Once a personal work schedule has been developed, the next crucial step is to ensure it is effectively implemented. A well-planned schedule is only as good as its execution. Implementing a personal work schedule involves clearly communicating the plan to relevant personnel, actively monitoring your own performance, and addressing any deviations between expected and actual outcomes. By doing so, you ensure that tasks stay on track, deadlines are met, and any necessary adjustments are made in a timely manner to achieve project goals efficiently.
Effective communication is critical when implementing a personal work schedule, as it ensures that everyone involved in a project is on the same page. When you communicate your schedule to relevant personnel—such as team members, managers, or stakeholders—you provide clarity on your responsibilities, timelines, and progress. This prevents misunderstandings, reduces delays, and promotes collaboration, ensuring that tasks are completed efficiently. In a team setting, communication helps align efforts, so everyone knows what to expect from you and how your work fits into the broader project.
Types of Communication
| Type | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Communication | Direct conversations, meetings, or phone calls where you can discuss your schedule and progress in real time. | During a weekly team meeting, you can verbally update your team on the status of your tasks and any adjustments made to your schedule. |
| Written Communication | Email, reports, and project management tools like Asana, where you can document and share your schedule in a clear and accessible format. | Sending an email to your manager outlining your planned timeline and key deliverables for the week. |
| Non-verbal Communication | Body language, gestures, and tone of voice that can reinforce or weaken your verbal communication, especially during in-person meetings. | Maintaining eye contact and using positive body language during a meeting to show confidence in your work schedule. |
| Digital Communication | Use of tools like Asana, Slack, or Microsoft Teams to share updates and timelines in a structured and traceable manner. | Updating tasks in Asana to reflect deadlines and sharing the project calendar with your team. |
How to Communicate Effectively with Stakeholders
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Be Clear and Concise: When communicating your work schedule, make sure your message is clear, straightforward, and free of ambiguity. Stakeholders should easily understand what tasks you are responsible for and when they will be completed.
Tip
Avoid using jargon or overly complex language. Instead, focus on delivering your message simply and effectively. -
Tailor Communication to the Audience: Different stakeholders may require different levels of detail or communication styles. For instance, your manager may want a high-level overview, while team members may need more detailed task updates.
Tip
Adjust your communication based on the audience. Use more detailed language for team members directly involved in the work and provide a summary for senior stakeholders. -
Use the Right Tools: Leverage tools that are accessible and appropriate for your stakeholders. Whether it’s a meeting, email, or a project management tool, choose a method that aligns with their preferences.
Tip
If your team uses a platform like Slack or Asana, ensure you update your schedule and share relevant timelines in that tool to maintain visibility. -
Provide Regular Updates: Communication shouldn’t be a one-time event. Keep stakeholders informed by providing regular progress updates and any changes to your schedule. This ensures that expectations are managed throughout the project.
Tip
Set regular check-ins or send weekly status updates via email or project management tools to keep everyone informed. -
Listen and Respond: Communication is a two-way street. Be open to feedback or concerns from stakeholders about your schedule. This helps address any potential issues early and fosters trust and collaboration.
Tip
After presenting your schedule, ask for feedback and remain flexible to accommodate changes or suggestions from stakeholders.
Case Study
Launching a Fitness Campaign
Tania is the project manager for a new fitness campaign promoting a wearable fitness tracker. Her key responsibilities include coordinating with the marketing team to develop promotional materials, ensuring the design team finalizes the visuals, and collaborating with the sales team to finalize the product’s promotional strategy. Sarah needs to communicate her personal work schedule to these teams to ensure that everyone is aligned and understands their roles and deadlines.
Quiz
Monitoring your own performance in relation to your personal work schedule is critical to staying productive, meeting deadlines, and ensuring project success. By consistently checking your progress against your planned schedule, you can make sure that you're staying on track, identifying any delays or issues early, and adjusting your approach as necessary.
