.KEYWORD workflow
.FLYINGHEAD WORKFLOW WORKSHOP
.TITLE Project management in your pocket
.OTHER
.SUMMARY There are dozens of third-party applications available for list-making and project planning, but coach and trainer Kelly Forrister believes that with a little creativity, the built-in Palm applications can serve as great project management tools. In this article, she’ll show you how you can turn your To Do list into a powerful project management tool.
.AUTHOR Kelly Forrister
One of the most common questions I get in the Palm handheld-related classes I lead is, "How do I manage projects on the Palm computer?" With Palm handhelds as standard issue in most companies these days, many users are embracing them for capturing to do lists and project planning, while moving away from their legal pads and paper files. With a little creativity, the built-in Palm applications can be adapted to serve as great project management tools.
There are dozens of third-party applications available for list making and project planning. I have yet to find one that is as intuitive and easy to use as the Palm OS To Do list. My standard for evaluating any hardware or software tool is simplicity. I’ve trained many people over the years and have been consistently reminded that unless a system is simple and easy to use, the system will die. Therefore, while the method I recommend may seem oversimplified for some, it will certainly be a great resource for many of you who have multiple projects and want a seamless, intuitive system for managing your life.
.H1 The five categories
The system I recommend is simple: create one category as an overview list of your current projects and four key action categories to track the list of current actionable information related to those projects. This will all be done in the built-in To Do application in the Palm handheld.
First, let’s set up some useful To Do list categories. There are five context-sensitive categories that provide terrific leverage in managing projects and actions. The categories are:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET Calls: all of the phone calls you need to make;
.BULLET Errands: things you need to do away from the home or office;
.BULLET Next Actions: things to edit, email, review, read, write, etc. that are not calls or errands;
.BULLET Waiting For: things you are waiting for from someone or something else;
.BULLET Projects: a list of all of your current projects.
.END_LIST
You may want to break out the categories above between personal and professional. Since I own my business, my personal and business actions are merged. You can decide for yourself whether to distinguish business and personal actions. However, be aware that what you can do at the moment–your context–often determines your next action. For example, if you’re on a plane and you’ve used up the battery in your laptop building a spreadsheet, it doesn’t matter if checking the formulas in that spreadsheet is your highest business priority. It may be that all you can do in that context is to read the novel you’ve had on your list of personal next actions.
Follow these simple steps to create a new To Do category on the Palm handheld:
.BEGIN_STEPS
.STEP Press the To Do button.
.STEP Tap the top right-hand corner of the screen where you see a category name, such as All. A drop down menu should appear with the names of your current To Do categories.
.STEP Select Edit Categories.
.STEP Tap the New button.
.STEP Enter each of the five new categories listed above one at a time. You may wish to rename or delete the default Business and Personal categories, if you don’t use those.
.END_STEPS
When you’re finished, your Edit Categories screen should resemble Figure A.
.FIG A Your Edit Categories screen should look like this.
A logical question then might be, "Shouldn’t I be creating a category for each project and listing the action steps under that category?" Many time management programs certainly teach this method, and this works for some people. What’s different about setting up context-sensitive categories versus creating a running list for each project is that context-sensitive categories are a more logical way to organize projects and action steps.
Consider this: you’re in an airport with 15 minutes to kill before your flight. About all you can effectively do is make phone calls. It’s far easier and faster to scan your Calls category for the phone calls you can make instead of tapping through each of your project lists, notes, and plans to find the calls. We will still be tracking overall project plans, milestones, notes, and ideas with each project, but the current action steps are filed under the appropriate context list.
The Projects category you create is simply a list of all of your current projects. Consider it the umbrella view of where your focus is. It’s the list that drives your actions. Let’s say that category includes the following project: "Plan team-building trip."
You may be asking, but what about all of the notes, ideas, future steps, etc. I need to remember about the project? In the Note field for each project, that’s where you would do your project planning. For example, "plan team-building trip" might have random notes and ideas for completing the project, such as places to go, making hotel reservations, possible team-building exercises, attendees, etc. Don’t worry about the order or hierarchy of the text in this Note field. It’s a place from which to grow and build the project.
Only the very next action step for each project is filed under one of the four key action lists: Calls, Errands, Next Actions, and Waiting For.
For example, if the very next action on the team-building trip is to email the team members about their availability, then that would be the only action step in the To Do list under the Next Action category. Future action steps, or steps you can only take after the very next step is taken, would remain in the Note field attached to "Plan team-building trip" in the To Do list under the Projects category. As soon as you complete a next action, such as sending an email to the team, you would then scan your project plans for the very next step.
.H1 Keys to success
It’s important for the success of your system that only the very next step be listed under one of your action categories. Many times when working with people, I’ve seen their To Do lists flooded with actions that they think they can do but which are really contingent upon something else happening. If I create a To Do item in my Next Actions category that says "Email team about availability," and another that says "Book hotel reservations for trip," then I’m setting myself up to fail or, at the very least, to be confused by my To Do list. I can’t book the reservations until I’ve coordinated available dates with the team. I would keep "Book hotel reservations for trip" in the Note field of my "Plan team-building trip" item until I can transfer it to an action list.
Another key to keeping this system working is to scan your lists regularly. At least once a day I scan my four action categories and one project category. Specifically, I mark items that I’ve completed, and I re-categorize actions to the Waiting For category as appropriate. This is great for tracking calls I’ve made when I’ve left a voice-mail message and am waiting for a response. I also scan the items in my Projects category, checking the plans in the Note field to see what is now actionable. Those are the next actions that I create as new To Do items in the action categories.
.H1 A little help from Memo Pad
If you find that the Note field attached to the name of the project on the Projects list is too limited to track some of your larger projects, you may want to consider creating a category in your Memo Pad application specifically for that project.
.BEGIN_KEEP
For example, one of my ongoing projects is sending out a free Palm tips and tricks newsletter. I have created a category in my Memo Pad application for that project. All of the items listed within that category relate to the project, such as my notes and ideas for future newsletter topics. However, I still use one of my four key action categories to track the very next action for that project. And, the project is still listed under the Projects category in my To Do application. Creating a project in the Memo Pad application simply gives me a little more room to expand and build on the project.
.H1 Conclusion
I hope this system is useful for you. Adapt it in a way that works for you. I learned this method years ago working with workflow experts David Allen (at http://www.davidco.com) and Sally McGhee (at http://www.mcgheeassoc.com). I found a way to make it work for me. I’m always open to new ideas, so please feel free to share your experience with me at kelly@kelstarrising.com.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on David Allen, visit http://www.davidco.com.
For more information on Sally McGhee, visit http://www.mcgheeassoc.com.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Kelly Forrister is a coach and trainer. She has been leading workshops on workflow and time management, on a variety of different hardware and software tools, for over 10 years. Her free Mastery Newsletter offers valuable tips and tricks for getting the most out of the Palm handheld. She offers individual coaching and team workshops for companies throughout the U.S and internationally. For more information, visit http://www.kelstarrising.com.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6f623
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