![]() In information technology, using the right tool, framework or methodology can save an enormous amount of time. Mixing in some longer term project work where the team can reflect, experiment, deliver and review can help them see beyond the local optimum. Team can be stuck in a local optimum if they are too focused on BAU work We may also be unaware of changing market/competition. ![]() We get better and more efficient in our area but, because we are only looking around our small patch, we may be missing a much better opportunity. After knocking over these short term issues, we go home with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, which can become addictive.įocusing on only short term works means we could get stuck in a local optimum. Each day brings immediate challenges that can be quickly resolved and satisfy an internal/external customer's need. When we do BAU work, we develop a great sense of purpose. Understand the customer's problems but also listens to their solutions.Too much BAU work can lead the team into a state where: For this article, we will assume that the team is long-lived and does both project and BAU work. The team that delivers a project may be formed for the project and disbanded afterwards. BAU work that requires more resources and rigour than usual, i.e.Project work tends to be larger and more involved than BAU work, so internal and external resources and budget need to be organised and approved. It has gone through various gates to ensure the work has value, and everyone knows why we are doing it and what the expected outcomes will be. Helping Customer Service team with customer enquiries.Preparing environments and portals for onboarding of new customers.Generating regular reports for the broader company.if the "BAU" work could take six weeks of effort, then it needs to become project work. Depending on the maturity of your organisation, BAU work should not exceed a specified amount of effort, i.e. There is no business case, budget or oversight from PMO/project manager. Defining BAU and Project Workīefore we talk about balancing BAU and project work, we need to clarify what they mean.īusiness as Usual (BAU) work is the work that you didn't know you were going to do at the start of the day/week/month plus the routine work your team does all the time. Let's dive deeper into what we mean by these terms and how to recognise when we might need to adjust the kind of work the team is engaged in. Too much project work can disconnect the team from customer and business problems/needs.ĭoing BAU work has advantages and risks, just like project work. Too much BAU work can limit the vision of the team and lead to the team fixing symptoms rather than root causes, exposing the business to strategic risks. How to balance BAU (Business as Usual) work with project-based work? The right balance between BAU and project-based work continually changes, but neither should ever be neglected for too long. I have worked on development teams that have got bogged down in Business as Usual (BAU) work and other development teams that have got lost, by focusing only on project work. The struggle is to balance the pressing short term needs of the business with the more strategic medium to long term strategy/goals of the company.
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