We all have our own personal methods and effective processes to handle our daily projects and tasks. Many work from pared down "To Do" lists with defined schedules and deadlines. Others may prefer to keep the required task in an outline format that includes all the other related information. Often our focus is to quickly and effectively compile a task list and then turn our focus on the timely completion. This is especially true if it deals with a subject dealt with before. In that case, we feel we know what needs to be done and must simply complete the similar steps again.
I use to work for a Japanese CEO whos favorite saying was that if you spend enough time creating a good detailed plan then success would be assured by just following and completing each step of that plan. His thinking was that if the steps were defined well enough anyone could follow them. While this is perfectly logical there's more to it then meets the eye.
I believe the pre-planning phase is most important. What we do before we even create our "To Do" list may be more important then actual task completion. Heres a few things to consider:
Who's your main audience? Whos the main recipient? The key to success will be how well you meet or exceed your audiences expectations.
How important is this subject is to you. Time is a very important commodity. If something is of little importance then you may want to consider not doing it at all. If its important, how important is it? We should spend most of our time and efforts on those things that we consider most important.
What are the main objectives? What are the results you wish to have? List the main objectives and be sure that any action item aligns with them. If you are doing things that do not align, then you are pulling against the direction you want to go. What were the results last time? If this is something you have done before then mentally review that process. Were there any problems? Were the results satisfactory to you? If the results were not totally satisfactory then how would you like them to change? If you take the same actions, you can expect the same results.
Do what-if thinking! Investigate out of the norm shortcuts and think outside the box. Taking a shortcut is not negative if the results are satisfactory.
Read, search, and talk to others. Experience is the best teacher and others experiences are just as valuable as your own. Be open to saying you dont know and to sharing your own experiences or doubts. Ask for help if you need it.
Its not always easy to take this time before beginning something. I like to keep in mind the simple phrase "quality not quantity" as I deal will each new project. I also like to believe that as I do more things Im getting better at them. I would not like to imagine myself repeating the same steps over and over.
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