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Scheduling for Results
It's typical to overestimate what you can accomplish in a
day, and then underestimate what you can accomplish in a
year.
Effective scheduling demands knowing how long a task
takes.
But, it's impossible to be precise if you've never done it
before. So start with a guesstimate. And then, keep track of
how long the work takes so you can plan more effectively in
the future.
Revise your schedule as you become more accurate in
estimating time.
Highlight the dependent projects on your to-do list: the
ones that can't be started until a previous task is
finished. Line them up so they flow into a sequence, noting
how long each step will take.
Schedule backwards from your deadline, being sure to give
yourself wiggle room for unforeseen circumstances. If you
know the last step will only take three days, give it
another day or so. Build in reporting dates and
benchmarks.
Ask yourself: where do you need to be 30 days out from
deadline? 60 days out?
Fill in the slow times with anytime projects, those that are
independent of the rest of the tasks but still need to be
done.
Continue working backwards, including dependent tasks and
the anytime projects, until the schedule is filled in.
At this point it may be time to panic. You'll realize you
should have started three months ago last Tuesday to finish
by your deadline.
Welcome to the world of too much to do, too little time. The
hard question to ask is what can go?
At this point, most consultants advise: you can have it
cheap, you can have it great, you can have it fast.
Choose
two.
Do a quick assessment to decide what you can let slip, cost,
quality, or time. Make the adjustments and get to
work!
__________
300 words
Patricia Wiklund Ph.D. is a dynamic speaker, seminar leader and consultant. She is the author of Taking Charge When You're Not in Control. For information on her speaking services, training or consulting, contact her at P.O. Box 391416 Mountain View, CA 94039, (650) 938-8562, (650) 938-0880 fax, Pat@PatWiklund.com or through her web page, www.PatWiklund.com.
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P.O. Box 391416
Mountain View, CA 94039
(650) 938-8562
(650) 938-0880 fax
Email: Pat@patwiklund.com
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