Here are some key reasons why monitoring your performance is essential:
1. Ensures Timely Completion of Tasks
| Why It Matters: A well-structured schedule outlines specific timeframes for completing tasks. Monitoring your performance allows you to verify whether you are meeting those deadlines or falling behind. | Example: If you realise you’re taking longer than expected on a task, you can adjust your schedule or seek help to avoid missing a deadline. |
2. Helps Identify Bottlenecks Early
| Why It Matters: By reviewing your progress regularly, you can spot any potential obstacles or bottlenecks before they become significant issues. This allows you to address the problem proactively. | Example: If you notice that a resource you’re relying on isn’t available on time, you can take steps to resolve the issue before it delays the project. |
3. Promotes Accountability
| Why It Matters: Monitoring your own performance ensures that you remain accountable to the tasks and responsibilities you’ve committed to. It helps you track whether you’re fulfilling your obligations and delivering on your promises. | Example: Regularly checking your schedule and progress against key deliverables keeps you focused on your own responsibilities and ensures you stay on target. |
4. Allows for Adjustments and Flexibility
| Why It Matters: No plan is set in stone. Monitoring allows you to adjust your workload if necessary. If certain tasks are taking longer than expected, you can shift lower-priority tasks or reallocate resources to stay on course. | Example: If unexpected issues arise, such as a delayed approval, you can rearrange other tasks to ensure no time is wasted. |
5. Enhances Overall Productivity
| Why It Matters: Regularly reviewing your performance against your schedule helps improve focus and productivity. Knowing that you are tracking your progress creates a sense of urgency and structure that can increase efficiency. | Example: Setting daily check-ins with yourself can help you stay focused and make sure you are completing the most important tasks. |
6. Provides Data for Future Improvement
| Why It Matters: By tracking your performance over time, you gather valuable data about how you work. This information can help you improve future work schedules, better estimate time for tasks, and enhance your overall performance. | Example: After monitoring your performance on multiple projects, you may learn that certain tasks consistently take longer than expected, which can help you plan more effectively in the future. |
7. Maintains Alignment with Project Goals
| Why It Matters: Regularly assessing your progress against your work schedule ensures that your tasks remain aligned with the broader project goals. Monitoring helps you stay focused on delivering what is needed when it is needed. | Example: Ensuring that the tasks you’re completing are contributing to the main objectives of the project helps avoid working on unnecessary or low-priority activities. |
Monitoring your performance according to your work schedule is an ongoing process that helps you stay on track, maintain accountability, and improve your productivity. It ensures that you are proactively managing your time and resources, which ultimately leads to more successful outcomes.
Using Asana to Monitor and Track Personal Work
In topic 1, Introduction, we discussed how to use Asana to monitor and review your performance.
To recap, Asana helps you monitor your performance by:
- Task Creation and Assignment: Create tasks, assign deadlines, and prioritise.
- Visual Progress Tracking: Use the timeline and board views to track tasks in different stages.
- Setting Milestones and Subtasks: Break tasks into subtasks and milestones for better monitoring.
Common Challenges in Monitoring Performance
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Underestimating Time Requirements: It's easy to underestimate how long tasks will take, leading to delays in completing the schedule.
Refer to past projects and tasks to better estimate timeframes.
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Lack of Clear Metrics: Without clear performance metrics, it’s difficult to track whether you’re meeting expectations.
Set clear milestones and deadlines in Asana for each task, and regularly review your progress.
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Overload of Tasks: Having too many tasks at once can overwhelm you, making it hard to focus on priorities.
Use Asana to prioritise tasks and adjust your schedule when necessary.
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Inconsistent Monitoring: Failing to consistently check your progress can lead to overlooked deadlines or missed tasks.
Schedule regular check-ins with yourself or team members in Asana to ensure consistent monitoring.
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External Factors or Dependencies:External factors, such as delays from other team members, can impact your own performance.
Communicate regularly with other stakeholders and adjust your Asana schedule when dependencies are delayed.
Reading
Read the article "Why You Should Track Your Own Performance at Work" and answer the following questions.
Questions
Variations between expected and actual work performance occur when there is a discrepancy between what was planned or forecasted and what is actually achieved. These differences can arise in terms of time, quality, resources, or other measurable aspects of the work. Documenting these variations helps identify the cause of deviations, adjust plans, and ensure that similar issues do not arise in the future.
Examples of Variations Between Expected and Actual Work Performance
- Expected Performance: Complete a project report by Friday.
- Actual Performance: The report was delayed by three days due to missing data from another department.
- Variation: The delay in completing the task because of an external dependency.
- Expected Performance: Finish a marketing campaign with a $5,000 budget.
- Actual Performance: The campaign cost $6,500 due to additional design work.
- Variation: The actual cost exceeded the expected budget due to unforeseen design revisions.
- Expected Performance: Deliver a product that meets quality standards without defects.
- Actual Performance: The product had to be recalled due to quality issues in the final batch.
- Variation: The actual product quality did not meet the expected standards.
Example 4: Underestimating Resources
- Expected Performance: Complete a task using the existing workforce.
- Actual Performance: Additional contractors were needed due to the complexity of the task.
- Variation: More resources were required than originally anticipated, leading to increased costs and delays.
Why Documenting and Analysing Variations is Important
Documenting and analysing these variations provides critical insight into how well tasks are managed and helps pinpoint the root causes of discrepancies. It also allows for better communication with stakeholders, who need to understand the reason for any delays or changes in scope, budget, or quality.
How to Document and Analyse Variations Between Expected and Actual Work Performance
When documenting variations between expected and actual work performance, it's crucial to maintain clear, consistent records that explain the discrepancy and provide enough detail for future reference. Here’s a process for documenting variations effectively:
Use a standard document or log to record each variation. This could be a specific section in your project management tool (such as Asana) or a dedicated spreadsheet or document. Ensure each entry is dated and includes the task or project name for reference.
For each variation, include the following key elements:
- Description of the Task: A brief overview of the task or project in which the variation occurred.
- Expected Performance: What was originally planned (e.g., deadlines, budget, quality standards).
- Actual Performance: What actually happened, with measurable data (e.g., the task took 3 extra days, costs exceeded the budget by 20%).
- Variation: A clear statement describing the difference between the expected and actual outcomes.
