Async Work
Email and message workload
Manage email and chat workload with clear message routes, routine review times, named owners and accessible decision records.
Email and chat are easier to manage when a team agrees which messages need prompt attention, who receives them and where the result belongs. Keep a reliable route for time-sensitive work. Review routine messages at agreed times, address requests to an owner and record settled outcomes where the work is managed.
Find the work behind the messages
Look at a sample of recent customer issues, decision requests, assignments and updates. Which require action, which can wait for routine review and which recur because an earlier answer is hard to find? Message count alone does not show the problem: a necessary service alert and an unnecessary group reply create different demands.
Follow a request across channels. It may arrive by email, be discussed in chat and end with a decision that exists nowhere else. Changing notifications then addresses only part of the workload.
Give each message a purpose and a route
| Purpose | What to include | Suitable route |
|---|---|---|
| Action request | Owner, needed outcome, context and response date | Send to the person who can act; track substantial work in the work record. |
| Decision request | Choice needed, options, constraints and decision owner | Gather input, then record the authorised outcome. |
| Routine update | What changed and whether anyone must act | Put it in the agreed project or team location. |
| Time-sensitive alert | Impact, immediate action, contact route and next update | Use the agreed alert route to reach the person covering it. |
Agree what these categories mean for your team. A deadline next week does not automatically make a message an immediate alert. Customer-facing and on-call roles may need different review arrangements from project roles.
For decisions involving several people, name the roles rather than relying on a group address to imply responsibility. In DACI, the Driver coordinates information and progress towards the agreed date; the Approver makes the decision, while Contributors advise and Informed colleagues are told about the result. This separates input from authority and gives the request a clear path to resolution.
Message Purpose and Recommended Routing
- Action RequestOwner, outcome, context, response date → Direct to owner; track in work record
- Decision RequestChoice needed, options, constraints, decision owner → Gather input, record authorised outcome
- Routine UpdateWhat changed, whether action is needed → Post in agreed project or team location
- Time-Sensitive AlertImpact, immediate action, contact route, next update → Use agreed alert route for on-call roles
Applying DACI Roles to Decision Requests
- DriverCoordinates information and progress towards the agreed decision date
- ApproverMakes the final decision; holds authority
- ContributorsProvide expertise and input to inform the decision
- InformedNotified of the outcome after the decision is made
Agree the working rules
Set shared expectations for which channels carry urgent alerts, project updates and decisions, and how people can signal when they are available.
Atlassian’s Team Communication Norms exercise recommends identifying communication pain points, agreeing adjustments to timing, inclusivity and visibility, then documenting the decisions and putting them into practice.
A team can run the exercise with 2–10 people; Atlassian lists 10 minutes of preparation and a 75-minute run time. Brainstorm what is not working, agree practical changes and check later what needs improvement.
Use the norms to make ownership clear when work crosses roles. For decisions, use the DACI roles described above to identify who drives the process, who approves the decision, who contributes expertise and who needs to be informed.
Team Communication Norms Exercise Checklist
- Identify communication pain pointsDiscuss what’s not working in current messaging practices
- Agree on timing, inclusivity and visibility adjustmentsSet expectations for response times and channel use
- Document decisions and implement themShare norms with the team and embed in daily workflows
- Review and refine after 2–4 weeksCheck if changes improved clarity and reduced overload
Reduce work at the sending end
Before sending, ask who must respond, who needs to contribute and who only needs the result. Put the requested outcome near the start. For example, ask the recipient to confirm which version the client should receive. Include the current document or work item and only the background needed to answer.
A broad announcement can be appropriate when many people are affected. State what readers need to do and put the current instruction in the agreed location. If a request changes a deliverable’s scope, settle that change with its authorised owner; an email reply does not automatically establish approval.
Make routine review predictable
Choose review times around the team’s duties and tell colleagues when ordinary messages are likely to be read. Keep an exception route for work that cannot wait, with someone responsible for monitoring it.
Inbox rules and notification controls can help, but their behaviour depends on the account, app and settings. Check those details before relying on a control for important messages.
During each review, answer small questions, move substantial work into its work record and identify decisions that need an owner. If an answer needs investigation, acknowledge the request and give a realistic reply date. An inbox should not become the only record of outstanding work.
Inbox rules can help route predictable messages: in new Outlook for Windows, a rule needs a name, a condition and an action, and can also include exceptions. For example, a rule can move messages from a specified sender into a folder. Check that the rule is active and that its conditions match the messages it is meant to handle.
Do not assume a rule works across every account or Outlook version. Microsoft states that new Outlook for Windows does not support rules for third-party accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo and iCloud; some rules migrated from classic Outlook may also be client-side and not processed by new Outlook. Keep important work on a route the responsible person can actually monitor.
Using Inbox Rules in Outlook for Managing Email Workload
- ProsAutomates sorting of predictable messages; reduces manual inbox management; supports consistent routing
- ConsRules may not work across all accounts (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud); some rules are client-side only and don’t sync in new Outlook for Windows; requires regular review to maintain accuracy
Close the loop
Use a thread to exchange information. Once an authorised choice is made, record the outcome, owner and next action where affected people can find them. If a thread keeps circling an unresolved choice, state exactly what remains open. A focused discussion may help; record its result afterwards.
Review whether important requests reached an owner, routine replies met the team’s stated expectations and people still had to reconstruct decisions from old messages. Adjust the route that failed.
In this guide
- Grouping routine communication into manageable review timesSet practical email and chat review times around service duties, with a clear exception route and checks for missed work.
- Reducing unnecessary recipients in work messagesChoose email and chat recipients by their role, use Reply all deliberately and reserve group alerts for messages the group needs.
- Writing requests with an owner and a needed outcomeWrite a work request that names the owner, needed result, relevant context, timing and place for the answer.
- Choosing when to move a long message thread into a decision recordRecognise when a thread needs a findable answer, distinguish pending from settled decisions and record the current outcome.
