One work place challenge which occurs in so many companies is the last-minute scramble to complete assignments. People start off with the best of intentions, but other work interferes. Suddenly, a deadline emerges, and the race begins.
A basic timeline can help your team members stay focused on milestones, due dates and the ultimate deadline. It’s an easy tool and can be done on a piece of paper or plotted in different types of software . It doesn’t matter what you use; what matters is using something.
Successful planning and execution starts with the end goal: what do we need to accomplish by which date. When you start from the end, you work backwards to where you are now and plot your milestones accordingly.
This method gives you more opportunity to see where obstacles can occur. For example, after you complete a draft of a timeline for a particular project, overlay it onto your calendar so that you can identify conflicts which may interfere with successful completion. Then, you can plan around the conflicts.
Don’t assume that your employees know how to do this. Work with them to integrate this tool into their daily processes, and when necessary, help them reprioritize so that they don’t get frustrated by bottlenecks.
When unchecked, bottlenecks can throw all deadlines off schedule, resulting in huge frustration and even anxiety.
A timeline can start as a simple productivity tool, but might end up being the perfect hack to stay productive and efficient during the busiest times.
Have a great day!
