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    Coursera Week 2 Materials W2-1-03

    Uploaded by

    Renalyn Caneja
    The document provides tips for defining project tasks, including: - Keep task descriptions to one or two sentences; longer descriptions may indicate multiple subtasks. - Consider task dependencies to determine how much a task needs breaking down. - Involve team members in task breakdown discussions to gain different perspectives. - Define tasks by expected time to complete to identify lengthy tasks and schedule accordingly. - Identify what makes a task "done" to work backwards and ensure all steps are included.

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    Coursera Week 2 Materials W2-1-03

    Uploaded by

    Renalyn Caneja
    101 views3 pages
    The document provides tips for defining project tasks, including: - Keep task descriptions to one or two sentences; longer descriptions may indicate multiple subtasks. - Consider task dependencies to determine how much a task needs breaking down. - Involve team members in task breakdown discussions to gain different perspectives. - Define tasks by expected time to complete to identify lengthy tasks and schedule accordingly. - Identify what makes a task "done" to work backwards and ensure all steps are included.

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    Coursera Week 2 Materials

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    Coursera Week 2 Materials W2-1-03

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    The document provides tips for defining project tasks, including: - Keep task descriptions to one or two sentences; longer descriptions may indicate multiple subtasks. - Consider task dependencies to determine how much a task needs breaking down. - Involve team members in task breakdown discussions to gain different perspectives. - Define tasks by expected time to complete to identify lengthy tasks and schedule accordingly. - Identify what makes a task "done" to work backwards and ensure all steps are included.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    101 views3 pages

    Coursera Week 2 Materials W2-1-03

    Uploaded by

    Renalyn Caneja
    The document provides tips for defining project tasks, including: - Keep task descriptions to one or two sentences; longer descriptions may indicate multiple subtasks. - Consider task dependencies to determine how much a task needs breaking down. - Involve team members in task breakdown discussions to gain different perspectives. - Define tasks by expected time to complete to identify lengthy tasks and schedule accordingly. - Identify what makes a task "done" to work backwards and ensure all steps are included.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Tips for defining project tasks

    The process of identifying project tasks and defining them is one that requires
    practice. Breaking tasks down into workable parts is challenging because you
    have to decide which tasks may require additional subtasks and which tasks
    do not. For instance, if you are managing a cross-country move, you do not
    need to break down the task of unloading boxes from the car into which box
    should be moved first. However, you may need to break down the movers’
    tasks into smaller, more detailed steps. As you progress in your career, you will
    get better at breaking tasks down. In the interim, here are some guidelines to
    help you improve this very important project management skill. 

    Define project tasks in one or two sentences


    When writing descriptions of project tasks, keep them to one or two sentences
    long. If you find that a certain task description needs to be longer than one or
    two sentences, this indicates that the task is complex and could be broken
    down into smaller tasks or that it may need further clarification.

    Look at project task dependencies


    When looking at how you might break certain parts of the project down into
    tasks, consider task dependencies, or what has to be completed or handed off
    from one person to another before work on each task can begin. Identifying
    dependencies can help you decide how much a task needs to be broken down.
    For instance, if you are managing a project that includes an awards ceremony
    and one of the tasks is to set up the stage, the dependencies for this task could
    include getting estimates from an audiovisual (AV) contractor, procuring
    necessary equipment, and constructing the stage backdrop.
    Enlist help from team members
    It is often helpful for your team to be involved in the task breakdown process.
    You might have a meeting where you discuss each broad goal or major task
    with the team. This way, team members can present varying perspectives as
    they work together to break down tasks. For example, if someone on your
    team has had experience on a similar project, they may suggest a certain task
    actually be broken down into three different tasks. 

    Define project tasks by the amount of time they will take to


    complete
    Defining project tasks by the amount of time they’re expected to take will reveal
    any especially lengthy tasks. If a task is expected to take a long time, it could
    indicate that there are additional subtasks that need to be defined. Identifying
    tasks by time is helpful for scheduling other tasks or events around the longer
    tasks. This strategy also helps you determine appropriate milestones, as
    milestones are often the culmination of a series of tasks. Acknowledging the
    completion of a large and lengthy task is also a great way to celebrate
    success, learn from the process, and keep the project on track.
    Identify project tasks by their “done” factors
    Begin with the end in mind: What does it mean for the task to be considered
    “done”? From there, you can work backwards to see if you’ve missed any
    steps and identify checkpoints for completion along the way.

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