-operations
trigger	Sprint planning review, mid-sprint health check, capacity concerns
autonomy	autonomous
portability	universal
complexity	basic
type	detection
inputs	[{"name":"sprint_tickets","type":"structured-text","required":true,"description":"Sprint tickets with assignee, status, story points, and priority."},{"name":"team_members","type":"list","required":false,"description":"List of team members (enables detection of unassigned or absent members)."}]
outputs	[{"name":"workload_report","type":"structured-text","description":"Per-person workload summary with imbalance flags and recommendations."}]
model_compatibility	["claude","gpt-4","gemini","llama-3"]

Workload Balance

Detect uneven work distribution across team members in the active sprint. Flags individuals who are overloaded or underloaded relative to the team average.

When to Use

• During sprint planning to validate work distribution
• At mid-sprint to detect emerging imbalances
• When a team member flags capacity concerns
• When tickets are being reassigned and you need to see the current state

Method

Step 1: Calculate per-person workload

For each assignee, count:

• Active tickets: Tickets in In Progress or In Review (not Done, not To Do)
• Active SP: Sum of story points on active tickets
• Total assigned: All tickets assigned (any status)
• Blocked tickets: Tickets in Blocked status assigned to this person

Step 2: Compute team statistics

• Team average active SP: Total active SP / number of team members with active work
• Team average active tickets: Total active tickets / number of active members

Step 3: Detect imbalances

Flag individuals as:

Condition	Flag
Active SP > 1.5x team average	Overloaded
Active SP < 0.5x team average AND no tickets in To Do	Underloaded
2+ tickets in Blocked status	Blocked
0 active tickets but sprint is in progress	Idle (may be on PTO or available to help)

Step 4: Check for unassigned work

Count tickets with no assignee. If any are In Progress or In Review without an assignee, flag as a concern.

Step 5: Generate recommendations

Based on detected imbalances:

• If someone is overloaded and someone else is underloaded: suggest redistribution
• If someone is blocked: suggest unblocking actions
• If work is unassigned: suggest assignment
• If balance is healthy: state so

Output Format

## Workload Balance — {sprint name}

### Per-Person Summary

| Member | Active Tickets | Active SP | Blocked | Flag |
|--------|---------------|-----------|---------|------|
| {name} | {N} | {N} | {N} | {flag or "OK"} |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

**Team average**: {N} active SP / {N} active tickets per person

### Imbalances

{If any:}
- **{name}** is overloaded ({N} SP active vs team avg {N}). Consider reassigning {ticket} to {available person}.
- **{name}** appears underloaded ({N} SP active). Available to pick up {unassigned ticket} or help {overloaded person}.

{If none: "Workload is balanced across the team."}

### Unassigned Work

{If any: list unassigned tickets with priority}
{If none: "All tickets are assigned."}

Error Handling

• No assignee data: Cannot compute per-person workload. Note: "Assignee data missing — workload balance cannot be assessed."
• Single-person team: Skip balance analysis. Note: "Single assignee — workload balance not applicable."
• All tickets in To Do: "No active work detected. Sprint may not have started or all work is in backlog."
• Missing story points: Fall back to ticket count. Note: "Story points not available — analysis based on ticket count only."