by: Dr Neil Miller
Most productive people use some form of a work plan to sort out what they need
to do and to guide them when they are doing the work.
People generally agree that they need a work plan for new work, but often feel
that planning takes too long and it is better to just get on with the job.
This article explains how to develop powerful work plans in less than 10 minutes
using a simple one page work plan template.
Work is usually done more efficiently when a work plan is followed. Work plans
range from a simple list of the actions required to get the work done to more
detailed plans that include the information required for people to work together
(collaborate) effectively.
Over 15 years ago, TASKey developed a simple one page work plan template that
has been used by thousands of people for fast powerful work planning. A free
copy of the blank work plan template, instructions and completed examples are
provided for your personal use at www.taskey.com/Portals/0/Work Plans.pdf
The goal of the template was to provide a simple means that enables anyone to
develop an understandable and workable work plan in less than 10 minutes. The
logic was that few people could argue that they didn’t have 10 minutes available
to develop a plan that will enable them to get the work done in a way that
minimizes costs, risks and stress.
It has been our experience that most people can fill in the work plan template
in less time than many people take procrastinating about starting a work plan.
Plus key information that is written down makes it easier to achieve a common
understanding of what needs to be done, by who and when.
The template has four main parts:
1. The vision that outlines what success looks like (why) and highlights key
boundaries/constraints
2. The actions required to implement the plan (who, what, when, how)
3. Stakeholders, responsibly, and resources (who, with what)
4. Any risks that need to be monitored
This may sound like a lot of information, but it is usually readily available to
someone about to initiate a work task. We have found that if some information is
not readily available to the planner, simply asking other people involved will
fill in most gaps.
The SECRET TO SUCCESS – TASKey has found that the fastest and easiest way to
complete the work plan template is to first enter the task name and the goal.
Then fill in the rest of the boxes in any order. You will find that information
in one box will help you think about the relevant information for other boxes.
In the examples provided, you will see that only a small amount of relevant
information is required for people involved to understand what they need to do.
In most cases, work plans are hand written and completed in less than 10
minutes. Progress can be easily shown by marking completed actions as complete.
TASKey has developed web and mobile browser software that can simultaneously
manage thousands of work plans being done by thousands of people. The basic
process is still the same for each task work plan. The software simply makes it
easy to scale up to the number of related tasks required for larger tasks (such
as projects and organization wide initiatives).
For more information on TASKey’s web and mobile browser work planning and
implementation software tools visit www.taskey.com (for TASKey TEAM) and
www.me2team.com (for Me2Team).
About The Author
Neil is CEO of TASKey that develops and validates management solutions for
people. Neil who has successfully managed over 100 projects in a wide range of
areas identified the biggest deficiency in managing projects as a method to help
people work together to complete project tasks. Over the last 10 years, he has
developed unique distributed project management software to eliminate this
project deficiency.
Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/computers_and_internet/article_4835.shtml
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