Time and Task Management

Question 1

Role of Admin Assistant

Answer 1

• Carries out routine tasks delegated to them by the senior admin assistant.
• Enters data into spreadsheets or databases and keeps documents updated.
• Assists with scheduling meetings.
• Sends e-mails to colleagues.
• Prepares documentation for meetings.
• Greets and directs visitors.

Question 2

Role of Senior Admin Assistant

Answer 2

• Makes decisions regarding admin work to be done and delegates to admin assistants.
• Supervises work of admin assistants.
• Liaises with management to assist in forward planning.
• Ensures systems and procedures are implemented and maintained effectively.

Question 3

Skills/Qualities of Senior Admin Assistant

Answer 3

• Patience - to be able to work with other staff.
• Tact/Discretion - when dealing with sensitive situations.
• Planning/Organisational skills - to ensure targets are met.
• Digital literacy/IT skills - to ensure tasks are completed to high standards.
• Coaching/Mentoring skills - to provide support to staff.
• Motivational - to ensure staff are encouraged to meet targets.
• Delegation - to allocate tasks fairly, taking into account skills of staff.
• Communication - to communicate clearly with staff in organisation.

Question 4

Time and Task Management Strategies

Answer 4

• To-do list - listing each task to be undertaken, trying to stick to the list and ticking off items when completed.
• Priorities list - prioritising tasks into urgent and non-urgent, high medium and low priority so most urgent tasks are completed first.
• Gantt chart - shows overall progress towards targets, compares actual with estimated time spent on tasks and managers can compare between work planned and work accomplished.
• Action plan - used to break down a large project into smaller parts for individuals/groups, tasks responsibilities, deadlines and resources are included.
• Delegation - when a manager gives other employees tasks to complete and does not take t all on themselves which can result in less stress and a more manageable workload, leads to increased productivity with deadlines more likely to be met.
• E-diary - allows regular meetings/appointments to be entered into the diary with reminders set to alert employees, other staff members’ diaries can also be checked to schedule meetings.

Question 5

Consequences of a Manager Failing to Delegate

Answer 5

• Managers may suffer from stress as a result of a heavy workload, resulting in illness/absenteeism.
• Deadlines might not be met, resulting in lower productivity.
• Team may suffer from lower staff morale and high turnover which means that the manager may have to spend time motivating staff and/or recruiting and training new staff.
• Lack of development of staff which means staff may not be ready for promotion.
• Staff may not be given tasks which suit them leading to a lack of motivation and stress.

Question 6

Time Stealers

Answer 6

• Interruptions - means working time is lost due to unexpected visits or conversations.
• Taking on too much work/inability to say no - means workload is too large to manage effectively and tasks might not be completed.
• Desk stress/unable to find information - means documents may be mislaid due to mess.
• Meetings taking too long - means other tasks which were due to be completed that day are unable to be done.
• Crisis management - panicking about workload and lack of forward planning means tasks may not be completed tot a high quality and deadlines might be missed.
• Procrastination - putting off a task can result in work building up.
• Duplicate journeys - repeated trips can waste time which could have been spent doing other tasks.
• Disorganised - time may be wasted trying to find files or documents meaning deadlines may be missed.

Question 7

Minimising Time Stealers

Answer 7

• Interruptions - only check voicemails at certain times of day, close e-mail down and check at certain times, have ‘do not disturb’ time to avoid chatting too often to visitors.
• Taking on too much work/inability to say no - employees may need to discuss with their line manager, delegation is also useful to avoid having too much to do.
• Desk stress/unable to find information - employees should introduce a good file management system.
• Meetings taking too long - managers should ensure agendas for meetings are realistic in length, with time limits possibly set to avoid discussions taking too long.
• Crisis management - organisations should try to have plans/strategies in place for unexpected circumstances, employees should try not to react hastily to situations and take time to find reasonable solutions.
• Procrastination - employees should make use of to-do lists and priorities lists to help them complete the tasks they have to do.
• Duplicate journeys - employees should group jobs together so visits to other departments are only made once a day.
• Disorganised - employees should use to-do lists and ask for help from their line manager where needed.

Question 8

Monitoring and Evaluating Progress

Answer 8

• Regular meetings - meetings with line manager to discuss and review progress against targets.
• Random/sample checks of work - where some tasks are checked by the line manager to check for progress, quality and consistency.
• Buddy systems - where an employee is paired with a more experienced employee who can provide guidance and advice.
• Mentoring systems - where an employee is assigned to a more senior member of staff who can provide help/assistance if required, the mentor may set short-term targets during weekly meetings, and appraise/evaluate progress towards targets.
• Gantt charts - shows a graphical representation of planned work against work completed using a timeline, managers can quickly identify tasks/projects which are behind scheduled deadlines.
• Appraisal - 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.
• Personal development plans - where employees set their own targets for future skills development, completed with line manager and encourages positive discussion and feedback, allows employees to identify future training needs.

Question 9

Features of Smart Targets

Answer 9

• Specific - simple, sensible, significant
• Measurable - meaningful, motivating
• Achievable - agreed, attainable
• Relevant - reasonable, realistic
• Timely - clear, realistic time frame

Question 10

Benefits of Monitoring and Evaluating Progress

Answer 10

• Tasks will be completed by the 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.
• Staff are kept on track and not distracted.
• Can be useful if performance-related pay is used.
• Can be used as a basis of approval.
• Future training needs of employees can be identified.

Question 11

Benefits of Good Time and Task Management to Employees

Answer 11

• Increased morale/motivation for employees, leading to greater job satisfaction.
• Lower stress levels for employees.
• More time is available for urgent/important jobs.
• Quality of work/ creativity improves.
• Better chance of promotion.
• Improved relationship with management.
• Limits potential conflict with employees.

Question 12

Benefits of Good Time and Task Management to Organisation

Answer 12

• Increased productivity so targets and deadlines are met.
• Company develops a good reputation so it is more competitive and has improved customer relations.
• Increased job satisfaction leads to lower staff turnover and less absenteeism, more money is saved in the recruitment process and training of new staff.
• Prevents customer dissatisfaction and complaints which can be expensive which helps to improve the business’s reputation.

Question 13

Consequences of Poor Time and Task Management to Employees

Answer 13

• Quality of work could be poor in an attempt to meet deadlines.
• May not be trusted with important tasks, affecting chances of promotion.
• May suffer from stress, resulting in illness/absenteeism.
• Employees may receive a poor appraisal, affecting pay and/or future career.
• Employees may be sent on training courses, or may be given a mentor/buddy to check on their work flow.
• Employees ay become withdrawn and stop communicating with other team members.
• Employees may be given a verbal or written warning.

Question 14

Consequences of Poor Time and Task Management to Organisation

Answer 14

• Poor productivity with deadlines not met leads to bad reputation.
• Loss of competitive edge as a result of tasks not being completed/deadlines not being met.
• Customer service may suffer and customer expectations may not be met.
• Decreased job satisfaction leads to higher staff turnover and high absenteeism which means more money is spent in the recruitment process and training of new staff.
• May be difficult to recruit quality staff due to a poorer reputation.