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About this lesson

A Task List Schedule is a schedule format used to communicate tasks with dates to extended team members or those who do not have a major role in the project.

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Quick reference

Task List Schedule

A Task List Schedule is a schedule format that displays the tasks and scheduled completion dates that a single team member is responsible for completing.

When to use

Tasks List Schedules are best used in those situations where an individual is needed to lead a few tasks on a large project.  In this case, the individual would probably not be on the Core Team, since their role is so small.  However, the tasks that are their responsibility are important to the success of the project.  Rather than sending them a project plan with hundreds of tasks and asking them to “find” the ones they must do, a Task List Schedule is created with only their tasks and that is what is sent to them.  

Instructions

  1. Create the project schedule using your normal project scheduling and estimating techniques.
  2. Identify tasks that must be accomplished by “Extended Team Members” or those individuals who require special focus. 
  3. Consolidate the tasks for that individual on one list.
  4. Sort the list by completion date.
  5. Send the Task List Schedule to the Extended Team member and confirm that they have received it and can complete the work.

Hints & tips

  • The Task List Schedule is a form of Action Item List.  Many people use this approach to schedule their work and plan their day. 
  • This approach adds a sense of urgency to the tasks.  Tell the Extended Team member that you will be checking with them on the day an item is due to receive its completion into the project files.
  • If the list is too long, in excess of 10 tasks, the Extended Team member should either be on the Core Team or working directly with a Core Team member. 
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  • 00:04 Hello again, I'm Ray Sheen.
  • 00:05 Let's talk about project schedule planning using the task list scheduling technique.
  • 00:11 This technique works very well for communicating with team members,
  • 00:15 in particular, team members who are not an integral part of your core team but
  • 00:19 are on the edges of your project team structure.
  • 00:22 All the tasks for that team member are consolidated into one single list, and
  • 00:27 that is sorted by the end date.
  • 00:29 This creates focus for that team member.
  • 00:31 It's like giving them their own action item list for the project.
  • 00:35 Often, those team members are at the edges of your project.
  • 00:38 They may only have 4 or 5 tasks among the 4 or
  • 00:41 500 tasks that are on a large project.
  • 00:44 By providing this list to them, they don't need to sort through the hundreds of tasks
  • 00:49 to determine which is theirs, it's right there for them.
  • 00:53 The use of this technique is to communicate to that team member a specific
  • 00:57 timing required for each of those activities that we rely on them to do.
  • 01:01 And I have found it to be the best communication tool
  • 01:04 that I can use with extended team members.
  • 01:06 Your project is often a distraction to them from their real job, so
  • 01:10 make it easy for them to know what you'd like them to do.
  • 01:14 Let's talk about how we'd go about creating a task list schedule.
  • 01:18 First you have to plan the project.
  • 01:20 We need to create a project schedule based upon the project requirements and
  • 01:24 constraints using other scheduling techniques like the Milestone Chart,
  • 01:28 the Gantt Chart, or the Network Diagram.
  • 01:30 These techniques are covered in their own lessons.
  • 01:33 Once we have the schedule in place,
  • 01:35 we identify the tasks that the extended team members must do.
  • 01:39 Again, typically, that is a small handful of tasks.
  • 01:42 If they have over ten tasks, they probably need to be on the core team or
  • 01:46 working closely with the core team member.
  • 01:49 We consolidate the tasks that the extended team member must do onto one list.
  • 01:55 We then sort that list by completion date and forward it to the team member.
  • 01:59 The extended team member can now plan their work to ensure that
  • 02:03 the small handful of tasks are done on time to meet the project schedule.
  • 02:08 Some hints and tips when using this technique.
  • 02:11 First, I don't use this with our core team members.
  • 02:14 They have far too many tasks to consolidate onto one small list.
  • 02:18 Also, they're part of our regular team meetings.
  • 02:21 They're an integral part of the planning, executing, tracking, and
  • 02:25 control of the project.
  • 02:26 This technique is for those people who are not a part of the regular team meetings.
  • 02:31 Second, since the list does not show the relationship between tasks but
  • 02:35 only shows the tasks and the completion date,
  • 02:38 the project leader or overseeing core team member will need to make
  • 02:41 sure that all of the required predecessor activities have been completed.
  • 02:46 That way, when it's time for the extended team member to start their work,
  • 02:49 they have everything they need.
  • 02:51 Finally, these extended team members are often not aware of some of the unique
  • 02:55 requirements that are on your project.
  • 02:57 So, I strongly recommend that either the project leader or one of the core team
  • 03:02 members review the results of each activity with the extended team member
  • 03:06 when they finish their task to make sure it meets the unique project requirements.
  • 03:11 This task list schedule is a great technique to use for
  • 03:14 those project team members who are on the edges of your project.
  • 03:17 It facilitates your ability to communicate with them and
  • 03:20 to let them know what needs to be done and when it's required.

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