Capacity Issues at Work

[slepet]

I work in a job where most work is project based. Projects last a couple of weeks or months and ramp up in intensity before completion.

More often or not, the week around completion will
be hellish, think 70 hour weeks. Fire drills. Very stressful.

I had a big completion due sometime in January or February. In early December I got told I was being added to another project as well but this would be over by New Years.

Project got delayed and then suddenly both projects were completing over the same two weeks. I flagged this multiple times to my mid level managers and was told I must prioritise their project for XYZ reason.

I managed to juggle both projects successfully until near completion weeks when I had two conflicting deadlines. Flagged capacity issues again and then without discussion mid level manager told me I was no longer on their project.

At my review, I received scathing feedback from manager who removed me from project, about being unreliable and how I need to flag capacity issues. I did but they just didn’t care.

We have a capacity manager in the team to oversee what projects people are on. They were aware but didn’t really care. How do I navigate this scenario? It’s happened before.

Accident double post, pls delete

Make sure that all your concerns are raised in emails. If you have a conversation, re-iterate what you said in an email. Then you can produce those emails if there is any question about your capability/productivity. You should chase a response if you dint get one. If the response is verbal, confirm your understanding in an email. Ensure that you have a paper trail documenting your concerns. If you are given 2 conflicting projects, document your concerns about the clash immediately.

That is infuriating and sadly common in project heavy environments. You flagged it, they ignored you, then blamed you for the outcome they created. Going forward, get everything in writing, every capacity warning, every instruction to prioritise one project over another, every response. When review time comes, you need receipts. For this feedback specifically, push back formally in writing saying you raised concerns on these dates with these people and can provide evidence. Ask your capacity manager to confirm in writing what they knew and when. This is about protecting your reputation now, not just venting.