Time Management to Attain Success in a Project
Effective time management, one of the essential functions of a management team or a project manager, ensures that all related tasks are performed within defined time scales for attaining greater success. Time Management is the analysis of the ways in which tasks are prioritized and working hours are spent for maximizing workplace efficiency. A lack of
effective time management plans may prevent a business/ project from reaching its optimum potential.
Time Management—It Matters!
The areas that require careful attention while going about the
processes of project time management include:
- Taking decisions on priorities;
- Performing activities linked to those priorities;
- Reducing the time spent on tasks that rate as non priorities;
- Effective scheduling of tasks;
- Matching of workloads to available resources;
- Making plans for the amount of time allocated for specific activities;
- Nurturing the right environment for gaining optimum efficiency, and so forth
Enhancing the Likelihood of Success
To enhance the chances of successful project outcomes, it becomes essential for all participants to nurture an understanding of:
- Techniques of Critical Path scheduling, associated scheduling specifications, and knowledge of the software involved;
- Any delays and how they occur;
- Pros and cons of different schedules and delay methodologies that are being put to use by project participants/experts;
- Underlying foundational principles that guide delay analysis methodology or any successful schedule.
Importance of being Strong and Firm
For a defined
time management project to be successful, it’s important for the manger and all team members to stick to a plan. Instead of getting sidetracked or allowing the project to lag behind, they have to be strong enough to say “no” and not get influenced by any random distraction or project interferences in any way.
Tools of Time Management
Time management is useful for increasing efficiency, effectiveness and productivity; and has
techniques and tools to help. Over the years, several standard methods have been used for the purpose of enhancing the tasks of project scheduling, these are:
ABC Analysis
While following this method, all available tasks/ subtasks are categorized in groups marked as A, B or C. Here,
- A represents tasks that are important and urgent
- B showcases tasks that are not urgent but important
- C represents tasks that are neither urgent nor important
Thereafter the tasks are performed as per the priority level of the group. The ABC method is used along with the Pareto analysis for better results.
Pareto Analysis
The underlying basis of the Pareto Analysis is that 80 percent of tasks can be done in 20 percent of the time, while the other 20 percent of jobs take up 80 percent of the time. All tasks are sorted into any one of these two parts, wherein the first category is given higher priority.
Other Methods
The business world also uses other ways of categorizing jobs and ascertaining the
efficiency of a time management project. These include:
- Implementation of Goals
- The Eisenhower Method
- Task List Organization
- POSEC Method
Software Applications
In contemporary times, time management makes use of a number of software options available on the racks. While some programs have an in-built hierarchy of tasks that filters and aligns the same in order, others allow access to multiple users so that the management finds it easy to pass tasks on to the other staff members in time. It is important to mention that what works well for a particular organization may not serve the purpose of the other. A proper analysis of the various available tools and techniques becomes essential at this stage and the one that’s useful enough has to be chosen to attain the right levels of success.
Elimination of Unnecessary Tasks
One of the important elements of time management involves project managers eliminating all unimportant tasks—especially those that are required to be done because of tradition rather than necessity—and concentrate only on the ones that are core to the success of a project. Apart from saving valuable time and monetary resources, the act helps in integrating all the tasks in a tighter fashion and ensures timely completion of the project.
Conclusion
Managing time factors can prove to be expensive, subject to uncertainty, and fraught with pressures. These factors influence
successful project delivery schedules and include usage of complex scheduling specifications, errors and omissions, differing work conditions, inadequate time extensions, and user changes. Additionally, they are likely to be compounded by cumulative impacts, rights for delay, and avoidance of probable completion of date waivers. Smart scheduling tools, apps and software have increased the potential for improved scheduling capabilities and have enhanced the chances for projects to succeed—and in many more ways than one!
Author : Uma Daga