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Projects and GTD

There seems to be a lot of discussion about GTD and Projects. Especially projects larger than a few simple steps, and Projects with task dependancies, firm due dates, etc.
The following is my solution. Please comment.

First off, I don't see any conflict as I have heard others mention here and elsewhere between GTD and Projects.

The question GTD answers in my mind is "What should I be working on, right now, where I'm at, in order to be most productive, given my areas of responsibility and current projects?"

Different types of projects require different tracking methods/tools.
Very small projects are tasks or objectives requiring a few simple steps, usually there is a natural "order" to the tasks. The objective "Go to Work" could be broken down into several simple steps from Get out of bed, to Drive to the office. Each task is done in a specific sequence and it's obvious.

Medium projects may add the complexity of having some tasks not dependant on other tasks, Other people may have some tasks that you must wait for completion before you can do your thing, some tasks may be date/time sensitive, etc.

Large Projects add more complexity. Management status reports, team coordination, etc.

Here's what I do:
For Medium and large projects I start with an outline of the tasks for the project (Called a Work Breakdown Structure in Project management speak).
You could use a mind mapping tools for this (I don't "think" like that and could never make Mind Maps work for me). So I use an Outline. Once the basic tasks are on paper, I begin thinking about dependnancies, People assignments, timing, and budget. Usually in larger projects, this is a process of discovery and fine tuning. Some tasks are actually mini projects in ther own right. I may discover that I missed a whole series of steps and need to flesh out the outline more.

All of this, along with any backup materials goes in a Project Folder.
The key as it relates to GTD is you have a Time ordered task list to complete the project, with interdependancies and People assignments.

Now, to my GTD system:
I look at the Project plan, and note the "Next Actions". There can be more than one. On my @Office list I might add a "Google viable Vendors in town".
On my @Calls list I might have "Call Dave to discuss project team member selection", etc. I won't add a task like "schedule conference room for team meeting", because I can't do that until the team is selected.
So on the project plan sheet, I put "NA" next to the two tasks, and on the Next Actions lists above I also note the Project title (usually in short hand or an acronym).

Once I've called Dave and discussed the team, I mark that "Done" on my Next Action list and in the Project plan. I immediately look for the NEXT "Next Action" mark it "NA" and bring it to which ever "Next Action" list that is appropriate. This does not wait for a "Weekly review" this is just part of working my lists.

On SMALL Projects, I tend to differ from David Allen a little, but mainly in the level of detail where I break up a Task into sub-tasks. First, I would never write "Go to work" in my system to begin with.
The general rule of thumb for me is that if I can do the thing in one uniterrupted block, it is one task.
Also - if I am sure I don't need to be reminded to do a task (i.e. "Go to Work") It's not going on any list.
So for those small projects that have a list of tasks that either have some dependancy, or must wait for some other event, I have a "General Projects" list that may have a few Projects each with a short outline of tasks. From there I use it the same way I would a large project.

By the way, I use OneNote for all of this and it is working well for me. Itegrates nicely with Outlook (I love Outlook and don't know why some people hate it). I only use Outlook for what it's good at - Email / Calendar.

I use my Calendar for Tickler file things and don't use the "43 folders".

I also manage a staff, and for that, instead of one @Waiting for list I have a separate @ list for each direct report @Teri , @Nick, etc. These also serve as "Agenda" lists.

I would love to hear any suggestions you have.

Next Action: Look up the word "Brevity" and find out what that's all about:rolleyes:

basovink's picture

Thank, very clear. I am...

Thank, very clear. I am using Bonsai for gtd and it can automatically show the next action. So when you have defined a sequence and you check of your first incomplete action it will show the next action from the list. I know there are more tools that have this functionality and I would suggest it is a requirement for any automated gtd system. Checking your project list manually is kind of 'stupid' and computers are very good at 'stupid' actions :cool: .

 
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