On Standby for One Project, Pulled Back to Another

Updated September 2026: in February 2020 a new delivery team told me I had only a limited role for two weeks, and just as I relaxed, an old team asked for justification slides within two days. I have rewritten it into advice on juggling a standby role and a returning old request.

The new delivery team said my role would be small and I could be on standby for two weeks. Before I could enjoy the quiet, my previous team, which I had found difficult, came back wanting a few justification slides in two days. If the new work had been as heavy as predicted, the two would have collided. I told the old delivery person, informally, that I had a new assignment but, luckily for them, it was light for now.

What does being on standby mean?

It means you are allocated to a project but not yet fully needed. You should be reachable and ready, but you have spare capacity. That capacity is visible to others, which is why old requests tend to find you during standby periods.

Should you accept the old request?

If it is small and time-limited, usually yes; it builds goodwill. But tell your manager, so the allocation is recorded, and tell the new team, so they know you may be busy for two days. Informal arrangements are where overload starts.

How do you avoid the two colliding?

• Ask the new team when they expect to need you properly.
• Give the old request a clear finish date before that.
• Agree which takes priority if both become urgent at once.

How do you keep the old request small?

Confirm exactly which slides and what "justification" means: evidence, figures or narrative. Reuse existing material where possible. Send a draft early and ask for one round of comments. Justification requests can grow if you let them.

What should you tell your manager?

That you are on standby for the new project and supporting the old team for two days, with the end date. Managers dislike discovering this later, and knowing it lets them protect you if both teams ask at once.

Keep reading

• When a Client Team Asks for You by Name
• Quiet Days and Colleagues Leaving: What to Do
• Validate the Brief Before Building the Deck