- Introduction
- Defining the Tasks
- Breaking Tasks into Steps
- Organizing Your Thought Processes
- Summary Checklist
Breaking Tasks into Steps
Next, organize the tasks into small, attainable steps. Even if you're not an organized person, it's important to make lists of everything that you'll be working on. Whether you get help from your staff or a contractor, it will be easy to delegate tasks to others in a step-by-step manner with your easy-to-follow plans.
TIP
Do you own any project-management software? For example, Microsoft Project is an invaluable tool for laying out tasks and designing a timeline. It's great for drawing Gantt charts to show which tasks can run concurrently and which need something else to be completed first. If you don't have Project, drawing charts in Excel or another spreadsheet program is not a bad substitute; it's just more of a manual process.
Get a visual plan in front of your team to get early buy-in for what they're about to accomplish. Seeing a chart is much more meaningful than saying, "Okay, gang. We're going to build a new network at our new building and move everything over there next year. Got it?" No way! Not enough detail and too far away to comprehend. Seeing is believing. Attainable steps are the keys to keeping your team motivated and your project on target.
When the time comes, it will be challenging enough to execute your plan without stressing out over not having enough time to complete the job during the last few days before your move. When the heat is on, you will have laid out a precise plan to execute, and anxiety won't keep you from remembering important details.