October

In reviewing last month I come across several thing on my desk including; Notes that I took during a conference (How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci and Innovate Like Thomas Edison), A traffic Study on SR-252, Several project and staff meeting agendas, A few letters from both the public and local governments, a mountain of business cards from consultants, and various other reminders of work that was generated last month. My approach to these things is simple, I need to clear off my desk. In order to clear my desk I need to first develop a implementation plan that includes a schedule for completion and the resources needed to meet that schedule. Second I need to evaluate what is important and prioritize. So to start I determined what I must do myself and what I can delegate. I need to evaluate what is important information that I need to keep. I also need to develop a list of tasks from notes and meeting agendas or minutes. I will then create a list of things to delegate, such as; Preparing a presentation to the staff on How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci and Innovate Like Thomas Edison, Create a power point using the information from the SR-252 study that highlights the main points in the study, File all correspondence and meeting agendas, and create or update the consultant contact list using the business cards on my desk. My milestone dates are; complete implementation plan by today, evaluate, prioritize and complete task list by tomorrow, Delegate filing task today(task to be completed by early next week), Delegate updating consultant contact list (task to be completed within two weeks), Delegate conference PowerPoint presentation to be given at next staff meeting, and delegate SR-252 study PowerPoint (to be completed within two weeks). My desk will be clear off by early next week.

The same way I have looked at the task of clearing my desk should be the same way we look at our assigned tasks and or projects. We should develop an implementation plan that includes a schedule for completion and the resources needed to meet that schedule. This exercise may take some time upfront, but it will save you time latter in the process. Everyone needs to remember that you can't do everything. We must learn how to delegate tasks and yes sometimes that means using consultant on call contracts. Because you delegate work does not mean you are not capable of doing the work, it means you are smart enough to know the limitations of one person. As everyone knows our schedules never gives us the time we would like to have to complete the task or project. The only way we can meet all schedules all the time is to plan upfront. My desk example is easy compared to some of our projects, but the concept is one that I expect everyone to use. I feel that working smart means using all of our resources effectively both in house and consultant resources. The issue is not us and them, it is the task at hand. As the owners of these tasks or projects we decide how they are done. Sometimes the schedule is driven by other factors and we do not have the choices we would like and that is one of many reasons why we must be innovative. In order to meet schedules, maintain high quality, and not go crazy in the process one needs to use everything available to complete the assigned tasks and/or projects. I will soon start asking for these plans and the completion of the plans will be included in our next performance evaluation. Please plan ahead so you don't get behind.