Do project managers truly, in all essence, manage projects? This is a rather tricky discussion as, ultimately, all project managers really do is manage a collection of simple to complex tasks. When you really analyze the matter, though, this is not something to simply be taken for granted, because it is in these tasks that all the vital actions take place and transpire.

Managing Tasks on a Project

The function of scoping, planning, controlling, managing risks, and more is all about figuring out what tasks are to be done and making sure they get done (at the right time and in the right order). But without the execution of those tasks, any upstream job function, such as the planning and so forth, are a waste of time. Getting the tasks done is what it is all about; and anyone aspiring to get into project management needs to know how to get tasks done — and how to lead others to do so.

Managing Tasks in a Department

Keeping a department going on a day to day basis involves spending time “at the edge”, or on the exception. It involves being both reactive, as processes are monitored and adjustments are needed, and it involves being proactive, as projects are undertaken to improve and advance the processes that exist within the department. Being good at managing change is being a good planner; but sound task management, at the end of the day, is where all the action that matters takes place. If the task does not require action, then there really is no need for management.

Managing Tasks in an Organization

Action in an organization is a collection of executable tasks within the organization. Making that action take place where it counts the most is the job of upper management. Understanding how to get things done, as well as what, why, when, where, and who, is what leadership is all about. All executives must be good at task management in order to perform effectively.

The Knowledge Economy and Task Management

The knowledge economy has a close relationship with task management; but, unfortunately, people often lose sight of the relationship. In the distant past, it used to be that an individual would be responsible for many tasks, and that is still true in many small businesses. For example, even today, a small proprietor of an auto body shop is usually intimately familiar with every detail of operations, from estimating and business development, to repairing auto bodies, to administration and finance. Much of the high-level-knowledge management work, because it is in one head, is simply executed.

In larger organizations, by contrast, a great deal of collective effort might be put into the process of just turning a bolt. For example, on a manufacturing production line, a worker may need to place a panel and connect it using a couple of bolts. The action of performing this task ends up being a small fraction of the total cost of completion. Behind the task, we will likely find work studies, statistical analysis, much planning and coordination, product design scenarios, and more – all culminating in someone tightening a couple of bolts. Without the tightening of those bolts by hand, all of the upstream work is for naught. Everyone working in “knowledge management” needs to recognize the ultimate goal of their efforts — maintain perspective on the main objective.

Personal Time Management and Task

It is easy to become frustrated with personal time management and, sometimes, even more frustrated with much more complex challenges. It always comes back to task management, no matter what level is being worked. For example, managing a project is simply an umbrella over a more complex set of tasks, and the only thing that really moves the project forward is the completion of those tasks. A similar statement can be made about department management or organization management.

A more complex situation, such as building a system, or building a building, proves the point. In the end, after all the planning, meeting, discussion, and thinking, what is left is a set of tasks that, if completed on time and within budget to proper quality standards, brings about a successful project. So it is simply a collection of everybody’s task lists, alignment with the strategy, and properly prioritizing and sequencing what ties together time and task management. And, in the end, it’s all about task management.

About the Author:

John Reiling, PMP, has experienced portfolio, program, and project management in organizations of all sizes. John’s web site Project Management Training Online provides numerous courses on these topics for PDUs, PMP Prep, and PgMP Prep. See John’s related article on Program Management , with a nice graphic on the topic, at John’s blog, PMcrunch.com.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Mastering Task Management to Bolster Project Management

Bad Boys II (Two-Disc Special Edition) $2.87 No one goes to a movie directed by Michael Bay for delicacy and grace; you go because Michael Bay (Armageddon, The Rock) knows how to make your bones rattle during a high-speed chase when a car flips over, spins through the air, and smacks another car with a visceral crunch. Bad Boys II fulfills this expectation and then some. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence may be mere puppets amid all this burnin...

Overcoming Procrastination with EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) $19.95 When we avoid tasks, ignore deadlines and put off activities "until I can get around to it" then we run the risk of feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Often we'll find ourselves frustrated with not knowing what to do next. This audio addresses some of the most common elements of procrastination using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to clear away the energy behind our unwanted behaviors. In this...

Time Management Made Easy $9.99 In this 53-minute audio course, former rocket scientist Peter "The Time Man" Turla will show you how to: meet tight deadlines; get and stay organized; de-clutter your life; finish your to-do list every day; deal with multiple and conflicting priorities; handle unexpected job emergencies; improve your work life balance; avoid time crunches; manage chaos; and salvage hectic days. *** Course Outlin...

EarthWatch (Worldwide Stories on the Environment) [Intermediate ESL Video Library] $35.00 The ABC News intermediate ESL video Library is an interactive, integrated skills series designed for intermediate level adult learners of English as a second language. EarthWatch shows pieces taken from ABC News shows American Agenda and Person of the Week by Peter Jennigns, depicting worldwide stories about the environment, from 1989-1992. CONTENTS: 1) Kids with raised consciousness about the en...

Learning Resources LER6900 Time Tracker Programmable Electronic Timer $23.99 It's never been easier or more fun to keep kids on track with this unique lighted electronic timer. Lighted sections alert kids to time left to complete a task. You can easily program green, yellow and red sections and six sound effects to indicate that time is running out. It teaches time management! Features 180 viewing, large, easy-to-read LCD display, volume control and pause feature. Measures...

P3 International P4480 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor with Electronic Graphic Timer $79.95 P3 P4480 Kill-A-Watt? Graphic Timer...

Wireless 2-Way Audio Surveillance Camera $119.95 The TL-SC3130G surveillance camera is a versatile solution for your home and office monitoring, whose 54Mbps wireless connectivity enables you to deploy the camera where inaccessible previously by Ethernet connection such as ceiling and walls. This camera can be placed in your living room, office, or anywhere else you would like to keep an eye on things. After a hassle-free installation, you can...

Tags: "software, GTD, productivity, tools, web2.0