Provide a brief explanation of why the variation occurred. This could be due to external factors (e.g., delays from a supplier), internal issues (e.g., resource shortages), or unforeseen changes (e.g., added scope). This helps track the cause of the variation and informs how future projects can avoid similar issues.
Detail the effect that the variation had on the overall project, such as timeline shifts, increased costs, or compromised quality. This is essential for communicating the consequences to relevant stakeholders.
Document any steps taken to correct or mitigate the variation. This shows accountability and allows for a structured response to the issue. It could include adjusting timelines, reallocating resources, or modifying project scope.
Where necessary, include supporting documents such as email threads, cost breakdowns, or timelines to provide further context for the variation. These attachments help clarify the situation for any stakeholder reviewing the document.
Variations should be logged as they occur, rather than waiting until the project is completed. This ensures that the records are accurate and up to date, making it easier to track performance in real time.
Here is an example of Variations Document Variations Document
Documenting variations using Asana
You can document variations between expected and actual work performance in Asana by using a combination of its features. Here’s how:
1. Create a Task or Subtask for Each Variation
- Document variations by creating a new task or subtask that records the discrepancy between what was planned and what actually happened. You can name the task something like “Variation: Task X Delay” or “Budget Overrun – Task Y.”
- Example: If a task was delayed by three days, create a subtask under the original task labeled “Variation: 3-Day Delay.”
2. Use Custom Fields
- Asana allows you to create custom fields to capture key details such as expected performance, actual performance, and the variation. You can label custom fields like “Expected Completion Date,” “Actual Completion Date,” and “Variation Description” to track and log all necessary data.
- Example: Use the custom field “Variation Description” to note why the delay occurred and its impact on the project.
3. Add Comments to the Task
- In the comments section of the task or subtask, you can provide a detailed explanation of the variation, including the causes and the steps taken to address it. Comments allow for real-time collaboration with team members and stakeholders.
- Example: “The task was delayed by three days due to a resource issue. We’ve reallocated additional personnel to make up the time.”
4. Use Project Status Updates
- If the variation affects the entire project, use the Project Status Update feature in Asana to communicate the change to all relevant stakeholders. Include details about the variation, its impact on the timeline, and any corrective actions taken.
- Example: “We experienced a delay in Task X due to a design revision. The timeline has been adjusted, and the project is now expected to complete by [new date].”
5. Attach Supporting Documents
- You can attach documents or links to the task to provide additional context, such as email threads, budget reports, or other relevant documentation that explains the variation.
- Example: Attach the updated project timeline or a revised budget sheet showing the overrun.
6. Use Milestones for Major Variations
- If the variation significantly impacts the project, consider creating a milestone in Asana to mark it. This will help you and your team easily track major deviations and adjust accordingly.
- Example: Create a milestone to track the revised completion date if a major delay occurs.
7. Track Corrective Actions
- Asana’s subtasks and dependencies can be used to log and track corrective actions taken in response to a variation. Create a new subtask to document what steps are being taken to address the issue and assign it to the responsible team member.
How to Communicate Variations Between Expected and Actual Work Performance
Effectively communicating variations in work performance is crucial for keeping stakeholders informed, managing expectations, and making necessary adjustments to the project. Here’s how to communicate these variations:
| Method | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Choose the Appropriate Communication Channel | Select a communication channel based on the significance of the variation and the stakeholders involved. For minor variations, an email or update in the project management tool (like Asana) might be sufficient. For more significant variations, consider a meeting or formal report. | Use Asana to tag stakeholders in a comment for minor delays, but schedule a meeting for major budget overruns. |
| Be Transparent and Honest | Clearly explain what the variation is, why it occurred, and what impact it will have on the project. Transparency builds trust and ensures that stakeholders understand the reasons behind the variation. | “We experienced a three-day delay in task completion due to unforeseen supply chain issues, which will push the final delivery date by the same amount.” |
| Provide Context and Impact | Always explain the potential consequences of the variation. Will it delay other tasks? Will there be a budget overrun? Be specific about how the variation impacts the overall project. | “This delay will affect the timeline of the next phase, and we expect the overall project to be delayed by five days.” |
| Offer a Solution or Corrective Action | Whenever possible, provide a solution or describe the steps being taken to address the issue. This reassures stakeholders that you are proactively managing the situation. | “To mitigate the delay, we have assigned additional team members to the task, and we expect to recover two days of the lost time.” |
| Use Asana's Communication Features | In Asana, you can communicate variations by:
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Post a comment such as, “The task was delayed due to missing design assets. The new delivery date is [new date], and we’ve adjusted the project timeline accordingly.” |
| Follow Up with Regular Updates | After communicating the variation, keep stakeholders updated on any changes or progress made to correct the issue. Regular updates ensure that everyone stays informed about how the situation is being handled. | “Since our last update, we’ve made significant progress on the delayed task, and we’re now on track to meet the revised deadline.” |
Case Study
Alex is managing a project to launch a new product. The original plan was to complete the marketing campaign and product demo by June 15. However, due to a supplier delay in delivering key materials, the launch date was pushed back to June 20. Alex now needs to document this variation, communicate it to the project stakeholders, and propose corrective actions to minimize the impact.
Quiz
