Over the last couple of weeks I have written about various ways to get things done and go home early. Over the series of posts, I have outlined how mind maps, flowcharts, org charts, and team charts help you with your management responsibilities. The key to bringing this all together is making sure you have all the various tasks and deadlines clearly set out in a timeline. The project chart, or Gantt chart, was first developed by Henry Laurence Gantt in the 1910s and since then has been an essential part of project management. Projects get completed on time—and under budget—only when every task involved, and the time it takes to do them, is properly identified and tracked. The best way to do this is visually, using mind maps and project charts. Here’s how:
Scope out your project with a mind map
The first step is to identify all the tasks involved is with a mind map, which is what my first post in this series addressed. I also included the mind map I created for that post. here is a simplified version of the instructions in that post:
Step 1: Identify each of the high-level tasks in the project.
As our example, we'll use a go-to-market plan.
It is difficult to estimate the length of complex tasks like these. It is much easier to accurately estimate the length of a smaller, simpler task, so:
Step 2: Break the complex tasks into simpler tasks.
Simply expand your mind map to include all the sub-tasks for each.
Once you have identified all the tasks in your project, the next step is to apply timeframes and task dependencies with a project chart.
How to Create a Project Chart
Step 1: Convert your mind map into a project chart.
Make each box in your mind map a line item in the second column of your project chart. Use the first column to number your tasks and sub-tasks as shown below.
SmartDraw converts your mind map to a project chart automatically with a single mouse-click. You can also toggle between mind map and project chart views for easy editing). In the view below, I have already adjusted how the tasks should be properly indented.
Step 2: Assign lengths to each task.
Take each of the simple tasks and enter the amount of time (in days) each will take in the "Duration" column. (Software you use to create the chart should change the length of the bar automatically.)
Step 3: Assign start and end dates to each task.
If several tasks are assigned to the same person and they can't work on more than one effectively at the same time, start each of their tasks after they finish the one before.
If a task can't start until another is complete, make sure you don't schedule it to start until the earlier task is complete. SmartDraw will automatically calculate the end date of each task based on the number of working days required to complete it.
How to Use Your Project Chart to Manage Your Work
Update. Share. Repeat.
A project chart should be a "living document" that is regularly updated and referred to by everyone working on the project. Once work has begun on the project, monitor the completion of each task and adjust the schedule accordingly. Be sure to share your updated chart with the entire team so that everyone has the "big picture" of how things are going. Personally, when I am managing a project, I like to set up a folder on SharePoint where all my documents and visuals related to that project live.
This short video shows how to visually manage a project using SmartDraw.
If you want to start with my project chart as a template, you can download the file below. You will need to have a copy of SmartDraw on your desktop, so if you do not have one already you can download a free trial.
[Example] Project Chart of Marketing Plan.sdr
If you missed the previous articles in the series, be sure to read them and check out the other SmartDraw files I have posted:
- How to Get Things Done and Go Home Early: Use Mind Maps
- How to Get Things Done and Go Home Early: Use Process Maps
- How to Get Things Done and Go Home Early: Use Org Charts
- How to Get Things Done and Go Home Early: Use Team Charts
Also, we have a variety of other videos on the SmartDraw website and on our YouTube channel that you might find interesting. Let me know what you think of this series of articles and how these methods work out for you in taking charge of your management duties.
