Task management

Task management or English task management involves planning, managing, monitoring, and implementation of tasks.

The related activities can thus be components such as project management or quality management and always have the goal of the tasks to be fulfilled in an agreed framework.

Conditions

Conditions simultaneously represent the objective of the task management is:

A task must be clear, unambiguous and understandable formulated so that it is understood and accepted as possible without further inquiry by the responsible person or performer. Usefully, the task will be documented, so that it is always available in the course of processing and can be done so a balance of demand and realization. The traceability of content is therefore an essential prerequisite for liability in the performance.

In addition to the clear content scheduling of tasks is necessary as the time of realization - by taking over the task - can be considered agreed. The deadline of a task is equally a target dar.

A further objective is the budget or expenditure, which is planned for the processing of the task. At this setting (ideally agreed) will later also the person in charge can be measured - if he could accomplish the task not only on time, but also within the agreed costs.

Since many tasks, especially in larger companies or organizations that are not only designed and implemented by the responsible person, it is useful to various parties can also assign tasks.

Implementation

There are various forms, such tasks can be passed to the controller or performers - in word and writing, images and sounds, by signs given, and in many other ways. All approaches have in common that the contents between the sender and the receiver of the tasks must be agreed and leave no room for interpretation as possible. After taking over the tasks it is now the responsibility of the recipient to ensure Transferee or responsible for the realization of the task content.

Already here the management of tasks comes into play, since the detection of faults to provide feedback to the sender of the task of this is expected. Only in this way can be quick to respond to disturbances. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the processor's task to report back the processing status of a task to the one to make the progress of machining and also the result transparent.

Systematic task management is closely connected with consistent time management or a necessary part of it.

The completion of a task should also be agreed as the start of work - and within, for example, a task list should be clear which tasks are still "in progress" and what tasks already "completed" or fulfilled.

Known techniques of task management can be found even under self-management: Known methods.

Controlling

After issuance of a task is the principle of " fire and forget " inappropriate, it should be important to ensure that the task processing is tracked, so compare the development of processing with our own expectations and also to early countermeasures as needed here. Here a continuous monitoring and appropriate steering supports the tasks and contents of controlling. By signals such as task-specific lights that indicate an expectant timely fulfillment of tasks, functions, an early warning system to be perceived.

Tools

In companies and organizations is almost everywhere worked today with IT support. Thus, it is also a consistent and transparent task management without computer assistance hardly conceivable.

The control of the economy is neither a commercial nor a technical discipline, but a typical entrepreneurial function can not be delegated. Only in small or medium-sized enterprises is still the boss. So share -holder of an old German company had recently make the experience that two major construction sites ran overseas out of hand because executives and board members had not specifically asked questions in time. Without ex -pert knowledge at the highest level are project results even with very sophisticated management software in MIS ( Management Information System) recognizable until they are no longer always be affected.

Decades ago, Linde AG DVT developed in Munich for the turnkey and customized industrial plant after intensive cooperation with EXXON & Statoil engineers project-related risk analyzes for greater cost accuracy in advance.

In order processing, concern about cost engineering and control estimating the detailed design to it that the project objective specifications operationally was under control: The expected Projekter result was after technical Plananpsssung & Filter plausible is adjustable and in sales was a short route premium costs knowledge from continuing operations available. So blurring when determining the price were gradually eliminated.

If any employee is assigned to or assumed by him or tasks in mind, these can at all times keep in mind, it is almost sure that nothing is overlooked or even forgotten. Further, such a database also allows particularly fast created in unplanned unavailability of the task arranger or managers an overview of upcoming tasks and their processing can be applied. This advantage can be called TODO lists in non- database-based structures or in paper form do not offer - although such applications are better than to rely only on the spoken word.

Benefit

Task management, for example, suitable as a tool of Lean project management, " an acceleration of projects" to effect - associated with potential competitive advantages, shorter project times and improve the project's success.