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Time Tips from Time Management Expert Peter Turla

  

TIME MANAGEMENT FOR PROJECTS

by Peter "The Time Man" Turla
www.TimeMan.com

Here are some helpful ideas you can use to better manage your next project:

PLAN BACKWARDS

  1. Start with the desired end result in mind.

  2. Write a statement describing the completed project.
 

DIVIDE THE PROJECT INTO A SERIES OF SMALL TASKS

  1. You can’t do a project. You can only do tasks.
      Starting with your end result, keep answering the question,
     “What has to happen for that to happen?”

  2.  List the required action steps and put them in the right sequence.
 

PLAN THE DETAILS

  1. Generally no task duration should exceed two weeks. If it does, look for sub-tasks that can be accomplished within a two-week time frame.

  2. Have enough planning details to show the reality of what’s going to happen in the project. Don’t overdo it, however, because too many details mean too much time and effort spent updating the plan.
 

IDENTIFY POTENTIAL TROUBLE SPOTS

  1. A project is controlled by its scarcest commodity. Identify if the project is schedule or resource driven.

  2. If it’s schedule driven, identify and carefully monitor the critical path. The critical path is the time path that will take the longest to complete.

  3. Clarify when you’re working with optimistic, pessimistic, or most-likely time estimates.

  4. If the project is resource driven, know in advance where the bottlenecks will occur.
 

USE GRAPHICS TO EXPLAIN AND PERSUADE

  1. Use graphics to communicate the big picture

  2. Show people how their part of the project contributes to the whole.
 

You may copy, reprint or forward all or part of this time tips article to friends, colleagues or customers, as long as you credit the information to Peter “The Time Man” Turla, www.TimeMan.com

 
 

Dramatically Improve Your Time Management and Boost Your Personal Productivity
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