Project Planning
Task Planning Tips
These are guidelines on how to sequence project tasks into your project schedule, as in, which tasks need to be scheduled into which weeks on our project schedule?
- Get as clear as you can on any schedule givens - when the project must begin and/or complete
- Map out your project phases based on these givens
- Take each phase and brainstorm your list of tasks required for that phase - one approach is to put each task on a Post-It note (make sure you have only one task per note and start each with an action word/verb)
- Creating a task network chart like the one shown here, decide on the functional order of tasks - which ones can't start until others begin or complete
- Arrange tasks according to the sequence of their dependencies - putting consurrent tasks (those that can/need to be done at the same time) vertically aligned
- Establish who will be doing which task and define how long in calendar time for each task (the time it takes given everything else on their plate) each task will take - of they don't know either break the task down to micro-tasks and add their estimates or ask someone who's done that kind of task before
- Start to fit the tasks into a schedule of dates listed on the horizontal line below
- If this timeline doesn't match the Phase schedule: a) adjust the Phase schedule, or b) adjust the times assigned to specific tasks where possible, or c) see if you can get more/different resources to serve the timeline changes you need to make
- Go back and fit this schedule of tasks into your project schedule of activities
Project Task Network
return to the Wiki Project Template
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