Jon Symons

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Tasks for a Project

One thing that I truly suck as it predicting how long it will take to get a task or project completed.

Not only has this caused me considerable grief in my own goal setting and planning, but it has made me a crappy manager of other people, as I often expect things to be done in 1/2 or 1/4 of the time a person would really need.

As an attempt to remedey this problem, I’ve developed a checklist of questions to ask that help create an understanding of what’s really involved in completing a task or project.

The goal here is not to get it perfect, but to spend enough time investigating to get a clearer picture of the project and the real timeframe involved in getting it done.

Don’t put the project in jeporday by hurrying to get started at the cost of making a proper plan and time budget.

Work Through the Following Exploration of the Project

• How many hours are you devoting to this task (if you say one week, don’t forget to subtract out all the non-related issues and interuptions which will take time away from your full week – the amount of useful, productive time in a week is usually far less than 40 hours)?

Break the task down to a series of smaller tasks.

It’s important to really walk through the process, not only will this create a better time estimate, but you’ll do the task better because of being properly prepared and seeing the connections between steps more clearly.

For each smaller task ask the following questions:

• have I done this before?
  • if yes, how proficient am I?
  • if no, allow time for learning (can be extensive)
• does this task depend on other people or tools or materials to be available? 
  • if yes, allow extra time

Factor in extra time for unexpected delays and under-estimates.

Reward yourself for accurate prediction and execution of tasks – it isn’t easy, and it can be a very valuable skill which deserves positive reinforcement.

When completing tasks also keep in mind that tasks can shrink or expand to fill the time alloted to them, so do keep the attitude of “just get it done” and don’t get lost in diversions or tangents.