time and task management

Question 1

role of an admin assistant?

Answer 1

carry out routing tasks delegated to them by senior admin assistants, enter data into spreadsheets or databases and keep documents updated, assist with scheduling meetings, send e-mails to colleagues, prepare documentation for meetings, greet and direct visitors.

Question 2

role of a senior admin assistant?

Answer 2

make decisions regarding the admin work to be done and delegating them to admin assistants, supervising work of admin assistants, liaises with management to assist in forward planning, ensures systems and procedures are implemented and maintained effectively.

Question 3

what are the skills and qualities a senior admin assistant must have?

Answer 3

patience(to be able to work with other staff), task/discretion(when dealing with sensitive situations, motivation(to ensure staff are encouraged to meet targets), delegation(to allocate tasks fairly, taking into account skills of staff.

Question 4

Time and Task Management Strategies -to do list?

Answer 4

listing each tasks to be undertaken, trying to stick to the list and ticking off items when completed.

Question 5

Time and Task Management Strategies -priorities list?

Answer 5

prioritising tasks into urgent and non-urgent, high medium and low priority. means most urgent tasks are completed first.

Question 6

Time and Task Management Strategies -delegation?

Answer 6

when a manager gives other employees tasks to complete and does not take it all on themself, this can result in less stress and a more manageable workload. This leads to increased productivity with deadlines more likely to be met as a result. staff morale increases.

Question 7

Time and Task Management Strategies - action plan?

Answer 7

used to break down a large project into smaller parts for individuals/groups. tasks, responsibilities, deadlines and resources are included.

Question 8

what are the consequences of a manager failing to delegate effectively?

Answer 8

deadlines may not be met resulting in lower productivity, lack of development of staff meaning staff may not be ready for promotion, managers may suffer from stress as a result of a heavy workload resulting in illness, staff may not be given tasks which suit them leading to a lack of motivation and more stress.

Question 9

Time Stealers - disorganised?

Answer 9

time may be wasted trying to find files or documents, and deadlines may be missed. employees should use to-do lists, and ask for help from their line manager when needed.

Question 10

Time Stealers - procastination?

Answer 10

by putting off a task this can result in work building up. employees should make use of to-do lists and priorities lists to help them complete the tasks that they have to do.

Question 11

Time Stealers - meeting taking too long?

Answer 11

means other tasks which were due to be completed that day are unable to be done. managers should ensure agendas for meetings are realistic in length, with time limits possibly set to avoid discussions taking too long.

Question 12

Time Stealers - making unnecessary journeys/duplicate journeys?

Answer 12

repeated trips, e.g. to the photocopier, can waste time which could have been spent doing other tasks. employees should group jobs together so visits to other departments are only made once a day.

Question 13

Monitoring and Evaluating Progress - regular meetings

Answer 13

with line manager to discuss and review progress against targets.

Question 14

Monitoring and Evaluating Progress - random or sample check of work

Answer 14

where some tasks are checked by the line manager/supervisor to check for progress, quality and consistency.

Question 15

Monitoring and Evaluating Progress - buddy systems

Answer 15

where an employee is paired with a more experienced employee who can provide guidance and advice.

Question 16

Monitoring and Evaluating Progress - appraisal

Answer 16

reviews current performance and helps identify and evaluate the training and development needs of staff. appraises current strengths and weaknesses and assesses employees career development.

Question 17

Benefits of implementing monitoring and evaluating strategies.

Answer 17

tasks will be completed by due date, quality of work being completed will be of a high standard, managers can identify if employees need assistance or resources, targets may be adjusted for future tasks as a result

Question 18

Time and Task management - benefits to employees

Answer 18

lower stress levels for employees, better chance of promotion, improved relationship with management, more time is available for urgent/important jobs.

Question 19

Time and Task management - benefits to organisation

Answer 19

increased quality of work, increased productivity therefore targets and deadlines are met, prevents customer dissatisfaction and complaints which can be expensive and helps improve business reputation, company develops a good reputation/it is more competitive with imported customer relations.

Question 20

Time and Task management - consequences to employees

Answer 20

quality of work could be poor in an attempt to meet deadlines, may suffer from stress resulting in illness or absenteeism, may not be trusted with important tasks which could affect chances of promotion, employees may receive poor appraisal affecting pay and future career.

Question 21

Time and Task management - consequences to organisation

Answer 21

poor productivity with deadlines not met leading to bad reputation, customer service may suffer and customer expectations not met, may be difficult to recruit quality staff due to poorer reputation, loss of competitive edge as a result of tasks not being done/deadlines not being met.