TIME MANAGEMENT

by Lincoln and Terrie Bittner

In any business, there are hundreds of things that could get done, but there is seldom enough time to do them all. A manager must choose which tasks are the most critical based on time, need, and resources.

Causes

At the same time a manager is setting his priorities, the staff members are setting their own. Often, these priorities conflict with each other. A supervisor might see Task A as the most essential, or the one that must be done before starting Task B, while his manager may feel that Task C is the only one that matters right now.

This conflict arises because each person in your operation is looking at the company from the point of view of his own position. A customer service manager will naturally consider anything affecting customer service as being the most important task, while the distribution manager knows in his heart that the company would be perfect if the distribution needs were entirely met. A secretary looks at the pile of papers on her desk and prioritizes based on what is needed to make her job the most successful. And while all this is happening the person over them all has a list of tasks that must be done, and which matter most to him depends on his view of the company from a less centralized position.

Solutions

When one person decides to impose his priorities on the others, there is often a backlash of resentment, especially if a treasured project must be interrupted to carry out the new task. A manager must take into consideration the following points when deciding how priorities should be set:

1. Which tasks will have a negative effect if not done by a certain time? Some tasks might be helpful, but won’t cause a serious problem if they are put off until there is more time.

2. Put your deadlines in order. Then analyze them to understand how much time each takes. If task A is due first, but only requires three hours to complete, and Task B is due next but requires a week to complete, you may need to make Task B the priority, in order to insure you have the staff and time to complete it. On the other hand, you may hand Task A to someone to complete now, since it will require little time and can be easily crossed off the list. Clearly, a simple list of deadlines is not sufficient for setting priorities.

3. Consider the resources and staff required to do the job. The above mentioned Task B requires a week to complete. If you don’t have a week remaining, you will need to allocate additional staff in order to get the work done more quickly. What are the priorities of those additional staff members? Who can be spared? How many people can you spare and how many hours can you authorize? The fewer people available, the higher the task must be placed on your priority list, since it will, in most cases, take longer with fewer people. Be sure each person who is required to complete the task is actually available. If the only person who understands the technology behind the task is in Chicago on business for a week, you will need to work around that problem.

4. Does something else have to be done first? If you can’t do Task A until Task B is complete, then the order is fairly clear. Carefully evaluate the steps required to complete each task in order to ensure you have everything you need to complete them.

5. What is the most important in terms of making money? While money may not always be the deciding factor in an ethical business, profit does need to be considered, even when leaders decide it’s not the most important issue at the moment.

6. Can employees safely set their own priorities? If you give your secretary ten things to do each day, and he always does them, consider letting him organize those tasks any way he chooses. Give him the list and stay out of the way as much as possible, minimizing interruptions and micro-management. Trust your good employees to manage themselves whenever you can. Naturally, there are times when you’ll need to set a specific order, but consider giving the assignments with the deadlines clearly defined and letting your staff organize according to their own work style and preferences.

Evaluate the drivers

Sometimes what we think is an immediate priority is shown to be a lesser priority once we understand the drivers behind it. As you weigh each decision, analyze by first clarifying what you are trying to accomplish. This would normally be obvious; however, by analyzing the root goal (driver) in completing the task, the corresponding priority level will become clearer.

Investigate your alternatives

Once you know what the root goal is that is driving this project, you will need to investigate your alternatives. Alternatives are driven by the availability of resources found within your organization, such as manpower, time, facilities, equipment, and information. Your decision needs to consider each of these resources. Outline when each resource is available and locate connecting points where several of the resources match up on your time line. This will help you make the best use of those resources.

Weigh each stakeholder’s want with the true ‘Must Haves” of the project. Often a timeline is given that is discretionary but is presented in a manner that makes it appear absolute. Determining what truly must be done at each stage of your timeline will also help you make the best use of resources.

Assess the risks

Finally, assess the risks for each of the alternatives you have come up with. By doing this, you will gain a clearer view of your choice.

After you have done all of this, meet with the stakeholders of the project and outline what you have decided and why, then ask for feedback. Require that each objection be quantified, and have your original notes available to use during the discussion. The more input you can get, the better decision you can make.