Strategies for effective time and task management Flashcards
1
Q
What are the time and task management skills?
A
- Planning
- Delegating
- Organising
- Directing
- Controlling
2
Q
Planning
A
Being able to look ahead and plan work so that every task has enough time set aside to be completed to a high standard on time.
3
Q
Delegation
A
Employers should assign work appropriately and fairly to employees. This means tasks should only be set to those best suited for the task ensuring no employee has too much work to minimise stress and allow tasks to meet deadlines
4
Q
Controlling
A
A manager should control and monitor their employees to ensure everyone knows what they’re doing. They should discipline or keep any conflict to a minimum and ensure policies are followed
5
Q
Reliable
A
Employees should be trusted to work unsupervised which will increase productivity
6
Q
Evaluating
A
A manager should evaluate what tasks are being done well and what requires assistance which will allow them to organise any training or will assist them when they must delegate future tasks to employees
7
Q
Setting Targets (Individual/Organisation) Gantt Chart
A
- A chart that allows individuals to see at a glance key dates and the tasks that must be completed.
- It can be used to monitor when tasks have been completed.
- Beneficial to managers as they will be able to quickly identify if employees are not completing tasks/projects which are behind schedule deadlines.
8
Q
Setting Targets (Individual/Organisation) Personal Development Plan
A
- Used to record an individual’s strength and weaknesses
- Beneficial as the individual can identify areas that their less confident in and ask for help if they are unsure of how to do a task
- They can identify their strengths and share their skills with other employees
- The manager can also see their strengths and weaknesses and assign them a task that they are confident in doing or arrange training to help develop their weaknesses
- The individual can also set goals which will keep them motivated and they can look back later and see if they have improved/met their targets
9
Q
Setting Targets (Individual/Organisation) Priorities List/To-Do List
A
- Can be used to list tasks which must be completed in order f importance
- Crossing a task off will make the employee feel motivated and increase productivity
- It will minimise stress as they can clearly see what must be completed and will allow them to organise their time
10
Q
Setting Targets (Individual/Organisation) Action Plans
A
- Notes tasks in order they must be done with an estimated completion time
- Will allow an individual to organise their time to ensure tasks meet deadlines
- If they’re struggling to complete a task, they can ask for help.
- They can identify if their workload is too heavy and ask for support in completing tasks or ask to share workload with other employees
11
Q
Setting Targets (Individual/Organisation) E-diary
A
- Will allow an individual to briefly see their tasks and deadlines. It’s beneficial as they won’t set too many tasks due for the one day which will lower their stress levels
12
Q
Changes in Priorities
A
- Staff absence: meaning taks may need to be reallocated to other staff members. the priorities of each staff member may then change as new tasks are added to their workload
- Technical Issues: IT system breaks down means that jobs usually completed using technology must be completed in a different manner. This may take more time and involve more staff members
- Organisation priorities change: Last minute changes to deadlines or targets may result in changes to all employees’ workload at any time
13
Q
Changes in priorities can be communicated by
A
- Email: Time is saved as all staff can be contacted at once through a group email. Any additional files required to help re scheduled tasks can be attached and managers can see when the email has be read. they can mark the email as urgent to gain staff members attention.
- Staff Meeting: Oral communication can allow information to be shared in more detail about the change in priority. Questions can be asked for clarification and answers can be given straight away. Information is less likely to be missed
14
Q
Monitoring/Evaluating Progress
Ways to Monitor
A
- Buddy System: Where an employee is paired with a more experienced member of staff/someone more familiar with the job who they can ask for help and advice. The more experienced staff can feedback information to the manager
- Mentoring system: An employee is a more senior member of staff who has a good knowledge of the job that they can go to for help and advice
- Action Plans: Where task responsibilities, resources and deadlines are given and can allow a manager and an individual to track their progress.
- PDP: Employees can identify their strengths and weaknesses and set their own long-term targets which will keep the motivated and allow them to see their progress which may boost their confidence
- Sample checks: The line manager can look over some tasks randomly to ensure the employee is on task and not distracted. they can find out if the employee needs training or if their workload is too much
- Gantt Chart: A manager can see at a glance the work planned and the work that’s been completed. They will be able to identify any employees that may not be on task, or any particular areas staff may be struggling
15
Q
Why monitor/evaluate progress?
A
- To ensure tasks are completed by the deadline
- To check the quality of completed work
- To review the progress of the task which will allow employer to find out if assistance resources are required
- Can be used for performance related pay
- Can be used for staff appraisal
- Can allow employer to identify training needs and they can organise training
