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Delegating Tasks Effectively In Microsoft Project

Fri 11th September 2009

When considering how to go about organising and meeting the goals of a current assignment it may be easier to break down your project into a series of smaller challenges.

Microsoft Project is ideal for complex assignments that have many people and companies involved as it helps you organise your time, money and resources. The application can identify areas that may begin under performing as it draws attention to goals that have not been met or are delayed, while also showing you the impact this can have on the cost of your campaign. For example, if some contractors have failed to deliver the necessary materials to you on time, such as construction items for building a home, MS Project can calculate how much more you will have to pay other workers for the extra hours spent waiting for the delayed goods.

If you find that there are many goals to reach in order to successfully complete your task, the software allows you to create a series of sub-projects that can be linked to the main assignment. This may be useful for complex campaigns that have many targets as you can see how they are all individually developing and you are also likely to get a clearer picture of what areas may need extra resources or more planning. The advantage of MS Project is that if you create smaller projects they are still linked to the master assignment so you can quickly view the progression of all tasks that are entered into the document.

As you look through the data on the master project you are free to make changes on the mini-project, and these updates are recorded on the source file. So if you were constructing a home for example and had a separate subproject for plumbing issues, you would be able to record any updates on the status of the task via the master project file. The opportunity to create subprojects may help you better organise your time and this could also have a positive impact on your fellow workers.

For example, as you divide up the tasks involved in your assignment you can place people in charge of various sections. Delegation can give colleagues more control over their allotted goals, which can free you up to concentrate on other tasks. This can also ensure that the relevant workers are in charge of the correct sectors and can enhance autonomy in teams.

In addition, you can also see who is accountable for sub-projects and discuss areas with workers if issues of under performance crop up. Arranging your project into a series of mini goals can help you decide where you need to spend more of your time. This is because the software gives you the chance to arrange your tasks in terms of importance. You are free to build your documents so smaller tasks lie within separate sub-projects that can be easily brought to your attention if necessary.

This can help you crack on with more pressing matters, while also keeping an eye on less weighty issues. Once you have created the MS Project document that contains all the necessary information regarding your main task and its mini-projects this can then be shared with your colleagues and clients, if you wish. The entire team can then get an idea how well the campaign is progressing and which areas may need some attention.

Also you are free to link these smaller goals together and show how the successful completion of one sector has a positive impact on the entire project. This can keep the tasks on track, while also bringing teams of different contractors together before a shared goal.

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on a delegation course, please visit https://www.stl-training.co.uk

Original article appears here:
https://www.stl-training.co.uk/article-563-delegating-tasks-effectively-in-microsoft-project.html

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